The show “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” took Rick Riordan readers by storm when its first season came out on Dec. 19 of last year. Throughout this year, multiple comments and critiques arose surrounding many aspects of the recently introduced show including casting, influence, and more. Some people felt conflicted, and some were thoroughly pleased. With all this in mind, how do people feel about the show a year on?
Having read the “Percy Jackson” books as a young girl, Brianna Lopez—an HBHS senior—feels that the show serves as entertainment to all. “The show made it family-friendly. Something everyone can watch,” she stated, adding that watching the series hit home for her. “It was very nostalgic for me because when I was younger I used to read the books.”
Regarding the casting of the show, Lopez said that the commentary on Annabeth’s race was unnecessary and incredibly harmful. The character in the books is described as having blonde hair and grey eyes, and Leah Sava Jefferies is African-American.
“Annabeth was bashed for her race—Leah [Sava Jefferies] was bashed for her race. I think that [her casting] was not a problem, she portrayed Annabeth really well. She had her fierceness, her intelligence, and her courage.”
She also talked about the importance of having kids play younger characters, and how that can impact children watching the show.
“It’s a bunch of kids on a show. The fact that it wasn’t the best acting made it more authentic,” she said.
Another senior at HBHS, Miles Krill, described the show as nostalgic. “It was amazing to see everything come to life,” Krill said, “especially when Percy fell from the St. Louis Arch.” Regarding the cast, he said, “People were just being racist, whether they’d admit that or not.”
Other students have taken interest in the upcoming stars on the show. Freshman Christabelle Almaraz, who has never read the book but loves the show, said that her favorite cast member had to be Walker Scobell. She, along with freshman Bella Lopez, agreed that the casting was more than satisfying.
Lopez said, “Annabeth was perfect. I think [Leah Sava Jefferies] accurately represented [her]. And so did Walker Scobell, obviously.”
Ms. Lammers, a sophomore English teacher, also enjoys the show and the demigod universe as a whole. As an English Honors 2 teacher, she has read all of the books and even takes some of the inspiration for her summer prep course.
“I wanted my class to be a mock summer camp at Camp Half-Blood,” she explained. “My classroom is decorated with house banners, they take a ‘godly parent quiz’ and sit with other students with the same ‘parent’ at tables with colored flags, and I wear a Camp Half-Blood shirt.”
We reached out to Eric Bjorklund, Vice President of Current Series, who supervises the production of the Percy Jackson show. He discussed what inspiration went into the making of the series, noting that it was all thanks to the books and their author Rick Riordan.
He delved into what it takes to make the visions of the books come true, stating, “There’s obviously going to be a big visual effects component.”
On the upcoming , he said, “I think season two is going to bring even more action and adventure—a lot of surprises and expanded roles for characters like Luke and Clarisse.”
There are many hopes for what this series will accomplish, and Bjorklund explained that what they want for the series is what they want a lot of their series to do, which means helping kids see themselves in the characters and the storytelling. Along the lines of what message they want to reach the youth, he said, “Hopefully, it inspires kids to be themselves—to have a voice, to stand up and do what’s right.”
Again, there is much excitement and lots of anticipation going around, and with season 2 coming out just next year, the people of, not only HBHS but all over can anticipate an exciting, new season to this successful series. The first season alone pulled in a staggering 110 million hours streamed on Disney+ and Hulu, and the renewal is hopefully going to bring more of what was seen. As 2025 rolls just around the corner, students, teachers, and producers are all eager to see what is to come for the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series.
