Freeform Cancels Fan-Favorite ‘Shadowhunters’ After 3 Seasons

Despite a rather large cult following, the team at Freeform has decided to cancel Shadowhunters, a fan-favorite show, after just three seasons.

In a statement out by Freeform — a member of ABC’s family of networks — the channel called it a “difficult decision.”

“We are very proud of Shadowhunters, a series that broke new ground in the genre world and became a fan favorite,” Freeform said in a statement. “However, along with our partners at Constantin, we reached the very difficult decision not to renew the show for a fourth season. But as big supporters and fans ourselves, Freeform insisted on and championed the filming of a special two-part finale that would give devoted fans a proper ending.”

The show is currently and a mid-season hiatus in year three and when the show returns, it will end with a 12-episode wrap-up. Marketing the end of the show, Freeform is calling the second half of the third season Shadowhunters: The Final Hunt, which will conclude with a two-hour final.

Presently, the show has averaged just 400,000 weekly viewers over the course of this season, ranking just fifth out of all current Freeform programming.

Based on Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series of novels, Shadowhunters originally ordered to series by the then-ABC Family in March 2015. The show was the second live-action adaptation of The Mortal Instruments as The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) feature-length was a failure both critically and commercially.

Ed Decter served as the series showrunner for the first season before Smallville alumni Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer took over showrunning duties starting with season two.

In addition to actress Katherine McNamara playing Clary Fray — an aspiring artist who learneds she’s a human-angel hybrid — in the lead role, the series also starred Dominic Sherwood, Alberto Rosende, Matthew Dadario, Emeraude Tubida, Alisha Wainwright, Isaiah Mustaga, and Harry Shum, Jr.