NYCC 2015: Will ABC Family's Shadowhunters Stick More than the Film?

Michael Moccio ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Editor-in-Chief

Amid the comic book, video game, and book publishing companies, ABC Family stood out on the show floor. Not just because it’s iconic, but because of the recently released news that the brand would evolve into Freeform. So it looks like this is going to be one of the last times they use this iconic logo at a show, which made it extra special to see.
The three shows ABC Family’s promoting at the show at the show include: Shadowhunters, Pretty Little Liars, and Stitches. Back in August of 2013, we had the chance to sit down with Cassandra Clare and some of the cast of The Mortal Instruments movie. As we all know, the movie turned out to be a critical flop and The Hollywood Reporter went so far as to say it was “a major in-house flop.” So the question on every fan’s mind: will this be another flop or a success?

Judging by the presence Shadowhunters had at the show floor, it looks like ABC Family is putting a lot of faith into the show. For those who haven’t been caught up with the news, Katherine McNamara of Maze Runner fame will play the main protagonist Clary, while Dominic Sherwood of Vampire Academy will play her romantic counterpart Jace. While more news will most likely hit at their 11 AM Saturday panel, the ABC Family booth did have some cool paraphernalia to show off, as in the picture above. The quality of the items were evident and it was cool to see them up close before seeing them on the television screen.

In addition to the weaponry, ABC Family showed off some of the concept art and production stills from Shadowhunters. The several images on the right appear to be concept art for a demon that’ll appear on the show and the collage of images promises a modern aesthetic. They’re clearly going for the grotesque here, so it’ll be interesting to see how that translates from pictures to the actual series.
What do you think? Will the TV show be better than the movie or is it destined to flop as well?
Be sure to check back for more NYCC updates as the show continues!