On December 19, Disney+ premiered the first episode of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Excited, anticipating fans have been waiting for the show’s release ever since it was announced in May 2020.
The TV show is based on Rick Riordan’s award-winning book series, “Percy Jackson & The Olympians.” It was produced by Disney with the author himself involved in writing the script, casting, and making notes. The PJO saga includes five books and was a staple in Gen Z’s childhood literature.
“It was the first chapter book that I’d really gotten into,” senior Karla Guevara said. “Percy starting off as a little boy and now he’s my age, really moves me a lot because he’s been through so much and in a way I feel like I’ve also been through a lot.”
Before the current show, there were two movie adaptations named after the first two books of the PJO series. Fans disapproved of the inaccuracies in the films, like aging up the characters, altering their personalities, and changing Percy’s quest. Many critics of the movies say that the show is a “second-chance” adaptation and is going to be more accurate to the source material.
“Words cannot describe how satisfied I finally am to have a series that properly reflects the books,” Guevara said. “Comparing the show to the movies, to me, is like comparing apple pie to cold applesauce.”
On the other hand, some fans favor the movie adaptations over the show.
“I think it’s the actors that I like more in the movie than I do the series,” sophomore Justin Franco Zamora said. “[Another] thing I really liked about the movies is the soundtrack. [In the] first movie when they went to the casino, they heard “Poker Face” so I remember that I was so happy when I heard that song.”
Some viewers started the show new to the series, with no background information about the PJO lore. Freshman Patrick Adams’ niece, who is a fan of Greek mythology, recommended the show to him.
“I really think [it’s] cool because it’s showing how Percy could be at a young age and still do everything that he’s doing,” Adams said. “I cannot wait to see what the little trio goes through together.”
Disney+ currently has seven episodes released on its platform. The final episode of the first season will be aired next Tuesday, January 30 at 8 p.m. CST.
