This show is like a slutty awful version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Compared to this the movie is an Oscar winner. i never had a tv show that made me feel so sick, it was cliche after cliche, super bad acting, bad effects, bad casting, bad characters, bad script, bad costumes. I was really looking forward for this show since i kinda enjoyed the movie and i liked the story of the books but this is just down awful.

Katherine McNamara is the perfect example of an "eycandy" for the masses.
she looks good but can´t act. Oh well, she can act.. she´s just bad at it.

first 10 min already nothing like the books. What is so hard about following the books for once..

The show starts cheesy but with each episode the quality really improves. There are book references which I appreciate. And yes I'm a huge book fan but able to separate the show from the book. Over all it's a good, fun show and I'll recommend giving it a chance.

I don't get why this show gets so much hatred. I watched all the episodes and I found them amazing. I don't give a damn about the book. If it were identical to the book as a minority of bookworms want, there would be no reason to watch it. People should stop comparing, and start appreciating it as a spin-off.

Amazing show, great actors, don't listen to the negative reviews and give the show a chance. Improves a lot after episode 2, though I already liked it from the get go. Differs somewhat from the books, but the overall plot is there, and the characters are way more fleshed out than that they were in the books. It's all great.

the show/acting gets better and better every episode! I love this show and I also love the books. I even prefer some of the changes on the show over the book storylines. Don't give up just because the first couple episodes have "bad acting"- trust me it's worth watching :)

I expected this to be bad from the beginning, but I didn't want to judge it without first giving it a chance. I'm two episodes in and every second of my experience watching this felt like a strange experiment meant to diminish my brain cells. There are plenty of shows out there that are downright bad, but can still be enjoyed while laughing at them. Shadowhunters doesn't even get that far. The acting, the costumes, the writing, the horrible dialogue... none of it is worth the time. With that said, I'll probably keep watching it because I'm nothing if not a masochist.

Starts off pretty meh to be honest. The main character did not hook me in right away it seemed very YA - which is understandable because it was adapted from the book series. This is an example of a show that just gets better with time though. I didn't get hooked until the Malec plot started to develop (around episode 4).
The acting, special effects, and story line really pick up in season 2 and 3 and the whole series aged up as it started to get it's legs.
Book fans may not like it right away because it's an adaptation and not a replica, but that's what gives the show room to grow and keep you on your toes.

After a straight-up awful first couple of episodes, many of the actors finally dig their teeth into their roles and the show decides to completely do away with a lot of the worse parts of the source material.

By the end of the season, the ensemble nature of the show versus the books/movie helps it immensely, as the more interesting plotlines/better actors lie in characters that aren't as deeply explored in the source material. Dialogue is still hokey, and a few of the main and recurring actors are cringeworthy to watch (especially the villains), but it finds a way to embrace its own ridiculousness and become a solid guilty pleasure. If there are parts of the show you've heard about that are appealing to you, and/or you're looking for a genuinely kind of bats**t, mixed-bag guilty pleasure that takes some at-times-hilarious risks, this show may be for you.

I was one of those people who liked the movie adaptation, without actually ever reading the books.
The series follows the books more, but it is more meant to be based on the books but still be it's own thing. Kind of like an alternative universe, if you might.The series starts out a bit rocky with obviously low budget, but it has lots of heart. Once we wade through the drama with Clary, it is pretty enjoyable. For season 2 they got a bigger budget and the overall quality becomes much better. By the end of season 2 the writing, the effects and the whole show improves a lot. It is worth sticking around if you like supernatural stuff with actual lgbtqia+ and poc representation - who aren't just side characters. The characters have really nice and well built friendships and relationships.