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‘Merlin’ Meets ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ in Hulu’s 2-Part Fantasy Thriller

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Fantasy is more prevalent on TV now than ever, with fan-favorite series ranging from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to One Piece expanding the genre. Yet, while these releases are exciting, many older series deserve just as much attention, including those too often forgotten. Among such shows is the 2013 BBC series Atlantis. Combining Merlin‘s humor with Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ unique take on Greek mythology, Atlantis is an unforgettable series for those looking for something new. The story features a lovable trio, constant adventure, and plenty of laughs. With only 25 episodes, Atlantis is an easy watch and perfect for fantasy fans who want a more lighthearted story for a change.

Like many other shows, Atlantis was cancelled too soon, leaving some unanswered questions, yet this two-season story is impossible to look away from. The series borrows well-known tales from Greek mythology but adds its own twist, surprising even those who think they know what will happen. However, Atlantis‘ greatest strength lies in its character dynamics, bringing together an unlikely trio that carries the show. With hilarious characters, an exciting story, and plenty of surprises, Atlantis is a hidden gem for fantasy fans.

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What Is ‘Atlantis’ About?

From the pilot, Atlantis doesn’t hesitate to deliver surprises, including a time travel element. The story starts with a 21st-century Jason (Jack Donnelly), who takes a submarine to investigate an underwater disturbance linked to his father’s disappearance, only to get lost and wash up on the shores of an ancient city called Atlantis. While there, he quickly gets mixed up in Greek myth, encountering legends like the Minotaur or Medusa (Jemima Rooper). Though he is confused, the Oracle (Juliet Stevenson) is unsurprised by Jason’s arrival and predicts a mysterious destiny for him. The experience forces him to question his own past and uncover some unexpected truths about himself and his family. This journey takes him from outsider to hero as he saves the people of Atlantis from the things that threaten them.



















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Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes
What Fantasy World Do You Belong To?
Middle-earth · Grand Line · The Continent · Camp Half-Blood

Pick your magic, your crew, where you want to wake up and who you would rather be fighting, and we will tell you which world you actually belong in. Four are open to you: an ancient kingdom living through its last good age, an endless sea full of pirates, a continent that pays people to kill monsters, and a summer camp where the Greek gods are extremely real and mostly a nuisance.

💍Middle-earth(Rings of Power)

👒Grand Line(One Piece)

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🐺The Continent(The Witcher)

🔱Camp Half-Blood(Percy Jackson)

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01

What kind of power do you want?
Every one of these worlds runs on a completely different sort of magic.




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02

Who is travelling with you?
Nobody gets through any of these stories entirely on their own.




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03

Where do you want to wake up tomorrow?
The best fantasy is usually just somewhere you would genuinely like to live.




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04

How are you making a living out there?
Even in fantasy somebody has to pay for the horse.




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05

There is something in the woods. What do you do about it?
All four of these worlds keep something unpleasant out there in the dark.




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06

Who is the villain of your story?
The enemy tells you far more about a world than the hero ever does.




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07

What do you actually believe in out there?
Every world hands its heroes one rule and asks them to hold onto it.




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08

A thousand years from now, how are you remembered?
Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your world.




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The Map Is Drawn
Your World Is…

Four worlds and four completely different ideas of what a good life
looks like. This is where you belong, what it would ask of you, and what you would get back in
return.

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The Rings of Power · Prime Video · Since 2022

Middle-earth

You belong somewhere old enough that the mountains have names and
somebody can still tell you who gave them. Middle-earth is for people who think the right
thing is worth doing even when it will not be finished in their lifetime.

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  • This is the only world on the list where doing good is understood as a very long defeat,
    fought anyway, by people who will never see how it ends.
  • You are drawn to grandeur, to white cities and deep forges and the sense that almost
    everything you touch is older than your entire family line.
  • The Rings of Power is set in the last good age before it all goes wrong, which gives
    every quiet scene in it a slightly unbearable weight.
  • You would take the hard road, and you would take it on foot.


