As I pressed play to the first episode of the new “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, I was admittedly a little nervous. When a story so near and dear to my 10-year-old heart resurfaces all these years later, it’s hard not to have some reservations. Like most fans of the series, I was excited by the prospect of finally getting a screen adaptation that did the book series justice. I’d been burned before (namely by the disastrous short-lived film adaptations of the early 2010s) but was still cautiously optimistic that this time around, things would be different. I am happy to report that this TV show truly is the adaptation that fans have long awaited. So take a seat and chow down on some blue cookies!
One of this adaptation’s major bright spots is its clear respect for the source material. So far, it has stuck closely to the pacing and overall arc of the first book, “The Lightning Thief.” “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” follows Percy (Walker Scobell, “The Adam Project”), a 12-year-old with ADHD and dyslexia who lives in New York City with his mother Sally (Virginia Kull, “Gracepoint”). Percy’s no stranger to inexplicable and abnormal incidents, but once mythological monsters start coming after him and accuse him of stealing a lightning bolt, things take a turn for the weird. In a true hero’s journey fashion, he finds out that his best friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri, “Cheaper by the Dozen”) is a satyr, his favorite history teacher is the centaur Chiron (Glynn Turman, “The Wire”) and that his absent father is Poseidon (Toby Stephens, “Six Four”), the Greek god of the sea. After an arduous journey to Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigods, Percy, Grover and fellow camper Annabeth (Leah Jeffries, “Beast”) embark on a quest to find the missing lightning bolt and clear Percy’s name.
Since the series’s announcement in 2020, fans — many of whom have been curating their TikTok algorithm for this moment, dissecting every still, trailer and sneak peek and frantically following updates from the series author, show writer and executive producer Rick Riordan — can rest assured that this beloved story is in good hands. The two-episode premiere proves that Scobell, Jeffries and Simhadri portray Percy, Annabeth and Grover in a manner that is deeply genuine, intentional and true to the spirit of the characters. Even in the days leading up to the release, interviews with Riordan and the main cast members showed how the three young actors connect to their characters personally, drawing on aspects of the role they relate with to enhance their performances. The interviews see Jeffries refer to Riordan as “Mr. Rick” and co-star Lin-Manuel Miranda as “Mr. Lin,” showing Annabeth’s characteristic respect as Jeffries’ stories of their time on set reveal her silliness and slight irreverence. Meanwhile, Scobell refers to the author by the more informal Rick, and can’t remember at all what he did to prepare after he was told he got the part. Still, he possesses Percy’s charm and, most importantly, deep investment in the character as he quietly reveals himself to be a “Percabeth” stan in his Teen Vogue interview. Seriously, he can’t sing Annabeth’s praises enough. And what is Percy if not obsessed with her? Then there’s Simhadri. Even when he has a response to the question prepared, Scobell and Simhadri wait for Jeffries to answer first, describing her as the one that “holds them together.” Even offscreen, it’s obvious that they possess the crucial chemistry of the main trio, which is founded on fondness and respect — especially for Jeffries, who has borne the brunt of embarrassing and inappropriate racist criticism of the series despite Riordan’s various efforts to protect her as she embodies the character with grace beyond her years. As Annabeth is Percy and Grover’s leader, Jeffries is Scobell and Simhadri’s leader, and they treat her as such.
This attention to detail by the actors and writers has proven this adaptation to be both faithful and necessary. At a baseline level, the cast is age-appropriate and the plot more or less follows the books so far. But beyond the details, the script and performances show a clear commitment to preserving the essence of the story and its characters. As Percy stands guard on the beach during a game of capture the flag — he’s bait but doesn’t know it — he can’t just stand around and wait. He doesn’t scout out his surroundings or prop himself up in an athletic stance. He lies on his back fidgeting with a leaf, pets a lizard, takes a leak and whistles. Percy’s mind always needs to be occupied by something, and we see it in his quietest moments just as much as we do in the action scenes. His ADHD isn’t hurting anyone. It’s not punished. It’s a strength of his that brings a smile to every viewer’s face. And that is exactly the spirit in which Riordan created Percy, whom Scobell brings to life so well.
