Younger and Wiser: "Shadowhunters" and the Integrity of Television

"The Mortal Instruments" steps up to bat once more. The results are surprising to say the least.

Four Years ago, Cassandra Claire’s chronicles of super human demon hunters policing the underworld found itself the subject of “Young and Stupid,” my previous look at the trend of adapting YA fiction to popular media outside of its literary format, with the release and bombing of critical dud “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.”

What was once believed to be an assured hit by studio executives quickly gave way to a box office bomb so heavy that it thoroughly sunk a sequel slated to begin shooting a mere 2 to 3 months after its release.

Needless to say, the plug was pulled on the would-be “The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes” but the world had yet to see the end of “The Shadowhunter Chronicles.”

Almost a year after the writing on the wall was spelled out for the sequel, rumblings picked up of a possible television adaptation of the franchise to cash in on an audience that certainly existed but may not have been large enough to justify a big budget feature adaptation on.

Enter, “Shadowhunters,” the crown jewel of Disney’s relaunch of the “ABC Family” channel as the now teen and Young Adult oriented “FreeForm.”

Fully rebooting the events of the film, “Shadowhunters” tells the story of Clary Fray, who becomes embroiled in a plot by rogue xenophobic shadowhunter Valentine to eliminate nonhumans when she accidentally witnesses the assassination of demons after a night of clubbing.

In order to survive the attention placed upon her and her mortal friend Simon, she must stay close to a group of shadowhunters let by the brooding Jace, for protection, slowly unraveling her connection to the conspiracy that has been kept from her for her entire life.

It’s fairly remarkable how little actually changes on the page regarding the two adaptations of the same material.

The story is ostensibly the same as a film that I derided four years ago as being a slop bucket of pop cultural backwash regarding its literary and production influences. Clary is still a fairly vanilla character, Simon is still a clueless friend-zoned dope, and the overall mythology arc continues to unfold in somewhat of a murky capacity.

Ultimately, the only major difference is that of its medium, which gives everything something of a stylistic downgrade, as the production lacks the cast, money, and technical benefits of a cinematic budget.

As a result, the story is delivered piece by piece with hammier acting, cheaper effects, and a longer and more drawn out conclusion.

One would think that a more quaint and prolonged presentation of something that was an unpleasant watch on the silver screen would then be inherently negative. Contrary to what these combined elements probably should have been however, “Shadowhunters” actually comes together well as a television series and contrary to what our modern irony worshiping sensibilities as a culture would dictate, it comes together not as a “So bad, it’s good” experience but simply an enjoyable fantasy romp in its own right.

The idea of adapting a book series via television presents benefits that practically speak for themselves; longer running time means a less compressed approach, which enhances world and character building and makes the overall arc of the story feel less crammed, which is especially beneficial for fantasy in need of hefty world building.

Simon’s dopiness is far more endearing when it can be defined with several sporadic moments rather than an unhealthy obsession with a girl that doesn’t share his attraction. Seeing different species popup and magic take effect is less whiplashing because there’s enough time to properly introduce and reinforce it before it becomes plot relevant.

Longer form simply benefits the material more than a single 2 hour feature ever could.

However, what I truly wish the entertainment industry would take a lesson from is in its presentation.

In an era where superhero television is defined by beauties like “Daredevil,” “Legion,” and the first season and a half of “The Flash,” my favorite superhero TV series of all time is still unabashedly “Power Rangers: Time Force” because in the face of adversity, marketed towards a non-discerning audience, with few resources, it dared to swing for the fences to create a science fiction action epic through sheer force of will, conviction and ingenuity.

“Shadowhunters” looks cheap and leans into being flagrantly cheesy and that’s okay because it’s a fantasy television series.

Despite the growth of occasional thematic overtones, the series is very pulpy and unapologetic about being pulpy and is fortunate enough to be in a medium that grants it a tool set that enhances what its about, whether it’s your cup of tea or not.

The production design is ludicrous but consistent and maintaining of a certain internal logic that flows and never questions itself.

Yes, Izzy is sexy and dresses like she’s consistently floating around a bondage convention and that would almost be as distractingly laughable as it is distractingly sexy if it weren’t for the production treating it so passively along with every other character just going with it. Yes, the CGI would be considered substandard on the big screen, which is why it’s not on the big screen. Instead, its on television, where it can be coupled with a more stage-like presentation present in the broader acting style of the cast to create something that feels more like theatre than cinema.

Clary’s vanilla status isn’t quite as unbearable when her actress is allowed to have fun with the material, evoking a heyday of daytime paranormal soap operas that also knew what they were aiming to achieve with stringent demands and limited resources, while Jace is infinitely more bearable when his brooding nature is open to occasional mockery until the more sympathetic side of his back story kicks in.

In an era where television seasons are beginning to become 12 to 24 hour movies rather than true serialized fiction, “Shadowhunters” dares to work with the medium it’s produced for rather than aspire to be another format entirely and while it might not be everybody’s flavor of hokey, I find myself not only enjoying it but appreciating its preference towards keeping the minimalism of its medium alive as opposed to something more cinematic or visual that peters out and bores for long stretches of time, occasionally on the same network (looking at you “Cloak and Dagger”).

The presence of the Young Adult fiction may be waning in movie theaters but if “Shadowhunters” is any indication of what television has to offer, maybe there’s simply a better place for it.