YMMV / Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023)

• And You Thought It Would Fail: A lot of fans pre-release thought that the show would not do well, especially with films being infamous for not adapting the books well and the books not being as well-known as say Harry Potter. However, while the show has not been without its controversial changes, it did incredibly well on streaming (even outperforming stuff like the Second Season of Loki (2021)), got generally good reviews from fans and critics alike, and was picked up for a Second Season not long after the first ended.
• Awesome Art: The art in the end credits is a blend of Greek art and Art Deco, and its as beautiful as it sounds.
• Awesome Music: The teaser trailers have an epic rendition of Vance Joy's "Riptide", which is covered by Stealth. It brings an awe-inspiring feeling to the introduction of Greek gods and half-bloods.
• Can't Un-Hear It: A lot of fans online have said that they can't un-hear Walker Scobell when reading Percy's lines in the books.
• Common Knowledge: A popular misconception about the show is that it added Backbiter's ability to open portals. In reality, the ability was in the books, but it was only shown in the first one so it was easy to miss.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Similar to his book counterpart, Luke has a lot of fans who downplay or excuse his evil deeds due to his tragic backstory, good looks, and charisma. These fans forget that he tried to start a war that could have destroyed the world and tried to kill Percy when Percy refused to join him.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Hermes and Hephaestus are supporting characters in Season 1, with the latter only appearing once, but they are quite popular, mainly due to the compelling performances of their actors.
• Epileptic Trees: Several people on Tumblr have been picking apart the sixth episode for any reference to Nico and Bianca di Angelo, major characters from the third novel onwards. Not helping matters was the fact that Becky Riordan claimed that there's a reference to them somewhere in the background. The best consensus people have been able to form is that it sounds like a young boy's voice is calling out "Bianca!" at 12:30.
• Evil Is Cool: Luke was a well received twist villain, due to his clever plan, sympathetic reasoning, and his actor's charisma. It helps that his fight with Percy is visually interesting. Many go so far as to say that he is better than his book counterpart.
• Fan Nickname: "The Celestial Trio" for the main heroes, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood.
• Franchise Original Sin:
  • Before the show even released, a big complaint arose regarding the Race Lift of several characters, making them look quite different from their literary counterparts. This was something that the movies had previously incorporated as well, with Grover, Persephone and Hephaestus being portrayed by African-Americans. This didn't receive much criticism from viewers at the time, as said Race Lifts were only applied to three people in a fairly large cast of characters, said characters' ethnicity was never directly specified in the books themselves, and it was overlooked by the other flaws the films had. By contrast, this series got a lot more attention for being significantly more liberal with its usage of Race Lift, even on characters like Annabeth whose appearance was much more clearly defined in the books compared to Grover. As a result a good chunk of the cast now bears little resemblance to how they looked in the books.
  • The quick pacing of the series received some criticism, with some viewers arguing that it left insufficient time for character relationships to build. The original book itself is very fast-paced, and many of the character relationships and dynamics now considered iconic did not come until later in the series. In particular, the first episodes got criticism for feeling rushed, but it tracks very closely with how the introduction and exposition were handled in the book.
• Friendly Fandoms: Already with fans of The Lightning Thief musical, since both adaptations have gotten the seal of approval from Rick Riordan. On top of that, musical co-creator Joe Tracz was hired to write two Season 1 episodes and multiple parties associated with the musical, including Chris McCarrell (the actor who played Percy in the musical) and the Lightning Thief Twitter account, have expressed excitement for the series.
• Genius Bonus: In the second episode of the first season, Percy offers up a burnt prayer of candy not to his father, but to his mother, which might seem odd as his mother is mortal; however, ancestor worship was widely practiced in Ancient Greece, and what Percy is doing is just a variation of that.
• He Really Can Act: A lot of fans online were worried if the young and mostly inexperienced cast could embody the characters and carry the series, but even from the first two episodes, many fans noted how talented and charismatic the child actors are. Special mention goes to Walker Scobell, who was mostly known for The Adam Project and Secret Headquarters, but he manages to not only embody Percy's snarky attitude but shows some surprising dramatic chops (such as when he claims to feel broken or his mother's death).
