Shadowhunters (2016)
All the Legends Are True
When Clary Fray's mother has disappeared, Clary joins a band of Shadowhunters; demon killing hunters, and gets caught up in a plan to save the world.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 12 January 2016 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 6 May 2019 |
| Genre | Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy |
| Created by | Ed Decter |
| Starring | Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood and Alberto Rosende |
| Seasons | 3 seasons, 55 episodes |
| Episode length | about 42 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 39 hours |
| Rated | TV-14 |
| Scores | TMDB users 7.6/10 |
Where to watch Shadowhunters
Shadowhunters is streaming on Hulu ($21.49 a month) in the US. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Hulu, or $21.49 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 27 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Shadowhunters runs 39 hours long. That is a lot of demon-slaying. The series takes a YA fantasy premise and treats it with genuine dramatic weight, though the tone swings wildly between brooding and silly. It asks you to care about a teenager’s mother while she fights literal monsters. The acting is earnest, if not always polished. It is a commitment that rewards patience more than it rewards time.
What the critics said
Critics viewed the debut season with mixed responses. Metacritic assigned a 45 out of 100 based on 9 reviews, categorizing the reception as mixed or average. Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 44% approval rating from 25 critics, alongside a 5.81/10 average score. The consensus noted that while the series offers visual thrills and a promising premise, these elements fail to offset its self-serious tone and convoluted plotting. James Poniewozik of The New York Times suggested the show has assets but might become more fun if it learned to enjoy being the empowerment fantasy it actually is.
How it did with audiences
On TMDB, users rate Shadowhunters 7.6 out of 10. That is a surprisingly sturdy score for a show that never quite found its footing in the mainstream. It suggests the fans who stuck with it found a companion worth keeping.
What came next for the cast
Matthew Daddario moved from a 2013 film to a 2019 TV series. Katherine McNamara stepped out of the Maze Runner films into a 2020 miniseries. Dominic Sherwood went from a 2014 film to a 2020 series. The credits show a shift in genres, not a direct line from one project to the next. What followed was simply the next step, whatever that happened to be.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Shadowhunters.
Read more: The Witcher
Sources
- Shadowhunters on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q19756164 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Shadowhunters” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the series you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add Shadowhunters to your list