Abbie Klein
Disney+ recently announced that their adaptation of “Percy Jackson and The Olympians” has been renewed for a second season. The first episode of the Disney+ original series was released on Dec. 20 and had many fans excitedly anticipating the rest of the episodes.
However, as the season continued, many fans, including myself, were extremely disappointed in the way the first season played out. I can only hope that the second season improves and tells the story of Percy Jackson the way it deserves.
“Percy Jackson and The Olympians” is a book series by Rick Riordan that debuted with “Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief” in 2005. Since then it’s become an expansive universe with 17 books and a dedicated fanbase.
The Disney+ original series was not the first film adaptation the series received. In 2010 the story of Percy Jackson first came to screens with “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” directed by Chris Colombus and starring Logan Lerman. Fans of the series were not afraid to hold back their opinions on the movie and the overwhelming negative responses caused the films to stop after releasing the second movie, “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” in 2013.
Many fans were confident that the series would be the adaptation they had dreamed of since Riordan was much more involved in the TV show than the movies. However, after watching both adaptations I can’t help but wonder if this is a story that can be adapted at all.
The first season of the show follows 12-year-old Percy Jackson who discovers he is the son of Poseidon. After learning of his heritage and training with other demigods at Camp Half-Blood he is sent on a quest to retrieve a lightning bolt stolen from Zeus. The story is filled with many suspenseful and action-packed moments that fell flat in the TV show. Moments that should’ve had viewers on the edge of their seats felt boring and underwhelming due to poor writing and a lack of special effects.
Many fans of the series have pointed out that the show looked low budget despite having a higher budget than the “Star Wars” and “Marvel” shows on the same streaming service. When compared to these shows there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in terms of special effects, sets or props. This is disappointing considering the show had a budget of $12-15 million per episode.
While the script followed the storyline almost perfectly, it felt like the writers were checking off boxes when it came to writing. Some of the most memorable parts of the book were rushed into very short scenes or done in a way that seemed inauthentic. One of the reasons the movie adaptations were received so negatively was because of their inaccuracies in the original story. Even though the TV show was book accurate, it missed the tension the movies were successful in capturing. While the movies lacked accuracy the show lacked entertainment.
The best part of the TV show was the cast. Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri are all incredibly talented actors who unfortunately fell victim to poor writing and directing. Scobell, Jeffries and Simhadri capture Percy, Annabeth and Grover in such accurate ways fans have joked it’s like Riordan shook his characters out of the book and into the real world.
With a passionate cast and a dedicated fan base supporting the show, I hope that the second season can make a comeback and prove that the beloved story can successfully be adapted for screens. Until then, I will continue to recommend the books over the screens.