Lauren Zerella ‘29
Staff Writer
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” originated as a book series by Rick Riordan initially consisting of 5 novels telling the story of an adolescent boy and his interactions with gods and heroes from Greek mythology. The series has been extremely successful, leading to multiple spin-off series and even additions to the original one. This did not translate to immediate on-screen success, however, as two movies based on the first two books were created and, to the dismay of countless fans, were extremely unfaithful to the source material. After the announcement of a TV show that aimed to accurately portray events from the books, many were enthusiastic about the opportunity to relive the beloved series.
Visual adaptations of books often receive criticism for both the quality of the product and how faithfully they recreated the story. It is common for certain scenes to be cut either for time or because they will not translate well to the screen, but it is when they are altered severely that fans start to reject these adaptations. This is in large part due to the fact that leaving out or slightly changing details in order to enhance the plot on a visual level leaves people with a deeper appreciation of the story while making it barely recognizable has the opposite effect. Most films and series do not fit neatly into one category but instead land somewhere between the two, as different parts will be closer to different ends of the spectrum, and “Percy Jackson” is no exception.
The first season of the show began with a promising start, and despite adding a couple scenarios and characters that were not in the book, it concluded without too many unnecessary deviations. Season two did not receive the same fate, though, as much of the plot was changed in the adaptation, with the most egregious changes being the creation of new characters and ruining surprises that were not supposed to occur until subsequent episodes or seasons. Furthermore, the show seems to hit all of the major plot points from the books while changing all of the events in between, making for a confusing watch for those who have read the series.
All of the changes made make it difficult to imagine how future seasons of the series will unfold. At least three more seasons are expected, but due to some of the choices that have been made, some of the future scenes will be impacted. Even if they decide to be completely book-accurate, they now have to contend with storylines that were either altered completely or moved from subsequent books into the second, which will make it difficult to be true to the source material. The most likely scenario is that the show continues on its current path of changing the vast majority of the plot since it is the precedent they have set and they will be handling the changes they have made thus far.
“Percy Jackson” has enough fans that there will be viewers no matter how the story is restructured, but this is not a healthy way to adapt novels. Die-hard fans will be disappointed and even if they continue to tune in, they will not be watching for entertainment, but instead to pick apart the elements they find most displeasing. The crux of the issue hinges on the fact that the series was pitched as a redo to right the mistakes made by the movies, but season two sets a worrisome standard for both the show and visual adaptations as a whole. Although some changes are necessary and can occasionally make a film or show more enjoyable to watch, when it is excessive the plot becomes diluted, losing fans and not gaining any in the process.
Featured image courtesy of USA Today
Copy edited by Sophia Mariani ’26
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