Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a new series on Disney Plus based on one of the bestselling book series for adolescents. The series follows a twelve-year-old boy named Percy Jackson, who discovers he is the demigod son of Poseidon. Zeus believes that Percy stole his master bolt, and to prove his innocence, Percy must go on a quest to retrieve the bolt from the Underworld.

The Percy Jackson book series has been beloved by children and young adults since it was first published in 2005. Many praised the series for its humor, creative use of Greek mythology, and relatable characters. For a series with such a large and dedicated fan base, adapting the books to the big screen was bound to happen eventually. The first attempt occurred in 2010 when a movie adaptation of the first book was released. The movie received a great deal of criticism for being unfaithful to the original books. For example, many fans complained that the main characters were too old, and their personalities were nothing like in the book series. Some blame the flop of the Percy Jackson movie on the fact that the original author, Rick Riordan, was not involved in its production.

Despite the failure of the movie franchise, a new adaptation came to the screen in December of 2023. The premiere of the new series aired on Disney Plus, starring Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri. The new show has been received much better than the movie by old and new fans, with 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of 7.3/10 on IMDb. Fans have praised the series for staying faithful to the books, saying that the actors embody their characters and the plot and sets are similar to their book descriptions. The show is also enjoyed by viewers who have never read the books, with reviewers praising the actors and cinematography. 

As happens with most book adaptations, the series has also received criticism. It has been characterized as “flat, bland, and boring” by critics, and even before its release, there were many negative comments about the appearances of the actors in relation to the characters. However, most book adaptations are forced to cut scenes and even characters to account for their minimal run time, and many are criticized by fans for each detail that does not line up with the book. There have certainly been failed adaptations in the past, such as the aforementioned Percy Jackson movie, but there have also been adaptations that enhanced the books they were based on and brought them even further into the mainstream, such as the adaptations of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. It is not yet known whether the new Percy Jackson series will be a successful adaptation in the long run, but the general consensus seems to be that it has promise.

New episodes of the series aired every Tuesday during late December 2023 and January 2024, for a total of 8 episodes, the last of which was released on January 30. The series has not yet been renewed for a second season, but with its current success, it seems likely that more episodes will be released in the future!