7 Highlights from ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Season One

I first encountered the Percy Jackson books in my English teacher days during the 2007-2008 school year. One of my reluctant readers admitted to me that he had read his SSR book during the weekend.

“On purpose?” I had asked.

“On purpose,” he had confirmed.

“I’m going to need to know what that book was…” I said, figuring that if this book had captured one of my reluctant readers I should know what it was. That book was The Lightning Thief. I did my due diligence and read it myself which quickly caused my husband to ask what had me laughing so hard and that is how Rick Riordan’s beloved series became so beloved in our house. I discovered that reluctant readers and advanced readers all loved these books and a few years ago, my elder Geek Child glomped onto them. Thanks to a combination of reading them and frequently listening to the audiobooks, he can quote insanely large sections of them too. We’ve been eagerly awaiting the official drop of the new TV adaption since the early stages were announced and this past Christmas week, armed with a spread of blue snack foods, we all say down as a family to watch. Here’s some of our favorite highlights.

“Uncle” Rick Riordan was involved. Usually when books get adapted, the author gets very little involvement in the process which is why the first attempt at a franchise did so poorly. Authors understand their books, characters, worlds, and fans in a way that no one else can. While changes often do need to be made to adapt a novel to the screen, with Riordan on board as a producer who was heavily involved, fans had more faith in the little changes and the casting decisions. Things that need to be put in place to set up later events are honored to ensure continuity. Riordan will understand Percy in a way no one else can except maybe his son Haley Riordan. For those unaware, Haley is Percy, a kid who was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, and struggled with those challenges. The books, originally created as stories Rick told his son, were intended to help Haley have a hero he could see himself in.  

The casting was brilliant. Our core trio was delightfully cast with lead Walker Scobell being a hugely devoted fan of the series himself. Scobell nails the role with everything from the little moments (like hilariously flossing while bored during capture the flag) to the impertinent attitude that fans felt was missing in the original film. Leah Jeffries is fierce and clever as Annabeth, and you can just see the way her brain starts making connections and creating plans several steps ahead of everyone else. Aryan Simhadri is delightful as Grover and perfectly showcases how he’s supportive of Percy but also not yet confident in who he is yet. 

It’s not just the main characters they nailed. The supporting cast was particularly brilliant. You know you’ve done an amazing job when an actor has been announced as being added to the cast, and people are noting in the comments that there’s only one character they could have been cast as, and they were correct. I am of course referring to Jason Mantzoukas and his scene stealing turn as Mr. D. If you’ve ever seen his chaotic energy in shows like Brooklyn 99, you’ll know exactly how he got the part. Timothy Omundson also had a particularly poignant turn as Hephaestus. Lin Manuel Miranda really covers that guilt and imperfection in Hermes, especially regarding his relationship with Luke. Getting someone with a professional wrestling background like Adam Copeland to play Ares just makes sense, Copeland absolutely has a God of War swagger to him. The late Lance Reddick is inspired as the King of the Gods himself. Toby Stephens as Poseidon has a certain kindness that explains just why Sally Jackson fell for him in the first place. Jay Duplass should also not be looked over as Hades either. I really look forward to seeing who else gets selected to be an Olympian.

Sally Jackson’s struggles with Percy. Virginia Kull is so brilliant as Sally that I think she deserves her own paragraph. One of the things that really resonated with me is seeing her flashback struggles to give Percy the supports he needed knowing that Percy was different from other kids. Watching her struggle to make choices between schools and camp with Percy furious at being sent away hit hard. Any parent who has struggled to get their kid a mental health diagnosis and support, or navigated school for a neurodivergent child, or battled getting accommodations for a child with an IEP or 504 will feel absolutely seen in those scenes. 

The episode titles. Taken straight from the chapter titles themselves, we knew this was something for the fans when the first two episodes were “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher” and “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom.” I admit my Younger Geek Child had been trying to resist the lure of these books but the episode titles and first two episodes had him binge reading the rest of the series over Christmas Break. 

Camp Halfblood. Getting to see the camp in it’s full beautiful glory was absolutely amazing. Visually it was an absolute treat for the fans.

The talent montage. Towards the beginning of his time at camp, we see Percy test out different abilities and the montage of all of those failed skills as referenced in the books had us all in stitches.

The little details. Whether it was the feather laces in Luke’s shoes, Medusa’s head being sent back to Gabe, Annabeth with her cap, the blue food, or a little cameo from Blackjack, it was those perfect little details that the fans love to see in person. It’s these things that really help to make an adaption that’s a love letter to its fandom and source material.

Our family truly loved this first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and we hopefully await for news of it being renewed. The writer’s room so strongly believes it will happen that they’ve already starting working on a new season. We hope this also encourages Rick Riordan’s other adventures to being adapted as well as the stories from the Rick Riordan Presents line.