An adaptation possibly 15 years in the making finally got its season 1 finale on Tuesday: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, streaming in full on Disney+. As someone who read the books in elementary school and has loved the series since then, here is a full review of how, even with changes, I think it’s well worth the watch.
Leading up to the first 2 episodes’ release on December 18th, the show already had big shoes to fill. For those that also have fond memories of the books from their childhood like I do, you may already know that the 2010 movies are a stain on the original story. Since then, another adaptation is something that’s frightening to a lot of fans: is it going to end up making major changes that make no sense all over again? Well, there are changes in the show. But I’d argue that the majority improved a story that already is an instant classic.
The first note of these changes came from when the announcement of the main characters’ casting came along. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, two of the main characters in the books are products of 2005, when the book was published: in descriptions and from official art, Percy has black hair and green eyes, while Annabeth is a white girl with blonde hair, and as a child of Athena, provided “representation for smart blonde girls” (very pointedly circa Legally Blonde).
A 2023 adaptation was going to shed some of its early 2000s angst, as already shown by the casting (and a replacement of a certain iconic scene with “Poker Face” in the background from the movie using Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” instead). Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri are the young teenage actors play their book counterparts (who are also only 12-13, something the movies painfully ignored), and although none matched their book appearances exactly, it’s easy to tell on first watch why author Rick Riordan told the young Annabeth actress, “‘no matter what people say, remember I picked you’”. The three are able to bring to life iconic characters that have existed for years and are almost mythical in how many interpretations of them are held dear to fans — a feat that I was pleasantly surprised and proud to see accomplished.
Some major beats in the story were replaced in the show, but some of these were for good reason. In the 2005 book, Medusa was portrayed as a Middle Eastern stereotype as well as a one-sided villain, something that definitely aged poorly. The show makes a point in episode 2 of introducing Medusa as a sympathetic character and a survivor of sexual assault, as she has been recognized in popular culture. A sequence involving large spiders from the book in episode 5 was replaced with a myth that wasn’t previously outlined in the book, highlighting what may be the biggest strength of the show: the talent of the young actors, the greater emphasis on the questionable morality of the gods and how it affects the demigod characters, and a sneak peek of another Olympian god that didn’t make an appearance before.
A massive $15m budget per episode both helped and harmed the product of each show’s episode. While certain episodes, like Camp Half-Blood and the iconic Capture the Flag sequence were like a dream finally realized to see on TV, there are some sore thumbs as well: the biggest of which to me, included the Underworld.
If you are not familiar with the Underworld of Greek mythology, Hades is lauded as the god of riches as well as the dead, and the River Styx makes a big appearance in the books (as shown in concept art from the books’ cover artist, John Rocco) and is incredibly recognizable. However, the show did not picture the river at all, despite including the famous ferryman Charon, and Hades’ palace was… empty? It’s not all bad for episode 7 that takes place in the Underworld (the Fields of Asphodel were an instant favorite of mine). But for a budget that surpasses some of Game of Thrones’s most iconic episodes, the quality of the VFX for one of my most anticipated settings misses the mark.
Although it is not a perfect adaptation (as few things really are), this show is definitely well worth a watch for both people who have merely heard of the Percy Jackson books and die-hard fans of them. With the author heading so much of the project and the actors bringing new aspects of their characters and embodying them so well, it is a massive step forward compared to the films that were previously Percy Jackson’s representation on the screen.
Although a renewal for season 2 hasn’t been announced yet, an exhibit on display in Walt Disney World, extensive PR from the trio of actors, and a documentary also available for streaming online, speaks towards good news. The entire first season, mapping the events of the first book, The Lightning Thief, is available for streaming now on Disney+.