Disney+’s newest show, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” a TV adaptation of the beloved childhood book series by Rick Riordan, has been highly anticipated since its announcement in May of 2020.
The show has exceeded all previous performance expectations by achieving the biggest debut for a Disney-branded television show with 13.3 million viewers, according to IGN.
Disney premiered the first two episodes on Dec. 19, 2023. The show quickly climbed the rankings, surpassing some of Disney’s most popular Marvel shows.
Since the first book’s release in 2005, the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series quickly amassed a large and dedicated fan following.
The story follows 12-year-old Percy Jackson, who is thrust into the world of Greek mythology, told that he is Poseidon’s son, and is sent on a quest to find out who stole Zeus’ lightning bolt after being accused of being the thief.
Moorpark College student Olivia Silpachai read the books as a kid and enjoyed them, but also believes the show and the casting choices no longer resonate with them at their age now.
“It’s just older shows for an older person,” Silpachai commented.
Disney is one of many to try their hand at an adaptation of the books. On Feb. 12, 2010, fans received film adaptations “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” followed by “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” made by 20th Century Fox.
Both films performed poorly upon release with both fan and critic reviews being less than stellar. Many fans were outraged at multiple changes, from the characters’ ages and personalities to important plot points being taken out or altered.
“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” and “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” made only 226.5 and 200.6 million worldwide, respectively. Together, they amount to less than half of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” worldwide box office revenue of 974.7 million.
A significant reason for the films’ inaccurate adaptation and poor fan reception was the lack of input from the author. In this second attempt to bring the books to life, Rick Riordan has been involved with casting decisions and is credited as one of the creators and one of the executive producers. Riordan told The Hollywood Reporter he has been “very intimately involved with every single episode.”
His involvement has eased the nerves of fans who worried that this would be a repeat of the movies. He assured fans that this will be a more faithful adaptation.
In a video for Disney+, Riordan stated that changes made were out of necessity.
“It was important that I looked at it again with fresh eyes and made sure that the story was speaking to all kids,” Riordan explained. “And that everyone could look at this series and see themselves.”
Some fans may not like the changes, but when asked if it is vital if the adaptation is accurate to the books or not, Moorpark College student Erick Miranda had specific thoughts.
“I think it is important to an extent. Obviously, some things aren’t going to work as well on screen and therefore need to be changed,” Miranda said.
Miranda also spoke about the decision to cast Leah Sava Jeffries, a Black actress, as Annabeth Chase, described as white and blonde in the books, and the negative comments it brought.
“I do not understand the issue people have with this, especially when they say her having to fight against the dumb blonde stereotype is a big part of her character,” Miranda said. “They can show a similar struggle to a greater extent with her being African-American, and fighting against all the prejudice that comes with that.”
With this prominent success, Percy Jackson fans await a season 2 renewal announcement from Disney and Riordan. All episodes of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” are now available to stream on Disney+.
