In the past two months, Disney+ and Netflix have both released remakes of beloved children’s series, finally giving both series the faithful adaptation they deserve.
In December, Disney released its take on the critically acclaimed Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Then, in February, Netflix released its live action remake of the wildly popular Avatar: The Last Airbender series.
The Percy Jackson TV series received extremely positive reviews, with critics praising the casting and story. All three of the main leads had phenomenal acting, as well as fantastic chemistry. The TV series hit most, if not all, of the major parts of the first book and even threw in some new content. One notable difference was the introduction of two gods not originally met until later books: Hephaestus and Hermes
As for the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, the reviews were slightly less positive. Reviews applauded the visual effects, fight scenes, and acting for the series, but felt the season may have been a little rushed. The original series boasted a 24 episode season, making it difficult for the new series to use all of the plot lines in their 8-episode run. Most of the stories cut, however, were relatively unimportant and tangential to the main narrative arc.
In the past, both series received live-action film treatments, which ultimately flopped. The Avatar movie was a bomb, with everyone despising the visual effects, rushed story, and acting. The Percy Jackson movies did not fare much better, as even Rick Riordan (the original author) hated the script. These failed adaptations have made many weary of more adaptations, however the TV shows seem to have assuaged those fears.Both series have been renewed for a second season, with Avatar: The Last Airbender also being greenlit for a season 3. These two seasons will most likely adapt the second and third seasons of the original Nickelodeon TV series. Percy Jackson’s second season has already been confirmed to adapt the second book, The Sea Of Monsters.