Disney’s Biggest Non-Marvel & Star Wars TV Show Has Hit a Massive Viewing Problem in Season 2

Since launching in 2019, Disney+ has become home to a wide variety of hit shows that are part of the Marvel and Star Wars franchises, but the streamer has produced hits outside of those valuable properties. One of the more notable shows to arrive on Disney+ this decade is Percy Jackson and the Olympians, an adaptation of the beloved book series by Rick Riordan. The first season released to critical acclaim and large viewership numbers, setting the stage for what could be a very important part of Disney’s future. Percy Jackson and the Olympians returned for Season 2 about a month ago, but unfortunately, it isn’t as big of a draw as it once was.

According to data accumulated by Luminate, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 is significantly lagging behind the first season in terms of viewership. As of this writing, Season 2 has been streamed for 483 million minutes in the United States over the first three weeks. In the same time frame, Season 1 had been streamed for 1.3 billion minutes. This means that to date, Season 2 has garnered 11.2 million “total estimated views,” compared to 31.5 million for the first season.

Will the Future of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Be Impacted by Low Viewership?

The performance of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 in the early going is quite surprising. Like the first season, the sophomore outing has earned strong word of mouth (it has the rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score), with many people raving about the show’s grand sense of scope and adventure. Critics have also had high praise for the talented young cast. With that kind of reception, one would think people would make a point to tune in, but for some reason, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is struggling to replicate the first season’s success.

Unless Season 2 sees an uptick in viewership over the last few episodes, this development could raise questions about Percy Jackson‘s future. A third season has already been confirmed, but beyond that, the show’s fate is up in the air. Disney could be waiting to get a full picture of viewership numbers before making a decision on more seasons. Due to its fantasy elements, Percy Jackson probably isn’t a cheap show to make, and the studio wants to feel like the investment it’s making is worthwhile. Seeing diminishing returns in ratings would seemingly communicate that audiences have lost interest in the series. Budget concerns was a reason why The Acolyte was cancelled after just one season, so there’s precedent for Disney pulling the plug if they feel the cost isn’t worth it.

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If the downward trend continues through the third season, Disney may be left with no choice but to cancel Percy Jackson, which would be a disappointing development. The series stands out in the Disney+ library as an example of something fresh and exciting. The series hasn’t fully realized its potential yet, having only adapted the first two novels in Riordan’s series (there are seven mainline installments). There’s still so much story to tell, and it would be great to see the creative team have an opportunity to see the full tale come to fruition. At the same time, the entertainment industry is still a business, so the ends have to justify the means. Disney won’t want to keep ponying up to make episodes of high fantasy TV if people aren’t tuning in.

Putting Percy Jackson in an even more precarious position is Disney’s outlook on streaming as a whole. The Mouse House told Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy that “streaming is dead,” a sentiment that doesn’t bode well for a big streaming series like Percy Jackson. If the show was generating large viewership numbers, then Disney would probably make an exception, but it’ll be interesting to see how the studio’s shifting strategies impact Percy Jackson moving forward. There will always be a need for new shows on Disney+ (Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is coming out later this year), but Disney might be more selective as the industry enters a new era.

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