Following the release of a TV show based on a popular book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the show has received many mixed reviews. The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians was released on December 19th, 2023, and it releases new episodes every Wednesday at 3 a.m. ET. After the first 6 episodes were released as of January 17th, 2024, the show has already begun to grow as it receives more viewers.
The show follows a young boy named Percy Jackson as he and his two friends Annabeth and Grover go on a dangerous journey to the underworld in order to return the master bolt to Zeus and stop an all-out war. Along the way, Percy Jackson faces hardships and learns more about the problems of being a demigod. The TV show stars Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood, and other known actors such as Adam Copeland, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jason Mantzoukas, and more.
However, after the release of the first 6 episodes, long-time fans have already begun criticizing the TV series. Some complain that the TV show is just too different from the book and how they imagined the characters looking and acting. Others complain that the TV series doesn’t have nearly enough action, and when it does, the fight scenes don’t live up to the expectations they had.
Of course, not everyone will be happy with the series especially if it didn’t live up to their younger self’s expectations. However, that’s the issue with re-creating a series like this. The first Percy Jackson book was released in 2005, and now almost two decades later, those kids who enjoyed the books all those years ago are all grown up. Their judgment of the show may be clouded by the childhood experience they had when reading those books compared to the adult experience they get when watching the show. For example, as a kid, you may have looked up to the brave 12-year-old boy who fought the Titans, but over time the perception of the character may have changed, not the story.
When put in comparison with the Percy Jackson movies released in 2010 and 2013, almost all fans of the books can agree that the TV show is better. The Percy Jackson movies were hyped up similarly to the series and when released they received a lot of backlash. Most of it came from the fact that they tried to fit the large plot into a 2-hour movie, so the movies felt rushed and lacking too many important details. For example, the first movie left out two key characters who were included in the books; Clarisse and Ares. The movies left many fans upset and still longing for an accurate representation of the loved series.
On the positive side of reviews, most fans have expressed that this adaptation of the books is already amazing and staying true to the storyline. Most are happy with how the characters are perceived and their relationships with one another, especially the dynamic between the main character Percy, and his quest mate Annabeth. Viewers feel that the TV show has done so much better than the movies did at accurately turning their favorite childhood series into a TV show for themselves and other young kids today to enjoy.
In conclusion, the TV series has been a hit so far and is receiving great reviews on all platforms. Many long-time fans love the adaptation and will soon be longing for a season 2 of the series. So while the TV show may never be as successful as the Harry Potter movies were, it seems to have a bright future ahead of itself.
