“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” arrived on Disney+ and Hulu in December 2023 with a problem no adaptation escapes: a book series that readers already see in their heads. Rick Riordan, who wrote those books, co-created the show with Jonathan E. Steinberg.
Trailer, via Hulu.
Walker Scobell Takes the Bolt
Twelve-year-old demigod Percy Jackson is accused by Zeus of stealing his thunderbolt — a charge Percy spends the season trying to clear by finding the bolt himself and returning it. Annabeth and Grover come along.
Scobell plays Percy. Leah Sava Jeffries plays Annabeth Chase, Aryan Simhadri plays Grover Underwood. Charlie Bushnell is Luke Castellan, Dior Goodjohn is Clarisse La Rue, and Daniel Diemer plays Tyson.
Jeffries’ casting drew online backlash because Annabeth is not depicted as black in the novels. Riordan called that backlash racism and backed his actor: “Once you see Leah as Annabeth, she will become exactly the way you imagine Annabeth, assuming you give her that chance, but you refuse to credit that this may be true.”
Two Seasons Aired, One Book Still Waiting
The first season adapts “The Lightning Thief” and ran from December 19, 2023 to January 30, 2024. The second adapts “The Sea of Monsters,” ran from December 10, 2025 to January 21, 2026, and also released episodes on Hulu. In March 2025, ahead of the second season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season, which is set to adapt “The Titan’s Curse” and is slated to premiere on November 20, 2026. That season has not aired.
| Season | Source book | Run |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lightning Thief | Dec 19, 2023 – Jan 30, 2024 |
| 2 | The Sea of Monsters | Dec 10, 2025 – Jan 21, 2026 |
| 3 | The Titan’s Curse | Premieres Nov 20, 2026 |
What the Second Season Changes
Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood a year later. The camp is under threat from the forces of Kronos. Grover is missing. Percy has to go into the Sea of Monsters for the Golden Fleece.
The third season raises the stakes again. Annabeth disappears. Percy, Grover and Thalia join the Hunters of Artemis against a threat to Olympus, while Percy wrestles with the Great Prophecy and the fear that he is the demigod it names.
Where the Show Stands
The source’s premise list sets out the three seasons in order:
- Season 1: find the bolt, clear his name.
- Season 2: save the camp, find Grover, retrieve the Fleece.
- Season 3: find Annabeth, ally with the Hunters, face the Prophecy.
That is an escalation by design. It is not a ranking the source provides, and this paper does not supply one.
The strengths are the ones the books earned: worldbuilding, fidelity to the source, and a young cast that does not buckle. The wait between seasons is the cost. The first finale aired January 30, 2024 and the second premiered December 10, 2025 — nearly two years, and a long time to hold an audience that grows up faster than the release schedule.
The show’s best decision was hiring the author. The performances — Scobell, Jeffries, Simhadri, and Bushnell in particular — are why the faithfulness does not read as homework.
What the Show Gets Right
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is not a reinvention of the YA adaptation. It is a correction of one — the version fans were owed the first time. The pacing lags in places and the gaps between seasons test patience, but the thing is built to last.
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