• Idiosyncratic Ship Naming: Some show-only fans have taken to calling the ship of Percy/Annabeth "Smartwater".
• Improved Second Attempt: In general, this series strives to course-correct a lot of problems that the movies had, and even improve some stuff from the original Lightning Thief book.
  • The encounter with Medusa in the book hinged on the trio being too gullible to realize that a person named "Auntie Em" who had a collection of statues was actually Medusa. Here, Annabeth figures out Auntie Em is Medusa right away, and they only end up in her clutches because she fed them as a peace offering.
  • After the Percy Jackson and the Olympians film was criticized for having Ares be completely Adapted Out despite his prominence in the first book, this series has him appear and play a major part similar to how he was depicted in the novel.
  • In the movie, Percy's main motivation for completing the quest given to him was so he could rescue his mother from the underworld at any cost, to the point where he even left Grover with Persephone just so he could get her back. Here, Percy decides to retrieve the Helm of Darkness and return it to Hades in exchange for Sally, making him far less selfish and more in line with what happened in the book.
  • By far, one of the biggest complaints about the movie was its straightforward depiction of Everyone Hates Hades when the book actively went out of its way to avert the trope. By contrast, this series depicts Hades as an Adaptational Nice Guy even by the book's standards. He is polite and cordial to Percy and Grover, wanting to sincerely return Sally Jackson to them in exchange for his Helm, and offers to protect them both from Kronos by offering them sanctuary in the Underworld. While he does later desire the Master Bolt like his movie counterpart, it's only so he can protect himself and the Underworld from Kronos, and not out of malice or personal gain on his part.
• Karmic Overkill: Gabe getting petrfied by Medusa's head was already a contentious act within the books, but it's taken to a whole new level here by Adapting Out Gabe's physical abuse making his punishment far more disproportionate to fans.
• Love to Hate: Ares is an extremely petty and rude god who tries to kill Percy when tries to prevent the war between Zeus and Poseidon from happening, but he is also very over the top, and Adam Copeland is having so much fun with his role that he becomes so entertaining to watch even when the audience is rooting against him.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Logan Lerman as Poseidon. ^ExplanationAs far back as when the series was first announced, fans almost universally wanted to see Percy's previous actor appear in the show as Percy's father. Toby Stephens landing the role of Poseidon nixed any chance of this fancast becoming an Ascended Meme, though Lerman has nonetheless shown complete support for his successor.
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda Jump Scare. ^ExplanationA lot of people on Tumblr were apparently unaware that Lin-Manuel Miranda had been cast as Hermes, and found his appearance at the end of Episode 3 jarring, akin to a Jump Scare, with several people saying that their Hamilton phases flashed before their eyes.
    • Look at my son! ^ExplanationPeople thinking Hermes is gonna sing "Dear Theodosia" to Luke.
  • Luke is one of Percy's most trusted friends. ^{Explanation (Spoilers)}Viewers who've only seen the series are quickly fond of Luke and his welcoming behavior towards Percy, saying he's one of his closest allies. Those who have read the books and/or watched the movies know of Luke's eventual betrayal and his role as one of the main villains, and have decided to play along with this; Luke's actor himself, Charlie Bushnell, takes it a step further in an interview by saying Luke is Percy's "brother figure that'll last forever and ever".
  • Justice for Gladiola! ^ExplanationA joke that has arisen in response to the dog's absence in Episode 4.
• Older Than They Think:
  • Percy being depicted with blonde hair isn't entirely new. Oddly enough, according to the September 2008 draft of the script for the 2010 film, he was going to be depicted with "dirty, blonde hair". Percy was also played by blonde actor Eric Meyers in the original one-hour Theatreworks production of The Lightning Thief in 2014.
  • In The Mark of Athena, Annabeth wishes that she had dark hair. It seems that Rick Riordan had granted her wish for this show.
  • Zeus had previously been portrayed by a black actor in Troy: Fall of a City, that series also being an example of Color Blind Casting.
