“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is a TV show based on the book series “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” by Rick Riordan. The show premiered on Disney+ on Dec. 19, 2023, with eight episodes. It was produced by John Catron and multiple executive producers, including book series author Rick Riordan. The main trio, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood are played respectively by Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri. The show gained quite a bit of traction on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, and fans of the books have different opinions on the show.
Overall, the show accurately follows the story of the first book, “The Lightning Thief”. The cast of the show did an amazing job playing the characters. Many fans have noticed that the real personalities of Scobell, Jeffries and Simhadri are similar to the personalities of the characters they play. The biggest thing that viewers had problems with was the pacing of the show. It felt too fast, like the plot was being rushed and pushed along. Other than that, the show was very enjoyable and engaging.
My favorite thing about the show was the cinematography. The scenes felt very alive, and it made me more inclined to finish it. The characters felt very well represented, especially Percy Jackson himself. I’ve been a fan of the books since I was around eleven years old, and Walker Scobell is the true Percy. I also liked how the designers made the monsters. They look like how I imagined them in the books. The only thing that bothered me was the pacing of the show. It felt rushed. The books had perfect pacing for me, so there was a bit of confusion going from rereading the books to watching the show. I still liked watching the show, but the fast-paced nature of it threw me off.
As of Feb. 8, 2023, Disney+ renewed the series for a second season. It was expected by many, due to the popularity of the show and the book series. According to Disney+, the first season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” was streamed for over ten million hours. For readers who enjoy fantasy, mythology and monsters, I would recommend this show.
