This is a spoiler-free review of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which debuts on Disney+ with two episodes on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, followed by one new episode weekly.
When Disney announced it was taking a second crack at the Percy Jackson novels, fans were rightly skeptical. Riding the wave of YA-inspired features that dominated theaters in the wake of Harry Potter and Twilight, two severely abridged films based on Rick Riordan’s novels chronicling the modern-day adventures of Greek gods and demigods were released to lukewarm reception in the 2010s. (IGN’s own review of the first, , called it “a poor-man’s Potter clone.”) But as more information about the new Disney+ Percy Jackson series came out, and with Riordan heavily involved (he’s credited as writer, creator, and executive producer alongside Jon Steinberg), hope began to muster. Having seen the first half of the first season, I’d say those hopes were warranted.
A long-form TV series allows Riordan and his collaborators to both honor the spirit and the minutiae of the novels, while adding fresh elements only this new medium could afford. The new Percy Jackson and the Olympians takes advantage of its extra runtime as best it can; eight episodes averaging around 40 minutes each lets the story of The Lightning Thief breathe, giving us time to develop relationships with the more minor characters, while also letting the audience sit with some pretty heavy themes of power, justice, and belonging. The premiere in particular does an efficient, tactful job of giving us everything we need to know about Percy (Walker Scobell), his status at school, his friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri), and his home life, before thrusting them all into a world of myth and monsters.
Titled “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher,” the premiere also establishes a visual tone that stands out throughout the first four episodes. It looks amazing: Muppets Most Wanted director James Bobin uses dramatic lighting juxtaposed against harsh shadows and a predominantly gold and blue color palette in the first episode to give the show a unique and dreamlike look that exceeds expectations set by previous Disney+ programming. Some of that is lost in subsequent episodes, but the CG, of which there is quite a bit thanks to all the magical creatures, is well done throughout. It’s only in the one-per-episode dream sequences where the use of LED-screen backdrops – the so-called Volume popularized by The Mandalorian – is glaringly obvious and brings the quality down.
As much as they are an improvement over their big-screen predecessors, these episodes don’t come away without their own pacing issues. Episode 2 attempts to fit a meaty training sequence from the book into its runtime, a decision that makes sense within the scope of the show, but one that forces a few elements to the sidelines. Characters like Chiron (Glynn Turman) and Dionysus (Jason Mantzoukas) don’t get the spotlight they deserve. Rather than playing the Obi-Wans to Percy’s Luke, the duo (who seem to be the only adults running a camp full of super-powered orphans) become afterthoughts whose sole purpose is to guide the plot to its next step.
Rather than a glaring oversight, though, the adults’ diminished roles feel like a thoughtful decision to focus on making sure the audience cares about Percy’s supporting cast, especially Grover and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), who will join Percy on his quest to come, and even a few peers who saw little to no screen time in the movie. Episode 4 also suffers a bit, but rather than cramming in too much story, “I Plunge To My Death” spends too much of its time standing still, with our protagonists confined to a train for the majority of the episode, talking about the action ahead of them. We get a bit more characterization along the way, but much of it feels like unnecessary tell-don’t-show storytelling, especially when the previous episode does some of the best show-don’t-tell of the series so far. However, it does send us into the second half of the season with a solid cliffhanger.
One thing that is clear in all of that talking, though, is the natural charisma and likability of Scobell, Simhadri, and Jeffries. It’s not necessarily in the quality of their acting – much of the time, more serious moments can feel stiff and unconvincing. It’s when they get to act like kids that they, and the show, shine. They come across as genuine preteens (specifically Gen Z preteens) – a credit to the actors as well as their casting and the updated dialogue they’re given. It’s a refreshing contrast to the teens played by full-grown adults elsewhere on TV. (Looking at you, Riverdale.) Their immaturity and senses of humor are authentic, and the stakes feel even grander when seen through their eyes.
When Scobell, Simhadri, and Jeffries get to act like kids, they, and the show, shine.
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In a further sign that the second time’s the charm with this particular franchise, Percy Jackson and the Olympians hits some of its highest highs when it comes to the moral questions the books originally proposed, often flipping classic myths on their head. A pertinent line from the first episode rings throughout the third, as we see Percy and Annabeth grapple with the idea that not all monsters are what they seem, and that parents aren’t infallible. These are the kind of lessons that made the books great for young readers, and here they’ll do the same for young viewers.
Verdict
Percy Jackson and the Olympians uses its first four episodes wisely, adapting Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief as accurately as possible. At times it feels like an overcorrection, cramming in as many details from the book as it can to the detriment of the series’ pacing. But at it’s best, it reimagines the story for a modern audience – and looking good while doing so.