  • Annabeth was also played by a Black actress in multiple productions of The Lightning Thief.
  • Some fans have groused about the use of the word 'magic' in the series, seeing it as a way to draw comparisons to another YA novel series; however, the word 'magic' is used multiple times in the first novel, with Percy even asking Annabeth if she had any magical items he could use during Capture the Flag. To say nothing of the fact that Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, and some of her children are characters in the book series.
• One-Scene Wonder: The late Lance Reddick as Zeus in the final episode of Season 1. He's grand, intimidating, a little unhinged, and has remarkable screen presence for the five or so minutes he appears.
• Questionable Casting: Perhaps the biggest debate and point of criticism that went on for a full year prior to the show's release. Rick Riordan's decision of open casting struck a nerve with those who expected the characters to faithfully resemble their book counterparts. He and his wife Becky explained why the changes were made in several social media posts, including Ability over Appearance, the impracticality of wigs, the disadvantages of hair dye, complacency over the actor's looks as well as keeping in touch with modern demographics, which have changed drastically since 2003. When it was announced that Leah Sava Jefferies was going to play Annabeth, many fans were opposed to the casting simply because she did not match Annabeth's description. Out of all the other characters who received criticism for getting a Race Lift, she got the brunt of it and Rick had to shield Leah from harsh treatment, encouraging fans to give her a chance. By the time the show finally came out, public indignation over Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Luke, Clarisse, Chiron, Zeus and all the other characters getting a physical "glow up" for the show, lessened to mostly accepted.
• Tainted by the Preview: Before the show was even released, many viewers were put off by the characters not bearing any resemblance to their book descriptions. Rick Riordan had promptly responded to this by saying that the TV adaptation is not about the actors looking exactly like the characters from the books, but portraying them in terms of their personalities and remaining faithful to the overall story.
  Rick Riordan: Racism/colorism isn't something we have or don't have. I have it. You have it. We all do. And not just white people like me. All people. It's either something we recognize and try to work on, or it's something we deny. Saying "I am not racist!" is simply declaring that you deny your own biases and refuse to work on them. The core message of Percy Jackson has always been that difference is strength. There is power in plurality. The things that distinguish us from one another are often our marks of individual greatness. You should never judge someone by how well they fit your preconceived notions. That neurodivergent kid who has failed out of six schools, for instance, may well be the son of Poseidon. Anyone can be a hero. If you don't get that, if you're still upset about the casting of this marvelous trio, then it doesn't matter how many times you have read the books. You didn't learn anything from them.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: While the series is promised to be mostly quite faithful to the books, there are a few notable changes that some fans have criticized.
  • There is a lot of public opposition over the characters not resembling their book descriptions, with rumors circulating that Rick had given in to Disney's "inclusivity agenda", but Rick has gone off the record to state that the casting process was entirely his doing and their opposition should be directed solely at him, not at Disney nor the actors doing their job.
  • Grover betraying Percy to get him expelled has been met with criticism from fans who see it out of character.
  • The show's pacing was criticized by many, with several scenes, such as Grover and Mr. Brunner's gaslighting of Percy over Mrs. Dodds' existence, the Hellhound attack and the encounter with Gladiola, being removed. For many fans whose expectations went too high, the show itself was too fast for their liking.
  • The alterations to the Lotus Casino's part in the story were met with a mixed reception among book fans, removing most of the tension of the trio realizing they're trapped and time has passed quickly, since they go in knowing what the casino is this time.
  • Fans weren't happy that part of May Castellan's story is revealed this early on, arguing that it will rob her scenes in The Last Olympian of the emotional gut-punch they were there.
  • Fans don't like that the trio are more Genre Savvy than in the book, removing the tension from encounters like Medusa, the Lotus Casino, and Procrustes. For some, the main trio's tendency to not realise what danger they're in and making mistakes like these due to ignorance was an oddly endearing aspect of the series, as it helped remind them of the fact these are kids in way over their heads.
  • A lot of fans don't like that they changed it so that Annabeth leaves the Underworld before they meet Hades, feeling that it was unnecessary and felt like it was a waste of Annabeth.

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