Blood of Zeus Writers and Brothers Charley and Vlas Parlapanides Interview
Season 2 of “Blood of Zeus” will be released on May 10, 2024, on Netflix. This interview dealt with Season 1, which I encourage you to watch.
Welcome everyone, and thank you for joining us today! We’re thrilled to have the incredible team behind the Netflix sensation, ‘Blood of Zeus.’ Joining us are Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, the masterminds—producers, writers, and showrunners—behind this epic series.
We’re also joined by my lovely co-host Aurora and my son, Papa Yanni, famously recognized for his beard.
As avid fans, we’ve rewatched ‘Blood of Zeus’ Season 1 several times on Netflix. I noticed the trailer alone has amassed over 5 million views! Since their last appearance on our show, these episodes have become some of the most viewed content we’ve produced, showing that fans are more intrigued by this series than even my cooking segments.
Blood of Zeus Season 2 on Netflix
Blood of Zeus writer Vlas shared, “The positive feedback from the Greek community—whether they’re here, Greek Americans, or in Greece—has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s genuinely heartwarming to know that our efforts to honor Greek culture have been well-received, both by critics and viewers. Starting from this show, reaching out and connecting with the audience has been an incredibly fulfilling experience.”
Blood of Zeus writer Charley added, “We are extremely proud of how ‘Blood of Zeus’ has not only captured the essence of Greek mythology but has also resonated globally, ranking in Netflix’s top ten in over 80 countries for eight consecutive days. Countries like India, Nigeria, and Trinidad and Tobago have embraced the series, which we didn’t initially anticipate. It’s a testament to the universal appeal of Greek mythology and our cultural heritage.”
Discussing the series’ unexpected success, Vlas mentioned, “The show’s crossover appeal was a pleasant surprise. It’s not just a show for anime fans or mythology enthusiasts—it’s a bridge connecting diverse audiences through the power of storytelling.”
Watch Blood of Zeus Season 2 on Netflix May 10, 2024 and Find out more about the food of the Greek Gods here
We also delved into the critical reception, especially among Greeks, known for their discerning tastes. “Greeks can be quite critical, especially about portrayals of their heritage. However, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with reviews consistently high, highlighting the cultural respect and depth we’ve brought to ‘Blood of Zeus,'” said Charley.
Vlas:
“We’re here to grow. I agree with that 100%, and I always liked it, you know, when the old man tells Heron, ‘Heron, you know, God can’t come in and swoop away all of our problems; we need adversity. Without adversity, we’re weak and pathetic.’ Adversity is what makes us who we are now. There are times when adversity can break someone, so you have to be careful how you deal with adversity.
But there are also times where that adversity can make you come out shining; you can become a better person because of it. So, we can’t control what happens in our lives, but we can control how it affects us. We have to hope that we can take that adversity and grow in a positive way—grow spiritually, grow psychologically, grow physically, whatever that may be. And so, I totally agree with Charlie. It’s painful to grow. You don’t grow on a bed of roses.”
Vlas:
“Yeah, but John, that’s very astute. We wanted to explore anger. So, you have three different characters dealing with anger, and it affects them in three different ways. You know, Heron is able to let go of that anger and he’s able to overcome the adversity. That anger ends up, you know, basically destroying Seraphin. He never had that father figure either. He never had someone to give him that good advice, and that’s something, God willing, we’ll see if we’re afforded a season 2. We want to delve into that. And then there’s Charlie, I always like how he says, ‘It’s for Hera. She went too far.’
Her anger pushed her too far, and for me, it’s like then she’s going to be forever changed. We’re going to see a different part of her, God willing, if we’re lucky. We can’t talk about it if we’re not afforded, but we explore anger with all three. So I’m glad that you got that. I’m glad that you were able to see this guy let it go, this guy get destroyed, and for the third character, it’s going to forever change them in a way.”
Charley:
“It all comes from Aristotle in ‘Poetics.’ He said one of the great tragic flaws is when a character goes too far and they realize, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ And you know, for us, I’ll never forget seeing ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai.’ The great Alec Guinness, who then went on to play Obi-Wan Kenobi, watched that film. And when he literally says those words, it’s weighed down. ‘What? What have I done?’ when he realizes he’s trying to stop his own commandos from blowing up the bridge that he just built.”
Bob:
“That’s right. It felt almost inevitable, like his fate was to do these things and hurt the people who loved him. But he couldn’t escape it. To me, that’s what grounded the whole story, elevating it beyond just a cool movie. It’s cool, yes, but there are these nuances that I noticed on multiple viewings which really elevated the entire experience.”
Vlas:
“Those moments are what make crafting these emotional scenes so special. You’ve encapsulated it beautifully for Zeus, and also how it impacts Hera in that moment. You see it hit her—this realization, this ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ moment. Then he transitions from extreme anger to love. They’re really close together. A colleague once told me that on the battlefield, you experience both love and hate—hate towards the enemy, but also love for your brothers-in-arms. Love and hate can be very close together, especially under shared experiences.
