Both Shadowhunters and Shadow And Bone started off as young adult fantasy novels, but built up a cult following that earned them adaptations on the television screen. Each of these shows is fantastic in its own respective ways, but they share a lot of similarities which begs the question of which one is better. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration while making the decision, but each series managed to rise above the other in different areas.
Shadowhunters and Shadow And Bone alike did well in terms of integrating content from the novels with the televised screenplay. Neither of the shows stuck strictly to the text, but they still incorporated all the same characters and plot elements fans loved about the books. However, Shadow And Bone managed to intertwine entirely separate stories quite seamlessly, giving the show the upper hand in terms of live-action adaptation, especially because including The Crows made Alina's story much more compelling. It also gave fans an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise to see the characters come together for the first time.
The “chosen one” trope was also extremely prevalent throughout each show, with Alina and Clary both filling the role of a young girl who didn't understand her own powers, or their capability to create light in order to defeat the darkness. Alina didn’t get as much background as Clary did, aside from the glimpses fans got of her long-standing relationship with Mal, which mirrors Clary’s relationship with her childhood friend Simon. Clary’s origin story extends back much further, and her involvement with the Shadow World felt a lot less sudden. As Shadowhunters progresses, viewers learned that Clary’s abilities had been in full swing ever since she was a child and it took the help of magic to erase her memories and keep her from using her powers.
Alina’s powers were entirely dormant until the moment she lit up the Fold. Her only telltale sign of being a Grisha was that Mal could hear a high-pitched ringing whenever he touched her hand. It seems a bit far-fetched that one of the most powerful beings in the entire Shadow And Bone universe would have absolutely no idea that she was harboring such capabilities, especially since she turned out to be the saint everyone was waiting for. There has only been one season of Shadow And Bone as of right now, but a second season could do a lot more deep-diving into Alina's past.
There was also a distinct difference in tone between each series. Shadow And Bone feels more mature, even though it’s marketed towards a PG-13 audience, just like Shadowhunters. This was most likely due to the platforms the shows premiered on, with Shadow And Bone belonging to Netflix, while Shadowhunters premiered on ABC’s Freeform. ABC traditionally markets itself as a family-oriented company, even though they changed their branding once they renamed the channel.
The goal of rebranding as Freeform was to start appealing to a younger audience, so even though Shadowhunters includes elements that aren’t appropriate for children under the age of 13, it definitely holds on to the YA feel of the novels. This isn’t a bad thing, since a lot of younger media consumers like retreating to the comfort and escapism the YA genre provides. Shadowhunters was strictly marketed towards teens and young adults, but the intensity and complexity of Shadow And Bone make it something that can appeal to audiences of all ages.
Additionally, a lot of the acting in Shadow And Bone was a bit more believable. To be fair, actors can only do so much with the dialogue they’re given, and some of the dialogue in Shadowhunters was a bit over-the-top and obviously teen-oriented. At times, this made the interactions between characters feel forced, too fake, and a little cheesy. This can be a great thing for fans who are looking to fully immerse themselves in the impossibilities fantasy worlds have to offer, but for those who are looking for something a little more serious, Shadow And Bone is the way to go.
Despite all the differences these shows have, they managed to do a lot of things equally right. Both shows made diverse casting choices, including people of color and characters who are part of the LGBTQ community. They also cleverly used bias against fantasy species to highlight important race and class issues that exist in the real world. These things added a lot more depth to each franchise and allowed almost anyone watching the shows to find a character they can relate to. Both series did a good job of creating complex villains, as well, who truly believe that what they’re doing is moral and right, even though viewers and protagonists can tell that their ideals are skewed.
It’s hard to pick between Shadowhunters and Shadow And Bone when they’ve each done such a good job in bringing characters to life. Although one may outshine the other when it comes to acting, or tone, both series deserve praise and recognition for taking complicated fantasy worlds and giving them more life on screen.