[Be advised: This article is spoiler-free]
It has been four long years since the announcement that the Percy Jackson book series was getting a show with Disney+ and fans have been waiting, some eagerly and some skeptical. Opinions have been flooding the internet from old fans, new viewers, and movie defenders alike, begging the question: What’s the consensus on the TV series, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”?
The PJO fan base has already been scarred by butchered on-screen adaptations of their beloved series. In 2010 and 2013, movie versions of “The Lightning Thief” and “The Sea of Monsters” were released featuring Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson. The movies took a lot of liberty with the original story, adding details, removing others, and angering book fans. Even so, the films have delivered iconic moments and bits of dialogue that fans are hoping will appear in the new series.
The new series has been plagued with almost as much controversy as the movies with the casting choices. The casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth, especially, being condemned by some purist fans. Their issue is that most of the characters don’t match their original descriptions, but many don’t see this as a problem. Henry Morgan is a senior at Enloe and grew up with the book series. He commented that, “The characters were well picked by personalities rather than how they were described,” which he sees as a worthy trade-off.
The plot and characters have also seen some changes, both major and minor, to a mixed reaction from the fanbase. Millbrook’s senior class president, Elise Edmondson, is all for the changes and says, “I think that they have helped by A, making the show interesting for people who read the books and; B, ensuring that the story is still appropriate.” She also brought up the fact that a TV show is fundamentally different from a novel, so details need to be altered to maintain the idea of the story. Percy’s character has seen the most change, which makes sense considering that the audience can’t hear his narration in the show like they do in the novel.
The changes haven’t appealed to everyone, and the character changes are the worst offenses. Junior Rowan Kindl is one of these critics and argues that, “The new depiction of Percy’s character conflates immaturity for likability.” While he has always acted like a typical kid is expected to act, Rowan argues that Percy was more competent in the books, while the TV show version of his character is less competent and more ill-prepared for his quest.
All of this being said, the differences are small enough to go unnoticed. One of Millbrook’s English teachers, Mr. Shirlen read the books in high school when the movies were set to release. Because of this, he said that, “Some of the differences have gone over my head until I read about them online.” They did not hamper his enjoyment of the series, and he still highly recommends both the books and the TV Show: “These are some of my favorite books. They are fun and action-packed, with a lot of twists and turns. If Greek Mythology interests you, the book series is a must-read, and I would definitely recommend the show.”
It seems that the consensus of new viewers and fans alike swings in the favor of the new Disney+ show. The next “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” episode is set to release on Tuesday, Jan 16, so there’s still time to catch up on the first five episodes!
