The Shannara Chronicles
MTV | Spike TV | MTV - Music Television | Release Date: January 5, 2016
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
6
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
58
The A.V. ClubGenevieve ValentineJan 5, 2016
Season 1 Review: Though there’s plenty of reasons to mourn a show that’s covering up its central emptiness with so much narrative busy work, there are glimmers of hope that maybe, if the show gains some footing in its second act, it might still find itself in time. Read full review
50
The WrapNed EhrbarJan 5, 2016
Season 1 Review: Fantasy fare like this generally has a pretty low bar to clear and a pretty forgiving target audience, but the heavy-handed jargon, pointy elf ears and brooding self-seriousness of The Shannara Chronicles might be too much for even those fans. It doesn’t help that the characters seem to be allowed to switch from talking dour fantasy-novel heroes to bored millennials whenever the mood strikes them. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyMelissa MaerzJan 4, 2016
Season 1 Review: The world-building is imaginative and impressive, but the mythology is exhausting to keep up with, especially when the reward is basically just a romance-novel version of The Lord of the Rings. Read full review
40
The AtlanticSpencer KornhaberJan 5, 2016
Season 1 Review: The fact that the mostly inert The Shannara Chronicles is utterly familiar on both levels is a reminder that a truly vibrant fantasy story requires some sort of invention. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushJan 4, 2016
Season 1 Review: MTV's big swing at epic fantasy is a lot of hokey bombast, wasted on a cast of callow babes in the exotic woods. [4-17 Jan 2015, p.15]
40
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenJan 4, 2016
Season 1 Review: It's not terrible but it is quite MTV-y with a soundtrack that at times feels more like any typical teen angst drama and looks that suggest of-the moment fashions (male elves sport a variation on the manbun hairstyle). Read full review
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