Rick Riordanhas shared some positive hopes forPercy Jackson and the Olympiansto get a second season on Disney+. With the first season receiving rave reviews, and a viewership to match, it is not surprising that author Rick Riordan has high hopes that more episodes will be greenlit soon. Appearing on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast, Riordan said:
“We are doing what we can to prepare [for] the eventuality that we get the green light. We don’t know. It is not official. You know, we’re getting reactions like we’ve had tonight, amazing reactions everywhere… so, if I was the Oracle, I would say the Auguries are good, but, we had started writing what those episodes would look like, sort of doing a series format, talking about the first few episodes, and that’s about as much as we can do right now until we get the go-ahead. So, the best way to ensure that [the show] goes forward, [is to] tell your friends to tune in to Disney+ and watch.”
Fans of Rick Riordan’sPercy Jacksonbooks have been waiting fora faithful adaptation of the storyof the young demi-god for a long time. After two heavily criticized movies, this December Disney finally unveiled the first episodes ofPercy Jackson and the Olympians, adapting Riordan’s books with the full co-operation of the author himself, and reaping the rewards for their endeavor.
The serialized adaptation arrived on December 19, a day ahead of the scheduled time, to land itself a 9 PM ET primetime release slot. It seems that the faith in the move paid off as the opening episode of the series gained almost all positive reviews, great appreciation from fans and a record-setting viewership to boot. As perVariety, the show has become the most watched premiere of any Disney Branded Television offering of all time, and has landed itself a place as “one of the top five season premieres of 2023.”
In terms of numbers, the first episode of the series brought in 13.3 million views in the first six days of streaming. While there are very few directly comparable volumes that have been made public by Disney, and the actual top 5 show debuts list is also not available at this time, it was previously reported thatAhsokadebuted to 14 million views over five days, and the second season ofLokihit 10.9 in just three days, suggesting that it easily ended above Percy Jackson’s six-day total. However, the series is certainly playing with the big boys, and that can only make it more likely that the fantasy series will get the chance to expand in ways that othershows such asWillowcould not.
Related:Percy Jackson Producer Recalls Lance Reddick’s “Incredible” Performance as Zeus
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Scored Big With Critics and Audiences
When Disney first announcedPercy Jackson and the Olympians, there was the usual sense of trepidation about the series from fans. Having already seen the first two books turned intothe divisive moviesPercy Jackson and the Lightning Thiefin 2010 andPercy Jackson and the Sea of Monstersin 2013, it was only when they realized thatRick Riordan was very much part of the projectthat fans began to believe that this time around they could get the adaptation they had always wanted.
It did not take long for critics to make up their minds about the series, with the earliest reviews setting a standard that others would follow. Currently, the show is holding a very strong 96% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences have also shown their appreciation for the series’ opening episodes with an 87% score. When being compared to the sub-50% scores achieved by both of thePercy Jacksonmovies, it is clear that Disney have hit the mark with the series and managed to surpass the high expectations of fans.
Whether the series can hold its current scores throughout the season will be seen in the coming weeks, but it seems that nothing short of godly intervention will stopPercy Jackson’s adventures continuing for several seasons. Percy Jackson and the Olympians drops new episodes every TuesdayDisney+.