A core moment of the premiere is when Percy defines his own identity: Poseidon might have claimed him, but he is, first and foremost, “Sally Jackson’s son.” In the books, Sally is a key aspect of Percy’s character as she encourages and fosters a natural kindness and bravery within him, a sense of loyalty to his friends that knows no bounds. Even from these early episodes, the waves of resentment towards his absent father are made evident as the show deftly expands upon the contrast between his relationship with his mother and that with his father. A clear emphasis is placed upon Percy’s motivations for the quest being centered around his mom, as well as the way she provides much of the emotional undercurrent to his journey. Kull makes the most of her minimal screen time in the first episode, bringing the Sally we know and love to life. We can trace Percy’s trademark humor to her sharp, quick-witted dialogue and his courageous nature in her valiant attack against the Minotaur. Who Percy is and who he becomes is a product of the mother who sticks around, not the father who left; to see Percy himself claim this is a powerful moment of recognition for Sally and devoted moms everywhere.
A tricky aspect of any fantasy book series adaptation is effectively re-creating the author’s vibrant, imaginative world of monsters and mythological magic. The special effects in the show’s various creatures contribute to the exciting face-offs between Percy and the Minotaur or the Fury, but the real gem is its incredible production design. The details within the sets of Camp Half-Blood are a definite treat for fans of the books, from the ornately beaded necklaces and iconic orange t-shirts adorned by the campers to the sunlit rustic cabins, each customized for its patron Olympian. The series possesses a general timelessness to its aesthetic that makes the story more approachable to audiences old and new. The dialogue isn’t outright modernized, but it also isn’t reminiscent of a ’00s period piece; this indiscernibility in its time period allows the story to feel set in a realm removed from our reality, the “Percy Jackson Universe,” if you will.
If the adaptation has a point of weakness at all, it might only be that it reveals a smidge too much. As discussed in a previous Daily article, the series has put out plenty of promotional materials, and the short teaser trailer alone included significant sneak peeks of two of the three major action sequences in the premiere: the battle with the Minotaur and the collision with Mrs. Dodds (Megan Mullally, “Will & Grace”). These scenes in the trailer effectively set the mood and heightened anticipation for viewers as to what else those action sequences and the entire show would have to offer. Alecto, the Minotaur and a glimpse of Blackjack, are visually stunning, but it’s a hard balance to strike between generating excitement and giving too much away, and the action sequences suffer for it. Where I was anxious to see more from those action sequences, I found there isn’t much more to discover that the trailer hadn’t revealed. Hopefully, the action sequences to follow will deliver a bit more of a wow factor, packing a punch that only superb computer-generated imagery, an excellent score and witty dialogue from Percy can perfectly land.
Another element the show inevitably lacks is Percy’s inner monologue of thoughts, a true hallmark of the story’s tone and sense of humor. This isn’t something easily included in most book-to-TV adaptations, but it does attempt to remedy this with his opening narration in the premiere episode (hearing “I didn’t want to be a half-blood” was chill-inducing) and a general sense of sarcasm within his dialogue throughout. In an otherwise serious scene in which his mom tries to explain that his father is a god, Percy bluntly asks “You fell in love with Jesus?” without missing a beat. These small moments align the Percy of the books with that of the show, and his ability to diffuse even the most intense of situations balances the emotional weight of the story and endears the audience to his character in a similar manner.
As I do when I watch most book adaptations, I was comparing the world that was laid out in front of me to the one I had created in my imagination when reading the books. Though it’s been a decade since I first read them, I am sure that I first pictured the Poseidon cabin with more rays of light streaming in through the aqua walls; that I pictured Mr. D’s lair to be like a dark secluded corner of a Vegas gambling floor; that I pictured the glowing trident over Percy’s head to be a little smaller. As more episodes drop, the images of my imagination may well fade away. Still, I am certain that this series is worth the risk.
Daily Arts Writers Serena Irani and Emmy Snyder can be reached at seirani@umich.edu and emmys@umich.edu.
