Anything your children know about Greek mythology they probably learned from the Percy Jackson books. Rick Riordan's six fantasy novels featuring Poseidon's son have sold over 180 million copies, making it one of the bestselling series of all time.
But attempts to bring those adventures to the big screen haven't quite worked. The same could be said about the TV adaptation, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," now streaming on Disney+.
Jackson (Walker Scobell), a 12-year-old boy haunted by monsters, learns in the first episode about his heritage and is sheltered at a training camp where bullies do most of the teaching. Our hero quickly "graduates" to battle Zeus and a series of monsters who each seem to be slightly dimmer than Barney the Dinosaur.
He's joined by two pals who have a hard time even providing comic relief.
You've got to admire Riordan, who led this adaptation with Jonathan E. Steinberg, for cramming each episode with lots of history references. But at some point, you start to feel like you're attending a Greek mythology course taught by R.L. Stine. The action scenes aren't clever enough — or frequent enough — to keep you engaged.
Watching the series makes you appreciate how well Hollywood brought the wit and wonder of the "Harry Potter" books to the movies. The TV version of "Jackson" may eventually figure out a way to do the same, but it'll probably take an assist from Athena to pull it off.
Also this week ...
'Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic'
There are plenty of fans of "Diagnosis Murder" and "Mary Poppins." But Van Dyke made only one great contribution to pop culture, a sitcom that holds up as well today as it did 60 years ago. The success of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" — and his buoyant personality — has earned him legendary status. This celebration of his life includes performances from Zachary Levi and Jason Alexander. 8 p.m. Thursday, CBS
'Cold Turkey'
A few years after the end of his sitcom, Van Dyke played an ambitious pastor who convinces a small Iowa town to give up smoking for 30 days. It would be the only feature film to be directed and written by Norman Lear, who died Dec. 5. The movie, shot in 1969 but not released until two years later, is a bit heavy-handed — both Lear and Van Dyke aren't known for subtlety — but it's fun to watch the comic team of Bob & Ray make fun of the big broadcasters of the time and listen to Randy Newman's first attempt at a soundtrack. Prime Video, Tubi
'Mom's Christmas Boyfriend'
The latest attempt to emulate "Sleepless in Seattle" features a 10-year-old (Ai Barrett) and a department store promoter (Zach Smadu) who leads a campaign to find mom (Jeananne Goossen) a cuddle buddy. You don't need to be familiar with the Nora Ephron classic to figure out who she'll end up with. 7 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime
'Radical Wolfe'
This is a thorough, informative documentary on the life of writer Tom Wolfe, with commentary from family and famous friends. But it's also a telling look at an era where journalists and novelists were as popular as TikTok stars. Netflix