Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

The most important thing I want everyone to know is that it get's better. Much better. If you love the genre, I recommend you watch through the first season as the second season is better and the third season is totally awesome. There are many likeable actors/actresses. The acting is believable. The special effects get noticeably better by the season. I absolutely LOVE the story. This is my favorite genre and I'm glad I watched through the first season even though I wasn't to eager to finish it.

I love the books having read them all more than once, the movie was OK ish but I was very excited when I heard a series was being made. I watched the first episode and I wasn't sure, the acting was a tad wooden but that's not unusual for a new series in the pilot episode especially for new young actors. So I watched the next one and it started to grow me and now I'm hooked and can't wait for each new episode. Yes it is slightly different to the books but no film or TV adaptation is 100% true to the book, what works on the page doesn't always translate to screen hence they say 'based on'. I have likened this series to True Blood, I watched the first episode or two of that and thought it was a bit naff but I stayed with it a became an avid True Blood fan, loving every episode. I am hoping Shadowhunters will be the same. In conclusion give it a chance, it could be a really good watch.

Shadowhunters, although not amazing and award-worthy, is still relatively enjoyable to watch. There are many aspects of the TV show that need improvement, but that doesn't mean that there aren't things the show has nailed. I personally have not read TMI yet and I feel that people are comparing the book and TV series too scrutinously. I feel that having not read the books has helped me enjoy the show rather than be frustrated that the show isn't sticking to the books. Among the cons, the acting of certain characters is quite cringe-worthy although some are new to acting so we can't judge them on this. The script was also pretty cheesy, but then again it reflects the target audience. Let's just hope that'll improve later on. Apart from that, I think a lot of us can agree that the institute design was not that great, it was way too techy and didn't feel homely at all. The pros, on the other hand, include SIMON! Simon is amazing in all respects! Alec and Isabelle were great throughout. Jace's character improved towards the end of season 1 which is great. I didn't know how to feel about Magnus at first but currently, at the close of season 1, I'm liking his character which is very much like Jack Sparrow, as youtuber Christine Riccio pointed out. With regards to Clary, I love her relationship with Simon, apart from that I don't think she grew much until towards the end of season 1, like Jace. I'm hoping for more improvement regarding the characters in the upcoming season.

One thing I had minor issues with was an episode - and I can't remember which episode - where it was just really overly trying to be sexual. There were so many implied sexual scenes, undressing, kissing, etc. and it all happened in that one episode. They might as well have just named the episode "Everybody's having sex". I don't know I felt like that was all so forced and I felt slightly uncomfortable, like it was a little forced as if the producers/screenwriters/whoever were like "lets just put some sex in". Although I do understand that it did sort of serve the plot, I think it was a bit unnecessary considering the original target audience - I'm a little confused now, like who's the real target audience? I feel like different aspects of the TV show are reflecting different target audiences.

With regards to the plot, I felt as though some things were all over the place, aspects of the plot didn't advance until end of season 1 in a rush to cram things in. But I can understand why, because I mean, they had to keep the audience interested/satisfied enough throughout the series so that they could invest in a second season which will hopefully advance the plot much better.

Knowing that freeform has rights over TID as well as TMI, I'm excited to see the incorporation of both stories into Shadowhunters, or if not, I'm dearly hoping that they'll give TID its own separate TV show.

But yeah, regardless, the show had a slow start, but it is gradually improving, and it has potential to be great in season 2!

So overall there are things it needs to work on, but the show is still entertaining to watch. I'm excited for season 2 and hopefully many more seasons to come!

Let me start by saying that I loved the books and hated the movie so much I tried to get through it twice and never made it beyond the first 15 minutes. Does this stick completely to the books? No, of course not. It follows the story line much better than the movie. Remember, this isn't a mini series so they need to set up a broader world. The characters are true to type and so much better cast than the crappy movie. I can already see that I am going to like Simon. He's pretty much exactly like in the book and bonus, Alec doesn't look like one of their dads :D. 1pilots are almost always meh and require setting up the premise so don't worry about it being plot heavy. They settle in nicely in the second episode. (already on Hulu plus a week in advance). Give it a shot if you like the books.

Season 1 is more of an introduction and not as good . But season 2 and 3 are SO GOOD! It almost seems like it's a new show , the story is better, the acting is on point and the special effects are amazing . Give it a chance .