Summary
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians is now streaming early on Disney+.
- The show is the second live-action adaptation of the popular children’s book series of the same name by Rick Riordan.
- Originally scheduled for release on December 20, the premiere of Percy Jackson and the Olympians debuted early on December 19.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians has started streaming early. The show is the second live-action adaptation of the children’s book series of the same name by Rick Riordan, which follows the 12-year-old Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), a seemingly ordinary boy who learns that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon (Toby Stephens). Season 1, which adapts the first book The Lightning Thief, follows Percy being accused of stealing a lightning bolt from Zeus (Lance Reddick) and going on a quest with his friends Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) to discover the real thief.
Although Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 was supposed to debut on Disney+ on December 20, it premiered early on December 19. The first two episodes are currently available on Disney+, while Disney’s partner streamer Hulu has only the first episode available. This early release seems to be the plan for the show going forward, as Disney+ has announced that they will be airing episodes weekly on Tuesdays at 6:00 PM PT.
Disney+’s Confidence in Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a Very Good Sign
This early drop for the Percy Jackson show would seem to indicate that Disney+ has an extreme amount of confidence in its ability to connect with viewers. This is not unreasonable, considering the fact that the show is already Certified Fresh with the best Rotten Tomatoes score in the entire franchise. However, it is not entirely common for the streaming service to share a surprise early release for any of their programming.
This move does largely make sense, nevertheless. Among the many reasons they have to be confident is the fact that the franchise is on a unique footing. While the books were previously adapted into a pair of Percy Jackson movies in 2010 and 2013, those movies were not well received by critics or audiences, meaning that the show still has the chance to capture the imagination of readers who weren’t satisfied by the prior adaptations. Check out a comparison between the critic score and audience score for every iteration of Percy Jackson below:
Title | Critic Score | Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) | 48% | 53% |
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) | 42% | 54% |
Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 (2023) | 97% | TBD |
Included among the detractors of the original movies is Rick Riordan himself, who has been outspoken about his criticisms of the adaptations of his work. However, Riordan co-created Percy Jackson and the Olympians with Jonathan E. Steinberg, ensuring that the show remains true to his original vision despite some minor changes from the source material. With critical adoration and Riordan’s stamp of approval, it makes sense that the streamer would feel comfortable letting the show join their library sooner rather than later.
Source: Disney+
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Based on the novel series by Rick Riordan Percy Jackson & the Olympians is an action-adventure fantasy television series created for Disney+. When Percy Jackson is framed for the theft of Zeus’ almighty thunderbolt, Percy must clear his name, all while harnessing the powers inherited by his father, Poseidon, at a camp created for demi-gods.
Release Date December 20, 2023 Cast Walker Scobell , Leah Sava Jeffries , Aryan Simhadri , Jason Mantzoukas , Megan Mullally , Glynn Turman , Adam Copeland , Virginia Kull , Lance Reddick Rating TV-PG Seasons 1 Story By Rick Riordan Writers Rick Riordan , Jonathan E. Steinberg Directors James Bobin , Anders Engström Showrunner Jonathan E. Steinberg , Dan Shotz