Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Season 1 Review
- Matt Hill
- Dec 8, 2025
- 3 min read
Modern Mythology Fun
PLOT: Just as 12-year-old Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) discovers he's a demigod, he's sent on a perilous quest to retrieve Zeus' stolen lightning bolt and prevent the arguing Gods from all-out war.
With the first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians' second season dropping this week (December 10th to be exact), I've gone ahead and rewatched season 1 to refresh myself and enjoy a Greek fantasy adventure while providing MSF with an up-to-date review.
From the looks of things, each season will focus on one novel from the series, much like Game of Thrones did. Percy's first adventure, The Lightning Thief, was an excellent introduction to Rick Riordan's fantastical world, and I'd say season one does an admirable job introducing us to this mythological world and its characters.
For those completely new to Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson & The Olympians is based on Rick Riordan's popular book series of the same name, set in a universe where Greek Mythology and the modern world co-exist. Where demigods, like Percy Jackson, exist (and are exposed) in both worlds, much like the Wizards and Witches of the Harry Potter universe.
The first season focuses on Percy and introduces us to this fantastical world before sending him on his first quest to retrieve Zeus' stolen lightning bolt and prevent a war from breaking out between the Gods. To do this, he'll team up with Annabeth, a daughter of Athena and his best mate, Grover, as they head across America to the Underworld in an attempt to retrieve the bolt.
The two main highlights of the show come from the world and (the majority of) its cast. Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava' Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) carry the series well as the central trio, and each does a great job embodying their characters. The same can be said for a lot of the supporting cast, especially with Glyn Turman as Chiron and Jason Mantzoukas as Dionosis. Their performances hit exactly how I imagined the characters, and Percy makes for a great lead supported by a steadfast Annabeth and an unsure Grover. On the other hand, some of the Gods didn't quite hit the mark, with the likes of Ares failing to live up to the imposing and rage-inducing God of War you'd imagine.
Greek mythology has an abundance of great tales, characters, Gods and Monsters. All of which have helped it remain so well known to so many people, for countless years after. The modern twist Riordan has put on it with his Percy Jackson series translates well to the screen, with Camp Half-Blood and Olympus coming together nicely. Though they are nice to see, they never give you that sense of marvel and Awe that Harry Potter's Hogwarts or Diagon Alley managed.
The monsters are all great, making for some enjoyable action sequences, with Percy's early encounter with a minotaur and Medusa giving the series some good moments early on.
The one major issue that follows Percy Jackson and the Olympians is that it never seems to kick into gear. It falls into a steady rhythm early on, one that makes for enjoyable middle-of-the-road viewing. Some of that can be attributed to its plot points and pacing; it keeps a lot of the great content from the book, but it never elevates it beyond an 'I remember that from the book'. Making some of the grander moments feel fine, rather than great. Whether that be lacking emotional moments or urgency in its action, many moments feel like they're missing a key ingredient to make them sizzle. Preventing the series from reaching the higher heights it's capable of, and instead settling as a fine/good adventure.
'We Take a Zebra to Vegas' is one of the slower episodes that doesn't capture the same levels of excitement/interest as the other episodes do. Though the Casino plotline is crucial to the overall narrative, the adaptation to the series just wasn't constructed all that well, making for a rather flat episode that grinds the story's momentum down just before the finale.
In a Nutshell
Although I enjoyed Percy Jackson & The Olympians, I was never blown away. It feels like the definition of nice and light entertainment. Although I wanted more, it did enough to establish its world and characters and set the stage for upcoming events. With Season 2 mere days away, and Season 3 already in production, there are plenty of positives to take from Percy's first outing that leave me optimistic for its future.
3/5
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