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  • Actor Shipping: The fandom loves shipping the actors who play the official pairings, like Katherine McNamara and Dominic Sherwood or Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum Jr.. In particular, Matthew and Harry have loads of Real Person Fics and fan edits about them around the internet.
  • Alternative Character Interpretation: While it's pretty clear Asmodeus' "love" for Bane is nothing but unhealthy and manipulative, is he just pretending to love his son so he can use him to his own ends, or does he genuinely believe, in his twisted logic, that he is a doing what is best for him?
  • Bizarro Episode: The seventh episode of Season 2 received huge backlash from fans who felt that the episode felt too disjointed from the rest of the series, with none of the characters acting in character bar Simon and Luke. With Jace purposefully giving Simon abysmal dating advice for seemingly no reason, Clary tasering her father figure Luke after refusing to listen to his orders, and a dubiously-consenting sex scene between Magnus and Alec which lead to many of the writers having to respond to the controversial scene, it's understandable why many fans felt deceived. It becomes even worse when, the week leading up the episode, it was specifically referred to as "Malec Mania"...only for them to have three minutes of screentime in said episode.
  • Broken Base:
    • Isabelle becoming Hotter and Sexier. There have been blog posts complaining about it, accusing the show of objectifying Isabelle and turning her into a sex toy. There were a few complaints about the scene of her sleeping with Meliorn to get information, too. Others are fine with it, finding it's not that drastic a change and citing that Isabelle still gets more characterization beyond being Ms. Fanservice.
    • Katherine McNamara as Clary is a polarizing casting choice, especially since she had mostly played Alpha Bitches before. There are constant debates over whether she's one of the weakest or strongest members of the cast.
    • Dominic Sherwood is almost as divisive a casting choice. Some fans love him and feel he captures Jace perfectly, while others find his delivery to be way too forced and over-the-top (evidence by most of the Narm examples below being provided by him).
    • Whether Season 1 or Season 2 is better. Many fans think Season 2's more mature tone is a great improvement, while others think it's too dramatic and miss the more lighthearted tone.
    • Whether the changes from the books are an improvement or a travesty.
  • Catharsis Factor:
    • After two seasons of murdering innocents, his ex-wife Jocelyn included, and causing the Downworld to almost fall apart, seeing Valentine meet his demise at the hands of a vengeful Clary, who slashes his throat and stabs him multiple times for (temporarily) killing Jace, is really catharthic that no one is going to shed any tears for the sadistic monster she had for a father.
    • Also, Heidi, Simon's vampire stalker, who got away with killing some mundanes (and a fellow werewolf Praetor), kidnapping and holding Simon's family hostage and massacring almost half of Luke's werewolf pack. Then, when she attempts to lie her way out of trouble, Heidi getting her comeuppance by unknowingly ingesting holy water, which Maia injected herself with, proves to be the most satisfying and fitting punishment she had coming. Maia even points out to Alec, who tells her off because of it, that Heidi's death was her own fault since there was no way for her to know about the holy water.
  • Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Estrogen Brigade: With a Cast Full of Pretty Boys, plenty of Ho Yay between the male characters, one canonical gay relationship, and some gratuitous Fanservice, the show has plenty of fangirls. But the other demographic are not left out (see below).
  • Fanfic Fuel: There have been many fanfics written that take place in the alternative universe in 1x10.
  • Fetish Retardant: The scenes between Isabelle and Raphael during the former's addiction. The fact that Isabelle is essentially getting high and feeding her addiction prevents the scenes from being completely sexy.
  • Growing the Beard: Fans of the show point to the fifth episode "Moo Shu To Go" as a marked improvement. The actors settle into their characters better (especially Emeraude Toubia and Matthew Daddario), effects get a little better, and the episode structure is better. Season 2 is also viewed as a massive improvement for its Darker and Edgier tone, with both acting and special effects getting much better, too.
  • Harsher in Hindsight: Sarah Hyland was cast to play the Seelie Queen. There was a lot of backlash because she was dating Dominic Sherwood (Jace) and many people thought that she got the role solely for that. As of August 2017, Sarah and Dom broke up, with many fans speculating that her guest-starring on the show was what tore a wedge between the two of them. Not helping matters was that the Seelie Queen tries Relationship Sabotage in her first appearance (although she's played by Lola Flannery in that episode).
