Skip to content
MovieCove
Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone

Every power has a price.

2021–2023Ended2 seasons16 episodes~60 min/epTV-14Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

In a world cleaved in two by a massive barrier of perpetual darkness, a young soldier uncovers a power that might finally unite her country. But as she struggles to hone her power, dangerous forces plot against her. Thugs, thieves, assassins and saints are at war now, and it will take more than magic to survive.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Shadow and Bone?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Shadow and Bone streaming on Netflix.

Subscription

Highlights

What stands out about Shadow and Bone?

Shadow and Bone earns 1 badge: Crowd Pleaser.

Reception

Is Shadow and Bone worth watching?

Shadow and Bone's Midcredits score is the 78th percentile of all shows, from 128K ratings across 2 sources. 82% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

78th percentile

Better received than 78% of shows

72nd percentile among Action82nd percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)74th
Approval (how many liked it)77th

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

76 /100

74th percentile of all shows

73rd percentile among Action78th percentile among 2020s

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

Approval

How many liked it

82% liked it

77th percentile of all shows

68th percentile among Action81st percentile among 2020s
82% rated it 7–1018% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

98th percentile

127K ratings across platforms

91st percentile among Action99th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 38% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

The show boasts strong production values and an interesting fantasy world, but suffers from inconsistent writing and pacing issues.

Fans praised

  • The Crows are the highlight of the show with charismatic, well-cast actors
  • Visually stunning world-building with detailed costumes, sets, and special effects
  • Ben Barnes' performance as the Darkling is compelling and nuanced

Detractors panned

  • Rushed pacing and uneven storytelling, especially in season two
  • Weak, clichéd writing with predictable plot and cheesy dialogue
  • Main character Alina is bland, passive, and lacks emotional depth

What stands out

CinematographyDivisive78

visually beautiful production design, costumes, and sets, but some scenes too dark

Atmosphere77

rich, immersive world-building with evocative tsarpunk aesthetic

Effects and spectacleDivisive72

decent CGI for Grisha magic and creatures; inconsistent but generally solid for budget

ActingDivisive71

strong ensemble cast, standout performances by Ben Barnes and the Crows, but some leads wooden

CharactersDivisive52

Crows as complex and engaging, but Alina and Mal as flat and uninteresting

Plot and storyDivisive38

rushed, incoherent season two; convoluted merging of storylines; predictable and full of conveniences

PacingDivisive35

season one well-paced but season two feels rushed, disjointed, and skips character development

Dialogue33

often cheesy, cringey, and awkward, with some witty Crow banter

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 7 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 6 points apart
  • Critics vs users 3 points apart
  • US vs non-US even

Episodes

2 seasons

Season 2 · 2023 · 8 episodes · 5.9 average across 8 rated episodes

  • S2E1

    No Shelter But Me

    Mar 16, 202356 minTMDB rating 6.1Season best
  • S2E2

    Rusalye

    Mar 16, 202366 minTMDB rating 5.9
  • S2E3

    Like Calls to Like

    Mar 16, 202362 minTMDB rating 5.8
  • S2E4

    Every Monstrous Thing

    Mar 16, 202360 minTMDB rating 6.0
  • S2E5

    Yuyeh Sesh (Despise Your Heart)

    Mar 16, 202360 minTMDB rating 5.7
  • S2E6

    Ni Weh Sesh (I Have No Heart)