One Piece · Manga since 1997 · Netflix 2023

The Grand Line

You want the sea, a crew, and absolutely nobody telling you where
you are allowed to go. The Grand Line is the world for people whose main ambition in life is
finding out what is over there.

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  • One Piece has run for decades on one very simple engine, which is a group of people who
    each want something impossible and have decided to go and get it together.
  • You collect people. Your ideal crew is a set of misfits who were each written off
    somewhere else before you turned up and offered them a better idea.
  • The world is enormous and deliberately ridiculous, and the emotional gut punches land
    harder because of that rather than in spite of it.
  • You would set sail knowing the map runs out, which is more or less the entire point of
    it.


The Witcher · Netflix · Since 2019

The Continent

You would rather be feared and useful than liked and useless. The
Continent is a world where the monsters are the straightforward part of the job and the
people are where it all gets complicated.

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  • Witchers get paid to do what nobody else will and resented for existing at all, which is
    a trade most people would refuse and you would probably accept.
  • You have no real illusions about which side is the good one, largely because on the
    Continent that question tends to have a disappointing answer.
  • The best of these stories are not about the fighting. They are about somebody with a
    rigid code being repeatedly cornered into caring about people.
  • You would take the coin, finish the job properly, and be out of town before the story
    got told wrong.


Percy Jackson · Disney+ · Since 2023

Camp Half-Blood

You want the myths to be real and loose in the actual world, and
you want to find out at about thirteen that you were never anywhere near as ordinary as
everybody kept telling you.

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  • Percy Jackson takes the oldest stories we have and drops them into car parks and diners,
    which makes the gods considerably funnier and a great deal worse.
  • You would be the kid every school gave up on, who turns out to have been built for
    something nobody thought to test for.
  • The series is genuinely about friendship rather than destiny, and it says so out loud
    every time a prophecy tries to get in the way.
  • Camp Half-Blood is the real fantasy here: a place where the thing that made you
    difficult everywhere else is the thing that makes you belong.

Despite the oddities surrounding his arrival, Jason is taken in by a pair of locals: Pythagoras (Robert Emms), an intellectual obsessed with triangles, and Hercules (Mark Addy), an ex-prize fighter with a story for every situation. Despite their differences, these three form a loyal friendship. In fact, as unlikely as they are, Hercules and Pythagoras become heroes in their own right as they help Jason out of scrapes. Yet, the dangers grow more perilous as Atlantis’ royal family divides. With the ambitious Queen Pasiphae (Sarah Parish) plotting to gain power and Jason falling for the rebellious princess Ariadne (Aiysha Hart), the trio has their work cut out for them. Atlantis covers a lot of ground with plenty of mythical creatures and tragic stories at its disposal, and the series makes the most of the available material.

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‘Atlantis’ Greek Mythology Retelling Relies on the Lovable Characters

Though heavily inspired by Greek mythology, Atlantis doesn’t strive for perfect accuracy, which creates surprise twists even for those who think they know what comes next. In this way, the series is much like Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but Atlantis doesn’t actually create its own heroes. Both Jason and Hercules are the center of many tales, but the series doesn’t limit itself, placing the characters into any and all myths. This separates the series from other mythology retellings, opening up opportunities and making the story unique.

While the story itself is interesting, the highlight of Atlantis is the characters, particularly the three central friends. On the surface, they have little in common, but Jason, Pythagoras, and Hercules develop a hilarious dynamic that establishes a lighthearted tone. They tease each other, calling out Jason’s constant optimism, Hercules’ womanizing nature, or Pythagoras’ unrelenting obsession with triangles. Yet, the jokes are always in good fun. In this way, the show is reminiscent of Merlin, which shouldn’t be too shocking, considering the two fantasy series share creators. The main trio becomes the heart of Atlantis, as they support and protect each other despite the ridiculous situations they end up in. While it may not be the most well-known series, Atlantis is an exciting watch that any fan of fantasy, mythology, or adventure will enjoy.

Atlantis is streaming on Hulu in the U.S.


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Release Date

2013 – 2015-00-00

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Writers

Howard Overman, Lucy Watkins, Richard McBrien

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