Percy Jackson and the Olympians is Disney Plus's latest streaming hit, coming in hot with a bigger debut than two recent Marvel shows.
Per the Nielsen ratings, the two-episode premiere of Percy Jackson garnered 572 million minutes. Secret Invasion, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Emilia Clarke, debuted to 461 million minutes – and failed to make the Nielsen Top 10 Streaming chart for that week. Loki season 2 premiered to 446 million minutes, though viewership picked up as the season went on.
The new show, aimed at a younger audience, follows 12-year-old demigod Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), who is accused by Zeus of stealing his lightning bolt. Percy is accompanied by his two best friends, Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries), the daughter of the goddess Athena, and Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri), a satyr posing as a 12-year-old boy.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is based on the beloved YA book series, written by author Rick Riordan. The series was previously adapted into two films, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2010, and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters in 2013. Both films starred Logan Lerman as the titular hero. A third film was planned, but eventually canceled.
The cast also includes Virginia Kull as Percy's mom, Glynn Turman as Chiron, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus, Megan Mullally as Alecto, Toby Stephens as Poseidon, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa, Timothy Omundsen as Hephaestus, Jay Duplass as Hades, and the late Lance Reddick as Zeus – in his final on-screen appearance. Riordan makes a cameo as a teacher at Yancy Academy.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is streaming now on Disney Plus (and it's really, really good.) For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2024 and beyond.
