What Is ‘Shadowhunters’? And Why Was Twitter So Excited About It Last Night?

Yeah, yeah, yeah…we all know that President Obama’s last State of the Union address was happening last night, but it wasn’t the only thing trending on twitter last night. Something called “#Shadowhunters” was also making noise.

What are “Shadowhunters”? What does that word even mean? Is it about light and shadow? Is it a show? Is it a state of mind? Do you need a license to Shadowhunt? Is it an advanced form of shadowboxing? WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!?

Well, take a deep breath and calm down. We’re here to answer every burning question you have about Shadowhunters.

First thing’s first: What is Shadowhunters and why was it trending last night?

Shadowhunters is a brand new hour long fantasy drama airing on Freeform. Last night marked its official premiere. Fans were excited.

Freeform? What’s that?

Freeform is the new name of ABC Family. The network decided to finally cut ties with its family-friendly (and Christian conservative) roots to make way for darker, edgier fare designed to appeal to millennials. Shadowhunters is intended to be one of the rebranded network’s first flagship shows.

So what’s Shadowhunters about anyway?

It’s an adaptation of a popular YA novel series called “The Mortal Instruments.” The first book is called City Of Bones and follows what happens when a sweet and plucky teen named Clary Fray discovers that her parents were “Shadowhunters.”

AND WHAT ARE SHADOWHUNTERS?

Shadowhunters are a superhuman group of warriors who can trace their lineage back to a group of knights that were given special powers from an angel. Namely, they were given angel blood. This gave them superpowers to help them in the fight against demons and other magical monstrous terrors that lurk in the night.

Cool. So you’ve got to be born a Shadowhunter?

Yes and no. In fact, the main thrust of the first book is that some humans can become Shadowhunters if they drink from The Mortal Cup and some bad people want to steal said Mortal Cup.

Sounds interesting. It also sounds a little like Harry Potter.

Well, that might be because the series’ creator Cassandra Clare started off as a popular Harry Potter fan fiction writer. Her original series gave her the opportunity to explore certain themes — namely violence and sexuality — that are missing from Rowling’s family friendly books.

Wait. Wasn’t there a movie version of all this?

Yup! Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Robert Sheehan all co-starred in the 2013 film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.

Is the TV show a spin-off of a movie?

Nope! It’s a completely new re-telling of The Mortal Instruments saga. At TCA this weekend, the showrunner and stars explained that the first book City of Bones is being used as a template for the first season. Katherine McNamara takes over the reins of Clary Fray, Dominic Sherwood plays the smoldering Shadowhunter Jace Wayland, and Alberto Rosende is Clary’s hot-nerd best friend Simon.

So why was Twitter so excited about this last night?

Because the series has long had a massive online fan base. Seriously. This is one of the most popular YA series to be published in the last ten years. There’s a prequel series and tons of spin-off stories. It’s a big deal (if you’re into this kind of stuff).

Besides, it was great counter programming to the State of the Union. Tired of politics? Watch teens stab demons with magical swords!

You never said if you need a license to Shadowhunt.

Well…it’s like this: You are a Shadowhunter or you’re not. You have the blood of angels coursing through your veins or not. You can survive putting magical tattoo runes on your body or not.

That said, there is a ruling body that monitors what Shadowhunters do. The show will probably delve into it more later on in the season.

Will I like this show if I still watch three episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer before bed every night?

Probably. It definitely features a plucky teen lady taking on the supernatural forces of evil. There are love triangles and raves and best friends to the end. However, it’s yet to prove itself as crackling or clever as Joss Whedon’s landmark cult hit. Then again, when we spoke with McNamara at TCA this weekend, she seemed really excited about the direction the season was going in…so stay tuned.

If you still miss Buffy and are mourning the end of The Hunger Games, there is a smarter, darker YA TV show for your viewing pleasure: The 100. After a bumpy premiere, this series swiftly established itself as the dystopian successor to Battlestar Galactica and you can binge-watch the first two seasons on Netflix ahead of the season three premiere on January 21.

But what about Shadowhunters? Where can I give that a try?

You can watch the first two episodes on Hulu and stream the show in its regularly scheduled Tuesday night time slot on Freeform if you have Sling TV.

[Watch Shadowhunters on Hulu]
[Get Freeform on Sling TV]