To start off the new year with drama, action, and romance,  Freeform aired the season two premiere of Shadowhunters on January 2nd at 8pm, an episode that pleased both returning fans and new-comers.

Within the last few months, the cast, crew, directors, and showrunners of Shadowhunters have remained active on Twitter and Instagram, posting behind-the-scene pictures, makeup, costumes, and more during season two filming. Even the official account of the show, @ShadowhuntersTV, joined in on the fun, releasing sneak peaks of the first episode, and posting daily to keep fans satisfied until the premiere.

The day of the premiere, in order to build the anticipation for the premiere, the entire cast of the show tweeted with hashtags such as #ShadowhuntersSeason2 and #Shadowhunters to spread awareness of the show. The hashtag even trended to number three on twitter in the United States! In addition to this, the cast answered fan questions using #ShadowhuntersChat, which came along with a custom emoji.

Interviews of the cast and crew reveal that the show has taken on a much darker and grittier tone for the new season. This was evident in the season two premiere; as promised in these interviews, the new showrunners changed details from the set, runes, and stunts, to even the look of vampire speed and portals. As a result, the show has taken on a more mature tone; the goal of the showrunners is to have audience of the show grow to an older age demographic as the season develops.

Furthermore, the episode itself sparked curiosity and wonder amongst fans. For those who read the books, certain aspects of the series was kept, while others were changed. Like City of Ashes, the Morgenstern family drama unfolds after Jocelyn wakes up, and as Jace handles being Valentine’s son. Although this was revealed to Jace in City of Glass, Jace finds out that he is allegedly part demon; as a result, he has to deal with the thought that he is corrupt and meant to do evil actions, although he wants to stick to the ideals that being a shadowhunter instilled in him. Similar to the books, Izzy and Clary are battling with the Clave to get permission to find Jace; Simon is still trying to figure out how to be a vampire. Subsequently, Alec deals with relationship issues with Magnus, which was not featured specifically in the book. The details of Magnus and Alec’s relationship pleased fans so much that their ship name trended number four in the United States, under the hashtag #Malec.

As a whole, the season two premiere of Shadowhunters shows great promise for the development of the show. Although the tone of the show is changing, the relatability of all of the characters does not change, which is why the story proves to be so popular amongst young adults. To watch the next episode of Shadowhunters season two, turn the television to Freeform at 8pm on Monday nights!