The fantasy series Percy Jackson and the Olympians has secured a spot among television’s most critically acclaimed shows, achieving a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes for its second season—a distinction that the global phenomenon Stranger Things never attained during its celebrated five-season run.
While Stranger Things remains one of Netflix’s biggest hits, its final season in 2025 joined earlier ones in falling short of a flawless critical rating. In contrast, the Disney+ adaptation of Rick Riordan’s beloved books earned unanimous praise from critics upon its return, landing it on the year’s best-of list alongside shows like Platonic and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
What the Perfect Rating Means for Percy Jackson
The 100% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes signifies that every critic reviewed by the aggregation site gave the show’s second season a positive review. This score is particularly notable given the high expectations from a dedicated fanbase and the complicated history of adapting the Percy Jackson books for the screen.
The series follows the adventures of Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old demigod and son of Poseidon, played by Walker Scobell. In its second season, which premiered on December 10, 2025, Percy, along with friends Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri), sails to the Sea of Monsters to retrieve the Golden Fleece and save their home, Camp Half-Blood.
The success led Disney to renew the show for a third season in March 2025, well before the second season premiered.
Fans also showed strong approval, giving the season an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This combination of critical and fan acclaim solidified the series’ standing as a successful book-to-screen adaptation.
The Stranger Things Finale and Its Legacy
As Percy Jackson celebrated its critical milestone, Stranger Things was concluding its five-season story in 2025 as one of the most-watched series in the streaming era. The final season was released in three parts: four episodes on November 26, three episodes on Christmas Day, and a feature-length series finale on December 31, 2025.
The two-hour, eight-minute finale, titled “The Rightside Up,” premiered simultaneously on Netflix and in over 350 theaters across the United States and Canada. Despite its massive viewership—the show spent nine weeks in Nielsen’s streaming top 10 in 2025 with over 5.37 billion viewing minutes even before the final season premiered—it did not achieve a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
The show’s cultural impact, however, is unquestioned. Nielsen data confirmed that Stranger Things maintained its position as the number-one show on Netflix charts throughout its final season.
Behind the Success of Both Series
The creative approaches of the two hits share some similarities but also key differences. Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson books, was directly involved in creating the Disney+ series alongside Jonathan E. Steinberg, serving as both a creator and executive producer. This direct author involvement is credited with helping the adaptation stay faithful to its source material’s spirit.
Similarly, Matt and Ross Duffer maintained full creative control over Stranger Things from its beginning, crafting its nostalgic 1980s setting and expanding mythology. Both series also benefited from strong ensemble casts, with Percy Jackson expanding its roles for Charlie Bushnell as Luke and Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse in its second season.
A major structural difference lies in their release strategies and future plans. Percy Jackson follows a traditional seasonal model, with its third season already confirmed to adapt the next book, The Titan’s Curse. Stranger Things, while concluding its main story, is expanding into spin-offs, including an animated series.
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Where to Watch
For viewers looking to catch up on these series, here are the current platforms and details:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians:
- Platforms: The series streams exclusively on Disney+. In the United States, the second season is also available on Hulu.
- Current Status: Two full seasons are available. Season 2 premiered December 10, 2025.
Stranger Things:
- Platform: All five seasons stream exclusively on Netflix worldwide.
- Current Status: The series is complete. The finale was released December 31, 2025.
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