  • He Really Can Act:
    • Alberto Rosende delivers a heartbreaking performance when Simon properly comes back as a vampire. It's one of the biggest Tear Jerker moments in the series.
    • Katherine McNamara's huge breakdown at Jocelyn's funeral where she can't even finish saying her name is one of the most emotional moments in the series.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight:
    • Alan van Sprang plays Valentine in the series, while Jonathan Rhys Meyers played him in the movie. Both actors starred in The Tudors together.
    • Alec is played by Matthew Daddario and Clary by Katherine McNamara in the series. They start off as frenemies in the first season, with the former openly making it clear that he doesn't trust her. Both actors would later star in the 2021 film Trust together. What makes this funnier is that their characters had a one-night stand. Even the fanbase saw the hilarity in that (like claiming that Clary and Alec cheated on their partners with each other) on social media when she shared a carousel post on her profile promoting the film, along with their characters appearing naked.
  • Ho Yay:
    • Clary and Izzy have a much more loving relationship in-show than they do in the books. Aside from just being generally nicer to each other, they also get a lot of sweet and touchy moments, with Isabelle brushing Clary's hair back, holding hands, and staring into each other's eyes, etc.
      Isabelle: Do you think red's my color?
      Clary: With a body like yours, Iz, anything's your color.
    • Magnus and Ragnor, as well. They've been close for centuries, as evidenced by their Like an Old Married Couple routine, and when Magnus thinks Ragnor's been poisoned, he begs him to stay and kisses his fingers quite tenderly.
    • Simon and Raphael are currently the Fan-Preferred Couple over the book-canonical Simon/Izzy, because of their excessive touchiness, and the way Raphael becomes affectionate and trusting towards Simon so quickly. The Bridal Carry in "Bad Blood" didn't hurt, either.
    • Jace and Simon's rivalry over Clary sometimes comes across as Belligerent Sexual Tension.
  • Jerkass Woobie: Maia is a werewolf with trust issues after she was Turned by her ex, and acts very icy and rude to mask her pain. She's not a bad person, just someone who used to be happy but suffered a lot when her life changed forever after this incident.
  • Like You Would Really Do It: Episode 10 of Season 3B ends with Clary (the main protagonist) seemingly dying. The show doesn't even waste much time its very next episode to reveal she is in fact fine.
  • Memetic Mutation:
  • Isaiah Mustafa started "Meme Monday" in the hiatus between Seasons 2A and 2B where he posted memes of the characters in the show.
  • Narm:
    • The flashback scenes in "Of Men and Angels", as the actress playing young Jocelyn looks almost nothing like her (wearing a very obviously fake-looking red wig), and her line delivery leaves a lot to be desired.
    • Jace and Clary's first meeting. Viewers erupted into hysterical chuckles over Dominic Sherwood's ridiculously dramatic delivery of "You have the sight?"
    • Alec has to strip off to use the parabatai bond to track Jace. It's not explained very well (he has to access the runes on his body), so it looks like Matthew Daddario has gone rogue and is trying to throw some gratuitous shirtless-ness in there.
    • Jace is a veritable fountain of Narm whenever he interacts with Simon. Particularly when they get into a fight in the third episode and Jace calls him "Mundane" in the most forced way possible. Their rivalry isn't conveyed very well and feels way too forced to be anything but laughable.
    • When Aldertree is describing The Lost Lenore to Alec, he takes the time to list her as "sexy". An odd way to describe the deceased woman he loved, and it's bound to incite chuckles in what's meant to be an emotional scene.
    • In the Season 3 premiere, Luke says the following line to Clary without a hint of irony ("You don't choose the blades; the blades choose you") and she doesn't lampshade the cliched-ness of the saying.
    • A magical city called Alicante, capital of the Shadowhunter nation of Idris, plays a relevant role in the story. To most viewers, the name may sound vaguely exotic and not particularly ridiculous, but people who live in Spain will probably be reminded of the identically named city of Alicante, in said country's south-eastern coast, leading to many Aliens in Cardiff moments.
  • Never Live It Down: Isabelle sleeping with Meliorn to get information is something that's frequently brought up, despite it happening very early on in Season 1.
  • One True Pairing: Alec and Magnus. Fans who hate the series otherwise declare that their relationship is the only reason they watch it.
  • Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Maia was initially met with flak from fans in her first appearance due to how she almost killed Jace, for allegedly murdering her friend Gretel, when it was Valentine the culprit, and she was so blinded by grief and revenge that she didn't give him at least the chance to explain himself, not even bothering to care that his brother Alec was about to die if he didn't save him through their Parabatai bond. However, as time went on, she was more positively received and rooted for due to her unlikely bond with Simon, and the origins of how she became a werewolf in the first place (as well as her happy days as a mundane). Maia also becomes less hostile and distrustful of Jace once she comes to accept that he didn't kill Gretel.
  • The Scrappy: Raj was greatly disliked for behaving like a HUGE entitled asshole to the Lightwoods, Clary and Magnus, as well as taking on a self-proclaimed role of loyal right-hand man to the head of the New York Institute, albeit only for who's currently assigned to the position. Raj eventually started harassing and undermining Lydia, only after she got demoted and replaced by Victor Aldertree. Despite the demon attack at the Institute taking place, this doesn't stop Raj from still being himself as he makes a bad joke about one of the killed mundanes' heart, comparing it to a woman named Kathy whom he claimed broke his, which disgusted both Lydia and Isabelle. After Alec became the current head, Raj openly defied his authority and attemped to usurp his position.
  • Special Effect Failure: The CGI to simulate portals looks very cheap, like a first-time attempt on After Effects.
  • They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: A common refrain among the fandom:
  • One of the biggest complaints is that the Institute changes drastically from book to series. In the books, the tracking was done entirely with magic and runes. The TV series portrays it as more high-tech with computers and other gadgets, giving it more of a Science Fantasy vibe. Cassandra Clare even says she isn't a fan of this change since she envisioned the Shadowhunters being anti-technology most of the time.
  • The show has received some complaints about Clary's Adaptational Attractiveness. In the books, she's an awkward teenager who doesn't like dressing up. In the series, she's a confident young adult who is just as gorgeous as Isabelle. There's a scene where Izzy says she wishes she was as flat-chested as Clary, which doesn't make sense considering Katherine McNamara is just as well-endowed as her.
  • Take That, Scrappy!: People who have had enough of Raj's jerkassery were satisfied when Jace angrily pinned him down for defying Alec as head of the Institute by blocking him out of the system due to disapproving his plan with the ley lines. Magnus later mentioned that Raj and other Shadowhunters involved in his campaign were banished to Wrangel Island. Quite a karmic payback for everything this odious guy put the Lightwoods through.
  • Testosterone Brigade: Katherine McNamara and Emeraude Toubia are gorgeous, and the show unabashedly shows off their beauty in every episode (though Isabelle does go through a phase where she dresses more modest to please her parents). As a result, many male fans watch it just for Clary and Isabelle. The second half of Season 2 also ages up the Seelie Queen and gives her a Hotter and Sexier outfit.
  • Unintentionally Sympathetic: Maia may be very icy, rude and condescending, but you can't help but blame her when she became the person she is due to her ex Jordan turning her into a werewolf when he lost control of himself. It's no wonder why she initially treated Jace with contempt. In episode 9 of season 2, fans had to side with Maia when Luke locked her in the freezer, despite her claustrophobia, to prevent her from trying to kill Clary after finding out that she can activate the Soul-Sword. They agree that Luke's decision was very selfish, cruel and uncalled for. Even Maia's angry rant at Luke for caring more about Clary than her is also not entirely untrue.
  • Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Maia. When she and Jace first meet, they start off with the wrong foot, as she and Luke's pack accuse him of having murdered Gretel, when it was actually Valentine's doing, and start hunting him, along with the Clave, both parties, especially Maia, with their own different agendas on him. While Maia's suspicion of Jace is very understandable given that he was the one who assisted in kidnapping her, she was still willing to kill Jace (and his brother Alec as well because of their Parabatai bond) without giving him the chance to explain himself, not even caring that Alec was on the brink of death.
  • The Un-Twist: Even for those who didn't read the books, it was very obvious that Michael Weyland was Valentine in disguise. The fact that Valentine inexplicably vanishes when he's found, and Michael acting contradictory to the way Jace described him makes it obvious he's an impostor long before Clary figures it out.

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