Percy Jackson and the Olympians (TV Series)

[Sotiris]

Featurettes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8bke1sT6Lo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYpMoHJsP-g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GURN_Z_sDLs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csg7xc3pw0I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a5H9nIKO9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nYzLcwO8rI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-SbFqhiIDs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW2MrdwCKqU

Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsDPNkiDGIs

[PatchofBlue]

The first episodes dropped this evening.

First impressions, spoiler-tagging everything just to be considerate.

My overall reaction was mixed. There are things that work very well, and there are things that were a bit undercooked.

I think the best thing this show has going for it is that it's exceptionally well cast. Not a weak player among them. I'll give specific shoutouts to Annabeth and Clarisse. I was somewhat concerned given that Leah Sava Jeffries didn't feature in the promotional material as much as Walker and Aryan, and so I had a hard time gauging her, but she's just effortless in the role.

There were some additions that I thought not only enriched the lore of the story, but also just made for a stronger viewing experience. I assume seeing Sally for the first time (at least not in a flashback) in the rain was supposed to represent her feeling connected to water, and through that, to Poseidon. And I think these little flourishes foreshadowed an overall stronger product and instinct for storytelling than what we ended up getting.

I think the series' biggest issue so far is the way it delivers information. I guess this was kind of inevitable given that the series was marketed almost exclusively on being a "faithful adaptation," but it assumes the viewers come with all the blanks already filled in, and so it's kinda non-chalant about how certain reveals play out and creates this weird rhythm that doesn't feel organic. Coming right off the end of episode two, I'm still feeling the whiplash from just how quick we got from "Percy is a forbidden child of one of the three most powerful gods in existence," to "Okay, Percy, time for questing." Like, in the book, the chapter ends with the reveal of Percy's dad, and it's a pretty powerful stopping point, whether or not you are the kind of person who would just jump to the next chapter immediately. I 100% thought that was going to be the end of the second episode, but ...

To that, this overarching conflict between Zeus and Poseidon was not foreshadowed at all. Yeah, it makes sense to mention that the master bolt is missing and connect it to the no-child pact after the fact, but you can still drop hints that something's up, which both the books and the infamous movie did. Maybe I'd have to parse through episodes again at some point (and let's face it, it's only a matter of time), but I don't think that there was even any mention of Zeus and Poseidon having some unspecified issue, and that's why the weather's all wonky.

And so it really does seem like the thing this series is going to offer is validation for knowing audiences who remember that Clarisse had an electric spear and whatnot. I was kind of hoping that the series would take the bones of Riordan's story and just reinforce it with a stronger material, but it looks like ambitions won't aim quite that high.

Oh, well. I'll still probably watch each new episode the moment they drop on D+

[Sotiris]

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Premieres to 13.3 Million Viewers
https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/percy- ... 235850744/

Nielsen Streaming Top 10: ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians’ Debuts at No. 4 on Originals Chart
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/nielse ... 235888330/

Nielsen Streaming Top 10: ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Viewership Jumps 22%
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/nielse ... 235693657/

[UmbrellaFish]

I watched up to the latest episode last night and it was okay. I read 2 or 3 of the books years ago, when I was in middle school. So my recollection of the books’ events is very hazy.

The pacing seems really slow. The book probably needed more than one two-hour movie to get everything in, but on the flip side, an 8 episode series feels excessive even though the episodes are relatively short. I may or may not finish this season.

To be fair, I’m also not the target audience for this anymore. Wild to realize that I was younger than Percy when the book was first published… and now quite a bit older lol! Hopefully it’s a success with middle school kids at least. And maybe it encourages Disney to dip into the well of Greek myth for future animated films.

[PatchofBlue]

I feel like the show has gotten progressively better as the episodes keep coming. There were some creative choices in the first episodes that I didn't understand, but at least a few of them are starting to make more sense further down the road. I had thought that Annabeth and Percy's dynamic was severely underdeveloped before Percy invites her on the quest, but it is becoming clearer that the writers had a specific vision for how their relationship was going to come together and how that was going to interact with Percy's feelings about the quest, the prophecy, and the world of the gods altogether.

