How to Watch Percy Jackson: The Show, The Movies, and More

Look, he didn’t want to be a half-blood.

The new Percy Jackson and the Olympians show is now streaming on Disney+, and fans (like this writer) are eager to return to the world of Camp Half-Blood.

So pass the blue food and read on for more details about the show’s premiere, as well as info on how to catch up on the book series.

Percy Jackson show release date

Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres with its first two episodes airing on December 20 on Disney+. The show will air weekly on Wednesdays and will consist of eight episodes.

The first season will cover the events of the first book, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Hypothetically, if the show avoids cancellation, it’ll go on to cover the rest of the 5-book series (and its many sequels?). The 2010 adaptation was canceled after only two films.

Percy Jackson show cast

Unlike in the 2010 movie adaptation, Percy and his friends are portrayed as 12-year-olds, just like they are in the first book. This means audiences can watch them grow up as the seasons go along, sort of like the Harry Potter movies.

The show made headlines several times during its filming as more of the cast was announced on social media. Notable cast members include Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes and the late Lance Reddick as Zeus.

The kids

The gods, monsters, and creatures

Where to watch the Percy Jackson movies

There are two Percy Jackson movies: one adapting The Lightning Thief and one adapting The Sea of Monsters. Starring Logan Lerman as Percy and Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth, the movies saw a lot of criticism for straying too far from the books.

You absolutely do not have to watch the movies to understand the new show, since it’s a full reboot. But it might be fun to rewatch them just to compare.

Where to watch Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

Where to watch Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)

Read the Percy Jackson books in order

There were five books in the original Percy Jackson & the Olympians book series, but author Rick Riordan has published several books in the same universe in the years since.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

• The Lightning Thief
• The Sea of Monsters
• The Titan’s Curse
• The Battle of the Labyrinth
• The Last Olympian

Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a series about teenage demigods—the children of the Greek pantheon of gods—who go to a special summer camp called Camp Half-Blood. The camp often sends them on quests across the country to find magical objects and battle evil forces.

The Heroes of Olympus

• The Lost Hero
• The Son of Neptune
• The Mark of Athena
• The House of Hades
• The Blood of Olympus

The Heroes of Olympus is a direct continuation to the PJO series, and features many of the same characters. However, it also introduces a new camp and cast of Roman demigods, in addition to the Greek ones from the original story.

The Kane Chronicles

• The Red Pyramid
• The Throne of Fire
• The Serpent’s Shadow

The Kane Chronicles is a spinoff series about Egyptian mythology. It never really crosses over into the world of Percy Jackson, although some of the characters do interact in the Demigods & Magicians miniseries.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

• The Sword of Summer
• The Hammer of Thor
• The Ship of the Dead

Magnus Chase is the cousin of Annabeth Chase from the original Percy Jackson series. This is as far as the connection between the two series gets, though, as Magnus is the child of a Vanir god and his series focuses on Norse mythology.

The Trials of Apollo

• The Hidden Oracle
• The Dark Prophecy
• The Burning Maze
• The Tyrant’s Tomb
• The Tower of Nero

The Trials of Apollo is another continuation of the Percy Jackson story, and takes place years after Heroes of Olympus. Instead of focusing on a demigod, it follows the now-demoted god Apollo in his adventures on earth.

The Sun and the Star

The Sun and the Star is a standalone spinoff novel that takes place after The Trials of Apollo. It focuses on fan favorite character Nico di Angelo, a son of Hades. This book was also co-written by Mark Oshiro.

Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods

Rick Riordan returned to writing Percy’s POV for The Chalice of the Gods, technically the sixth book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, although it was published 14 years after the fifth book. It is currently unclear whether it’s the start of a new trilogy.