Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1: Thoughts and Feelings

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ is a long anticipated adaptation of the iconic Rick Riordan young-adult series that premiered in December 2023 and completed in early 2024 on Disney+.

I remember reading the entire series within a months time when I was 18 years old and traveling through Europe. I couldn’t put it down, definitely easy to read and quite enjoyable to read. Considering this is a series meant for young adults, it felt like a perfect fit into the literary genre.

Fans of the series are probably aware of the two previous films, lead by Logan Lerman, which commercially and critically left a lot to be desired. Personally, I liked the first film and the second one must have been forgettable because I couldn’t tell you one thing about it. Though, admittedly, I am very easy to please.

Overall, I would give the first season on Disney+ a 6.5/10. If you’d like to read how I approach critiques, you can follow the original post here.

1. Truthful performances from the actors.

The actors, particularly the three leads, had great chemistry together. Walker Scobell, who play Percy Jackson, has comedic timing far above his years. Leah Jeffries, who play Annabeth Chase, has such poise and wisdom appropriate for the character. Aryan Simhadri, who plays Grover Underwood, has an innate connection to his heart for a young actor. These three make a great team, and I very much enjoyed watching them on screen together.

2. Dynamic visuals that are appropriate and consistent with the style and tone of the story.

It looks pretty much how I expected a Disney+ project to look, and I wish they had taken more visual risks. It was a very safe way to tell this story, which might have been the best choice for a first season. The story felt very expositional, but to me it seemed like their goal was really to target a much younger audience.

3. Witty and thoughtful writing that is faithful and appropriate for the story.

The writing felt age appropriate, which to me isn’t all that appealing, but is the correct choice to make considering the demographic they hope to draw in. The story was expositional, and certain things happened that I did not recall from the books, but it has been a number of years since I re-read the series so it is possible I just didn’t remember the order of events. The characterization for each character was well done, it gave each of the main characters a distinct voice. For me, despite the content of the story, I did feel like the stakes weren’t as high as they could have been.

4. Creative risks and bold choices.

This certainly didn’t feel like a creative risk filled with bold choices. You could consider modernizing the story to make it appropriate for current audience trends to be a risk, but I do think the choices make a lot of sense and work for this adaptation. Reflecting on my experience watching season 1, I can’t say there was a single moment that blew me away or had me feeling excited about what is going to happen next. Risks should feel a little dangerous or bold, but as I’ve said already, everything felt a little safe. That doesn’t make it bad, just means it didn’t speak to me in the way I had hoped.

5. High entertainment value.

This is where I feel most of my apathy towards season 1. I thought it was a little boring. The cast did a great job, but ultimately making it age appropriate is probably what makes it less exciting for someone like me, who is in a very different phase of my life than when I first read the series. Demigods and mythic battles and quests should have me at the edge of my seat, but I found myself stopping and starting frequently to do other things of more importance.

6. Heart.

I adore Rick Riordan. I love his commitment to the young-adult genre, and I feel like he really knows how to create enthusiasm in younger generations. There’s a reason these books are so popular. Disney was the only way to go on this series, in my opinion. They have the budget abilities and the audience reach to give this show a proper premiere. It is my love for the books that will keep me going with the show. I do think it has a similar impact to ‘Harry Potter,’ where the stakes are lower towards the beginning and slowly become darker and darker as the climax of the whole series approaches. I hope with each season, they’re able to further raise the stakes and make the arc for each character stand out.

What did you think? Which characters are you excited to see for season 2? Did you feel the stakes were as high as they could have been?