I still can't get over how fantastic the casting is. The main trio has solid chemistry, but coming fresh off the Ares episode, I don't understand how even the one-off players manage to be overflowing with charisma.

The show still has some mixed-effectiveness when it comes to delivering plot and character information. We're halfway through the season and we've only just learned that Kronos is a thing. The book signaled him literally in the first chapter, which gave the eventual reveal that he was the mastermind that much more gravity. There are a lot of things like that which I think were better communicated in the books.


I've been listening to the series' soundtrack over and over (I actually did the same thing with the movies when they came out), and I'm really appreciating it as I start to hear more of it playing in the show proper. I keep listening to this last track especially, "The Sea Does Not Like to Be Restrained," which I'm thinking is going to feature at the final scene when Percy decides to return back to the mortal world. I know the quote comes directly from something Poseidon tells Percy at their first meeting, but if I remember right Percy also reflects on that same thought in the last chapter as well.

So I definitely have some notes, but altogether, I actually am enjoying the show. I know the first episodes were apparently huge hits. I haven't seen any numbers for the following episodes, but judging by the reactions I'm seeing online and the attention the show is getting from outlets like Collider, I had assumed it was pulling in respectable numbers for the service. I hope it continues to perform well because there's enough here that I would absolutely love to see this creative team give the treatment to all five books.

Anyone else following the show, or is this just me shouting into the abyss?

EDIT: Okay, I just saw that you posted your reaction too, Umbrella Fish. The pacing has some rough spots, but I actually feel like it is one of the areas that is stronger in the show than the books, which were pretty fast-paced throughout. This show at least seems to understand that build-up and decompression are actually natural parts of the reader experience haha.

[Patricier21]

I feel like the show has gotten progressively better as the episodes keep coming. There were some creative choices in the first episodes that I didn't understand, but at least a few of them are starting to make more sense further down the road. I had thought that Annabeth and Percy's dynamic was severely underdeveloped before Percy invites her on the quest, but it is becoming clearer that the writers had a specific vision for how their relationship was going to come together and how that was going to interact with Percy's feelings about the quest, the prophecy, and the world of the gods altogether.

I still can't get over how fantastic the casting is. The main trio has solid chemistry, but coming fresh off the Ares episode, I don't understand how even the one-off players manage to be overflowing with charisma.

The show still has some mixed-effectiveness when it comes to delivering plot and character information. We're halfway through the season and we've only just learned that Kronos is a thing. The book signaled him literally in the first chapter, which gave the eventual reveal that he was the mastermind that much more gravity. There are a lot of things like that which I think were better communicated in the books.


I've been listening to the series' soundtrack over and over (I actually did the same thing with the movies when they came out), and I'm really appreciating it as I start to hear more of it playing in the show proper. I keep listening to this last track especially, "The Sea Does Not Like to Be Restrained," which I'm thinking is going to feature at the final scene when Percy decides to return back to the mortal world. I know the quote comes directly from something Poseidon tells Percy at their first meeting, but if I remember right Percy also reflects on that same thought in the last chapter as well.

So I definitely have some notes, but altogether, I actually am enjoying the show. I know the first episodes were apparently huge hits. I haven't seen any numbers for the following episodes, but judging by the reactions I'm seeing online and the attention the show is getting from outlets like Collider, I had assumed it was pulling in respectable numbers for the service. I hope it continues to perform well because there's enough here that I would absolutely love to see this creative team give the treatment to all five books.

Anyone else following the show, or is this just me shouting into the abyss?

EDIT: Okay, I just saw that you posted your reaction too, Umbrella Fish. The pacing has some rough spots, but I actually feel like it is one of the areas that is stronger in the show than the books, which were pretty fast-paced throughout. This show at least seems to understand that build-up and decompression are actually natural parts of the reader experience haha.

May I point out they actually mentioned Kronos In the same kind of way that they did in the books in the lightning thief movie, and then did a pretty good job of re-introducing him in the second movie? I’m actually seeing more and more people who are realizing that they prefer the movies, at the very least because they work better in that format it in the show. Just because it’s the oil does not necessarily mean that it’s good; after all Disney has proven that when they made the second Inspector gadget more loyal to the original cartoon, only did that actually work well as an overall movie? Someone on YouTube literally wrote “I used to think this was the coolest thing ever. Now I look at it and know that it’s just plain stupid”. Who’s to say the same thing won’t happen with Percy here? Again, maybe there’s a reason why they need to change things such as ageing them up for the movies,eh?

