The Shannara Chronicles

:

Season 1
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 15
  3. Negative: 4 out of 15
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Buy on
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

  1. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Genevieve Valentine
    Jan 5, 2016
    58
    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.
  2. The Wrap
    Reviewed by: Ned Ehrbar
    Jan 5, 2016
    50
    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.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Melissa Maerz
    Jan 4, 2016
    50
    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.
  5. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Spencer Kornhaber
    Jan 5, 2016
    40
    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.
  6. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jan 4, 2016
    40
    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]
    All this critic's reviews
  7. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Jan 4, 2016
    40
    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).

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Most Discussed TV Season of 2016
18
#18 Most Shared TV Season of 2016

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 319 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 195 out of 319
  2. Mixed: 49 out of 319
  3. Negative: 75 out of 319
  1. Mooncalfian
    Feb 3, 2016
    3
    I've changed my score from a 6 to a 3, because even though the second episode picked up a bit and felt more interesting, it goes so farI've changed my score from a 6 to a 3, because even though the second episode picked up a bit and felt more interesting, it goes so far downhill after that.

    The action scenes are vicious and well made, and the art department did a wonderful job, from the costumes to the set design. However, except for those two points I can't say anything redeeming about The Shannara Chronicles at all.

    The script is fairly bad, even though I get why it was modernised slightly (it's post apocalyptic after all). The acting is mostly pretty mediocre, and at times fairly bad. But those two things are the tip of this great iceberg of awfulness. The story changes are 80% pointless, stupid, and added in to cater towards teens with poor attention span, and for absolutely zero other reason. Some of the story choices, such as everyone sleeping together (including the demons!), or making the Reaper into a big dumb slow hulk are downright idiotic. They've abandoned the heart of the show to make way for cliched corny tripe, and some of the absolute best scenes and plot lines from the book have been completely butchered, or in some places taken out entirely (and I'm not talking about small plot lines). The characters all act like horny bros and clubber teens, which feels so far out of place. Moreover, some of the decisions the characters make during the first 5 episodes are so head-numbingly unrealistic and idiotic that it makes me wince.

    But worst of all is the choppy and poorly paced directing. Sure, some of the scenery shots are very nice, but the actual plot directing is abysmal. Seriously, one of the worst directed things I've ever seen. It just jumps from half-baked scene to scene without allowing the audience a chance to feel immersed or even interested. I bet somewhere in the world Mulder and Scully are investigating a coffin that's spontaneously spinning around, and in 10 or 20 years it will hold Terry Brooks. Poor guy.

    Steer clear of this vacuous eye-candy unless you're 15 years old and kinda liked Eragon.    … Full Review »
  2. brentwshelton1
    Jan 10, 2016
    0
    4 minutes - 6 Seconds. That was all I could take of this show. I read the original The Sword of Shanarra trilogy back when I was young and it4 minutes - 6 Seconds. That was all I could take of this show. I read the original The Sword of Shanarra trilogy back when I was young and it was an awesome fantasy adventure and a great read. This was also way before YA Dystopian future novels were all the rage. I was assuming this series was based on that series.....I was horribly wrong. In 4 minutes they managed to smash in so many YA dystopian future cliches that I about threw up in my mouth! Opening credits....remnants of our technological society. Check. Long shot camera pan down to someone running in woods? Check. Running in woods = training for the "BIG TRIAL". Check. Plucky, non-PC heroine bucking the system. Check. Plucky non-PC heroine's sassy female sidekick (doomed to die....I'm sure). Check. Not quite sure what they were trying to accomplish by throwing in what appeared to be a Ambercrombie photo shoot with shirtless "elves" (by elves I mean overly gym bodied twinks with pointy ears.........(after all pointy ears = elf.....right? Everyone knows that!) but I'll give it a Check anyway. Photo shoot masquerading as "preparing for the big trial" in which boys immediately cheat against plucky, non-PC heroine. Check. God Awful....remember all this inane nonsense happened in the first 4 minutes and 6 seconds of the pilot. My judgment: Download deleted!!!!!!!… Full Review »
  3. vizard00
    Jan 8, 2016
    10
    This show is sure awesomeness from acting to fashion and music , forget about the 100 or that teenager who run this an awesome productionThis show is sure awesomeness from acting to fashion and music , forget about the 100 or that teenager who run this an awesome production , and every episode amaze me by the magical environment and the music , its like you will watch lord of the ring every week . TNX MTV… Full Review »
See all user reviews »