    Mar 16, 202362 minTMDB rating 6.0
  • S2E7

    Meet You in the Meadow

    Mar 16, 202364 minTMDB rating 6.0
  • S2E8

    No Funerals

    Mar 16, 202365 minTMDB rating 5.7Finale

Watch experience

What is Shadow and Bone like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and intense — an even-paced watch that leaves you bittersweet.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
TenseDreadRomanticTriumphant
Heaviest: middle
Register
Adventurous · 15% of showsRomantic · 7% of shows
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.SerializedNew arc each season
ToneThe series treats its fantasy drama with earnest sincerity, playing the stakes and emotions straight without irony.
The rideThe series sustains high tension through the Fold's dangers and political machinations, with dread from the monstrous Volcra and Kirigan's menace, while romantic and hopeful beats surface in Alina's relationships. The emotional load peaks in the middle act when Alina's powers grow and alliances shift.
StructureThe series unfolds in a linear three-act structure across its two seasons, following Alina's journey from discovery to confrontation.
Episode formatEach episode continues the same story and follows the same cast, with a continuous arc driving from Alina's discovery to the final confrontation and escape.
Season formatWhile the overall story is continuous, each season presents a distinct major arc: season one focuses on Alina's discovery and Kirigan's reveal, and season two shifts to a new phase with the Crows' heist and the southern journey, though it remains one serialized narrative.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
BittersweetHopeful
Why it leaves you this wayThe series concludes with Alina and her allies escaping danger, leaving a bittersweet sense of survival and cautious hope for the future.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MonsterTyrant
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18% (this title): Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% (this title) · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Tyrant: A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).

18% of shows fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe story follows Alina Starkov's discovery of her rare sun-summoning power and her confrontation with General Kirigan, the Darkling, who created the Shadow Fold, fitting the overcoming_the_monster archetype with a tyrant opponent.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% (this title) · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% (this title) · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% (this title) · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Self

IdentityFriendshipPurpose
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Dual lead
How it treats its themeAlina's journey is fundamentally about discovering and accepting who she is—both as a Grisha and as a person—separated from her childhood identity and the expectations of others.
StanceThe show interrogates rather than celebrates its central concept of a prophesied savior, questioning the morality of using that power and the manipulation it invites, without fully condemning or endorsing any party.

The world

Timeless
Orchestral modernElectronicSupportive music · original score
Settinga nation divided by a monster-filled shadow rift, with a magical elite court and a criminal underworld

Content guide

Is Shadow and Bone okay for kids?

TV-14

Shadow and Bone is rated TV-14. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (67/100), sexual content at moderate (38/100), language at mild (20/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (28/100) and frightening material at moderate (60/100). Overall it is heavier than 57% of TV-14 shows.

Ratings in 18 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada14+
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany16
  • France16
  • Ireland15
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil14
  • Austria16
  • Czechia18+
  • Hungary16
  • Netherlands16
  • Poland16
  • ROAP
  • Russia18+
  • SingaporeM18
  • Spain16
  • Switzerland16
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 44% of all showsHeavier than 57% of TV-14 shows
Violence & Gore
Intense
heavy for a TV-14 show
heavier than 76%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a TV-14 show
heavier than 49%
Profanity
Mild
light for a TV-14 show
heavier than 8%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
light for a TV-14 show
heavier than 25%
Frightening / Intense
Moderate
typical for a TV-14 show
heavier than 70%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is violence. Everything else sits at or below what TV-14 shows usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does Shadow and Bone have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Shadow and Bone?

Cast

5 of the 10 billed cast had never appeared on screen.

Jessie Mei Li
as Alina Starkov
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Archie Renaux
as Malyen Oretsev
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Freddy Carter
as Kaz Brekker
Amita Suman
as Inej Ghafa
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Kit Young
as Jesper Fahey
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Ben Barnes
as General Kirigan
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Sujaya Dasgupta
as Zoya
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Danielle Galligan
as Nina Zenik
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Daisy Head
as Genya Safin
Career best: Their highest-reaching show role by billing, audience size and rating.
Calahan Skogman
as Matthias
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.

More like this

What are shows like Shadow and Bone?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Shadow and Bone include The Wheel of Time (2021), Fate: The Winx Saga (2021) and The Witcher (2019).

Like this, but

Explore by

What other shows share a tag with Shadow and Bone?

149 other shows share the rarest tag below, premise: origin story. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.