[PatchofBlue]

I'll take it you're a fan of the movies then?

I actually have noticed a few small deviations from the book that feel like echoes of changes made in the movies that fans lost their minds over. The mission to collect the pearls from across the country was kind of a flimsy plotpoint in the movie, but it did respond directly to an issue with the books: the way that the kids were CONSTANTLY being sidetracked in their quest. Like, we're told that the balance of the world hangs on them getting to the Underworld as fast as possible, but that doesn't stop them from taking like four video-game or cheeseburger breaks. The way Riordan always wrote their thought process didn't help either with the kids always thinking, "Golly, this sure would be an interesting spot for a monster to be lurking, but we're probably fine!" and then being surprised when a monster sprung out of the corner. Them having to collect the pearls before descending into the Underworld at least gave them a reason for all those pits stops.

The show doesn't have them collecting a quest item at each landmark and will probably just have Percy grab the pearls at the beach like in the book, but so far the series has done a good job at making each of their mini-adventures feel like organic elements of the larger plot, which is something the first movie actually did better than the book.

Even from the sneak-peek at next week's episode, it looks as though the kids might have to fight the casino staff to escape and even steal a car, which is how it played in the movie.

So for a show basically premised entirely on reminding the fourteen-year-olds of 2010 how BAAAAAD those movies were, it does kind feel like the writers are glancing over at the film adaptations and thinking to themselves, "Huh. Maybe they actually had some valid points ..."

[Patricier21]

I'll take it you're a fan of the movies then?

I actually have noticed a few small deviations from the book that feel like echoes of changes made in the movies that fans lost their minds over. The mission to collect the pearls from across the country was kind of a flimsy plotpoint in the movie, but it did respond directly to an issue with the books: the way that the kids were CONSTANTLY being sidetracked in their quest. Like, we're told that the balance of the world hangs on them getting to the Underworld as fast as possible, but that doesn't stop them from taking like four video-game or cheeseburger breaks. The way Riordan always wrote their thought process didn't help either with the kids always thinking, "Golly, this sure would be an interesting spot for a monster to be lurking, but we're probably fine!" and then being surprised when a monster sprung out of the corner. Them having to collect the pearls before descending into the Underworld at least gave them a reason for all those pits stops.

The show doesn't have them collecting a quest item at each landmark and will probably just have Percy grab the pearls at the beach like in the book, but so far the series has done a good job at making each of their mini-adventures feel like organic elements of the larger plot, which is something the first movie actually did better than the book.

Even from the sneak-peek at next week's episode, it looks as though the kids might have to fight the casino staff to escape and even steal a car, which is how it played in the movie.

So for a show basically premised entirely on reminding the fourteen-year-olds of 2010 how BAAAAAD those movies were, it does kind feel like the writers are glancing over at the film adaptations and thinking to themselves, "Huh. Maybe they actually had some valid points ..."

Exactly, which is further proves again why they should’ve just continued the movies. I mean you can think of probably many other franchises were the first couple of movies weren't that good, But then they got better as they went along, and did not require a reboot, so what’s the difference here, especially when the movies actually did pretty well also given that they didn’t have that high of budgets and they could’ve Still kept going within that range of budget……

[PatchofBlue]

‘Percy Jackson And The Olympians’ Premiere Surpasses 26M Views Since Debut On Disney+ & Hulu
https://deadline.com/2024/01/percy-jack ... 235794622/

The premiere episode of the streamer’s original series, based on the books by Rick Riordan, has now amassed 26.2M views in its first three weeks on Disney+ and Hulu, according to the company. That’s double the viewership it managed in its first week.

Disney says that all five available episodes have surpassed 10M views in their first week on the platform, which seems to stay in line with the premiere’s initial viewership, though some decline is very usual and expected as the season progresses.

