The Percy Jackson series is a beloved young adult novel series that I, and many of my peers, have read and reread many times. It has recently been adapted into a television series, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” The show is executively produced by the original author, Rick Riordan, and is touted to be a reflection of the author’s original work and vision.
In December 2023, Disney announced that 13.3 million viewers watched the premiere episode in its first six days on Disney+ and Hulu. In January 2024, Disney announced that 26.2 million viewers watched the premiere episode after three weeks, and the second through fifth episodes each amassed at least 10 million viewers after seven days.
Responses from critics have largely been positive, praising the show’s general accuracy to the book and its chapters. The actors playing most of the main characters portray their characters well, especially by comparison to a movie adaptation that was released in 2010. However, as someone who reread the books right before the series was released, I feel like their casting of certain minor characters leaves something to be desired. Gabe Ugiliano is toned down to a level of boringness that makes his character unnecessary. I don’t feel like the brutish nature of the main antagonist at camp is portrayed well enough, seeming unexpectedly weak. Lastly, Sally Jackson is much more protective and isn’t as strong and brave as the book illustrates.
Now for the positive side of the series that must be highlighted: I think that the accuracy compared to the novels must be praised, as they capture most moments tastefully and thoroughly. Formatting an action-packed novel as a TV series to divide each episode as a chapter is an excellent way to translate the classic story to a new form of media.
Maybe I shouldn’t be so negative, as “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is a harmless show for kids of any age. However, I think that Disney and Rick Riordan should’ve chosen a demographic to target because, with a remake of a young adult series where the dedicated fans have grown past childhood, it’s hard to pick a lane.
As a much larger review source than me, Rotten Tomatoes says “A faithful adaptation of Rick Riordan's novels, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a lovingly realized odyssey through adolescence and myth." So maybe my interpretation is “wrong,” but Riordan’s additions and subtractions to the plot puzzle me, and I may have been happier never watching this show that only dimmed my shining nostalgia.
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