The drama was created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is based on Riordan’s best-selling, award-winning book series of the same name, which is comprised of six entries and debuted in 2005. The show’s first season was produced in part by Disney Branded Television and 20th Television.

Created by Riordan and Jon Steinberg, the new screen adaptation is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz. They’re joined by Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Monica Owusu-Breen, Anders Engström and Jet Wilkinson.

Photo by courtesy of Disney – © Disney

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is set to stream its first two episodes today, Tuesday, December 19 on Disney+. The remaining six episodes will premiere every Wednesday thereafter, with the season finale debuting on January 31, 2024.

To promote the upcoming release of the drama’s first season, the project had its New York premiere at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 13. During the premiere, the show debuted its first two episodes, which were written by Riordan and Steinberg, and directed by James Bobin.

During the first season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” the 12-year-old eponymous character (Walker Scobell) embarks on a dangerous quest. Outrunning monsters and outwitting gods, he must journey across America to return Zeus’ (the late Lance Reddick, in his final television appearance) master bolt and stop an all-out war.

After losing his mother Sally (Virginia Kull), Percy is sheltered at Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigod children. He must prove himself and confront his origins once he discovers he, too, is a demigod.

In order to do so, Percy take off into the perils of pursuing enemies in search of the Underworld. With the help of his quest mates – Annabeth, the Daughter of Athena, and his protective satyr, Grover (Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri) – the protagonist’s journey will lead him closer to the answers he seeks: how to fit into a world where he feels out of place, if he’ll ever see his mother again and if he can ever find out who he’s destined to be.

Photo by David Bukach/Disney – © Disney

The new television series excels because it, in large part, stays true to the spirit of its source material. One of the screen adaptation’s most faithful elements is its well-developed characters, who are grounded in reality as much as they can be for a fantasy story.

The eponymous middle schooler is given the chance to not only exist, but significantly grow, in the modern real world. Scobell embraces his character’s feeling of isolation from his peers at his New York City school. The up-and-coming actor also embodies Percy’s low self-esteem while attending school, in part because of his over-active imagination.

Combined with his mother not sharing any information about his father’s identity or whereabouts, the half-blood has difficulty feeling as though others truly care about him. At school, he has trouble standing up to bullies, as well as trusting those around him who he feels don’t understand him.

The true danger against Percy is first introduced on the show after he gets in trouble at school; he’s reprimanded when he’s targeted by, and finally stands up to, one of his classmates. As the conflict between the two escalates, a minotaur senses that Percy is a demigod, which is also known as a half-blood.

In order to save her son from the creature, which is famous within Greek mythology, Sally explains everything to him. Percy’s initially in disbelief over the revelation, which has quickly changing everything he’s known to be fact. An epic battle with the creature immediately ensues, however, leaving the main character to instantly believe his mom and kill the minotaur.

@Photo by David Bukach/Disney – © Disney

Percy’s epic – but unexpected – defeat over the creature has led to more terrible forces determined to kill him. As a result, Grover, who’s enthralling played by Simhadri, leads his friend to safety at the camp and help him adapt to his newfound powers.

Upon arriving at Camp Half-Blood, which features superb production design in the 12 Houses that represent the 12 Olympians of Greek mythology, Percy truly comes into his own as a brave young hero. Besides Grover, who he’s known since attending his middle school in New York City, Percy finally finds comfort in his peers. At last, he’s thriving in making friends, as he bonds with the other young campers, who actually understand his struggle.

Jeffries is also gives a noteworthy, star-making performance as Annabeth in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” The character proves that girls can also be fierce warriors at the camp. The independent Annabeth subtly encourages Percy, especially when they first meet, to find what he’s good at and who he’s set to become. Already knowing where she thrives and fits in, Annabeth’s the true embodiment of female leadership, who easily flips gender stereotypes.

Simhadri also gives a notable performance as Grover, who also acts as stellar mentor to Percy alongside Annabeth. Driven by both humor that lightens the tension in many conflicts and thoughtful, gentle insight, he often serves as the mediator between his two questmates. Grover brings a wisdom and calmness to every situation that neither of the demigods has perfected yet.

While the drama features a fantasy story that’s steeped in Greek mythology, its fight choreography and action sequences cater to the fact that the titular character is only 12-years-old and has just recently learned that he’s a demigod. Whether he’s fighting the oversized foe that convinced him he’s a half-blood, or working with Annabeth’s team during the camp’s Capture the Flag tournament, his physicality is true to a pre-teen who’s just learning how to defend himself.

With its its dedication to its source material, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is one of the strongest YA television adaptations of the 21st century. Supported by its stunning visuals, including its production design and fight choreography, the show is an emotionally relatable but equally fantastical exploration into the struggle of adolescence.

Through the excellent, passionate performances of, and chemistry between, Scobell, Jeffries and Simhadri, the series is a powerful examination into how teens contend with finding their place in society. Percy feeling unsure of himself in a new environment, and Annabeth and Grover guiding him in the right direction, perfectly blends Gen Alpha’s coming of age journey with Greek mythology. As a result, the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” television show is a powerful visual adaptation of Riordan’s book series that’s worthy of both its targeted adolescent audience and the Greek gods.

Check out more of Karen Benardello’s articles.

Here’s the trailer of the film. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHb7au6Gmls