[PatchofBlue]

"It's Very Painful": Percy Jackson's Poseidon Flashback Explained By Star
https://screenrant.com/percy-jackson-ol ... -stephens/

“What I liked about [the flashback scene], just in the way that it’s placed in the story, is that for so many episodes [Poseidon’s] been absent. His presence has been felt through various kinds of interventions that he’s made, but you don’t see the connection. So it’s easy for an audience to just go, this absentee father doesn’t really care, has no sort of visceral connection with the child or the mother. And you have this scene where you understand that he does have a very visceral connection to this family — to both the mother and the son — and that it’s very painful for both of them, for all of them, all three of them. It’s painful, and it’s raw, and it’s real.”

“I think it hopefully will allow the audience to feel that connection that they have and that he yearns to have with his son. Yes, Poseidon is a God, but he also has human feelings. Going back to the original Greek myths, the great thing about these gods were that they were just as fallible, if not more fallible than human beings, and they suffered the same problems.”

A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson Trailer Shows How the Series Was Made
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/her ... 18421.html

Disney has released the first A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson trailer for the special about how the Disney+ series was made. The special is set to debut on the streaming platform on Tuesday, January 30 after the main show‘s season finale.

The trailer provides fans with a behind-the-scenes look at the cast and crew as they train for and film the adaptation of Rick Riordan’s beloved story.

“As seen in the documentary, series stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri go on a quest of their own while bringing to life the beloved characters from Rick Riordan’s award-winning books,” reads the synopsis. “Alongside a passionate cast and creative team, A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows these three young stars on the set of the Disney+ Original series as they step into worlds fit for gods, battle unforgettable creatures and perform legendary feats – all while still going to school.”

A Hero’s Journey Official Trailer | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | Disney+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33hkL9_uoQI&t=40s

[Sotiris]

Season 2 news.

A Gift From The Gods! “Percy Jackson And The Olympians” Gets Second Season Order At Disney+
https://press.disneyplus.com/news/disne ... nouncement

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ EPs Tease Season 2 Plans
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/percy- ... n-2-plans/

Everything We Know About Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2
https://d23.com/everything-we-know-abou ... -season-2/

'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Season 2 Scripts Are in "Excellent Shape" as Writers' Room Kicks Off
https://collider.com/percy-jackson-and- ... om-begins/

‘Percy Jackson’ EPs Tease Season 2 Scripts Are “In Really Good Shape”; Cast Talks ‘Sea Of Monsters’ & Beyond
https://deadline.com/2024/02/percy-jack ... 235821355/

‘Percy Jackson’ EPs On Recasting Lance Reddick’s Zeus For Season 2: “I Don’t Think Anybody’s There Yet”
https://deadline.com/2024/02/percy-jack ... 235821327/

Percy Jackson EPs Still in a ‘Bit of Denial’ About Recasting the Late Lance Reddick’s Zeus
https://tvline.com/news/percy-jackson-a ... 235166369/

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Look Ahead to Season 2 During TCA Press Conference
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/disney- ... onference/

[PatchofBlue]

Deserved, in my opinion. Even as I thought some parts of the show worked better than others, I still enjoyed the first season and would love to see this cast go all the way.

[PatchofBlue]

No news on season 2 yet, but I took some delight in this little crossover

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5aUF_ZuG8M ... 2489263c1f

Screenshot_6-4-2024_175510_www.instagram.com.jpeg (145.4 KiB) Viewed 151 times

Again, kinda weird to see Disney double-dipping with this show. Pushing the line about how "those rotten movies just did not do those books justice," but also "Percy Jackson: Now Way Home."

[Patricier21]

No news on season 2 yet, but I took some delight in this little crossover

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5aUF_ZuG8M ... 2489263c1f

Screenshot_6-4-2024_175510_www.instagram.com.jpeg

Again, kinda weird to see Disney double-dipping with this show. Pushing the line about how "those rotten movies just did not do those books justice," but also "Percy Jackson: Now Way Home."

Logan Lerman still looks like he could play Percy if he just shaved. Seriously, if it wasn’t for his facial hair, she could still look not only like he’s barely 20, but even decently close to middle school/a bit above that! I’m glad to see that there’s more and more people that agree that those “rotten movies” are actually getting more and more love because of the series, and even more love than the series……