And I’m glad you felt it was cinematic; that was our goal. Sean really nailed it with his directorial choices—the reaction shots, setups, music—all consciously chosen to enhance the cinematic feel. It’s gratifying to hear that it felt like a movie, because that’s exactly what we were aiming for.”
Blood of Zeus Creator Charley:
“And Bob, what you touched on about characterization is crucial. Zeus wasn’t raised by his father but by his grandmother in a single-parent home. That shapes a child, and yet, despite lacking a father’s guidance, Zeus was described as a great warrior. Even when Typhon attacked and other Olympian gods fled, Zeus stood his ground. He was the one who persuaded other giants to join him and win the war.
It’s interesting because someone on Twitter commented humorously about Zeus’s background, suggesting it sounded like a dubious excuse from someone who grew up in a tough neighborhood. But we took those little clues and crafted his character—great in some respects, terrible in others.”
Vlas:
“Yeah.”
Charley:
“And that’s how the gods were. They were flawed, not perfect divine beings. That makes them interesting, and for us, Zeus is one of our favorite characters. We hope people appreciate this depiction of Zeus, but you’re right—he’s fundamentally flawed.”
Blood of Zeus Creator Vlas:
“It makes you relatable. It’s so true. That’s what makes it. Because we see ourselves in that. Of course, we want to be like, you know, more pillars, but we’re not. There are times where we sin, where we falter, and we’re trying to get better, picking ourselves up, and then we make some of the same mistakes. I think people see themselves in that; they recognize that it’s something that’s…”
Vlas:
“I need…”
Bob:
“Yeah.”
Charley:
“And the ancient Greeks were very pious. They were devout in their faith to the gods. And that’s something that I think, you know, sometimes people forget how seriously they did think.”
Vlas:
“And the food. Don’t forget the food.”
Bob:
“Yeah.”
Vlas:
“Well…”
Vlas:
“No, he’s right. I don’t want to make light of it. He’s absolutely right about that.”
Charley:
“Yeah, yeah.”
Blood of Zeus fan Bob:
“No, it all kind of came together though. I’m so happy for the success of it and how it’s come together. There’s a character that I think, Alexia, is it? Alexia, yeah, Alexia. And that I just loved, you know, that character. You know, if you ever get a chance to do a spin-off. Man, or…?”
Charley:
“Well, you know, we just want a Season 2, Bob. We don’t want to get greedy. Just saying.”
Vlas:
“Yeah.”
Charley:
“Know Barbara Voss? If you want to address that, you know how we had more stuff for her and we weren’t able to get it in.”
Vlas:
“Yeah. It broke our heart.”
Vlas:
“We had a backstory for her. We had it in. It was all written, and in the end, we just ran out of real estate, you know, because the challenge in these were 22 pages, 20 pages, and they were about 25 minutes to half-hour episodes. And so you only are afforded to spend a certain amount of time with each character. So we had Zeus, we had Seraphin, we had Heron, and we had Hera.
Those were the four main ones. But we love so many characters. Alexa was one, and we wanted to share that backstory. It was right there. And then at the last moment, we just didn’t have the real estate and that killed us, killed us because some people have said, hey, she starts out really strong and then she kind of towards the end there, we don’t know exactly much about her and felt as if maybe we didn’t give her her due. And there was also an action beat the charge that I will pay for this out of my pocket, if I will. Pay for it, he said.
He fought wars for this piece, and I really feel that it would have helped because we introduced her as a very strong character and where this scene came up, it was like a continuation of that strong female empowerment character leading men. And we just, we didn’t have, we ended up losing it, it was just, you know, we couldn’t afford to do it at the end. So she is someone, God willing, if we get a Season 2, that we want to further explore, further share her backstory and delve into that character and give her…”
Bob:
“But you know, that’s the beauty of graphic novels. Now you know you can. I remember watching Star Wars. And I watched it when it came out in ’77. But the first thing I did was almost immediately, I mean, because I remember. I wasn’t even. I think it was my first year of college, so that’d be ’78. There were Han Solo books out.”
Charley:
“Because and you could read…”
Vlas:
“Yes.”
Bob:
“So many more things about Han Solo, and there were books and then later on there were comic books. And by 1980 there were all kinds of Marvel had Star Wars comic books. I think I still have in my closet somewhere. You know there you know, so I mean you guys are world builders, you know there’s so much.”
Charley:
“Our ancestors built the world. We’re just playing in their sandbox, you know.”
Bob:
“True, right. But you’re definitely adding a next level of interest to some stories that have just been told over and over again, and you guys have just done a wonderful job doing that. But yeah, there’s I think there’s all kinds of things to explore.”
Speaker:
“OK.”
Charley:
“It’s an, I mean, listen. But we last night. Sometimes we’re a little crazy. We drive our reps crazy, but we have ideas for spin-off shows. We have ideas for future seasons. And but in the end, it all comes down to the audience and how they respond and how many people watch, and that will dictate how long the story goes and…”
Vlas:
“He’s right, and he hit the nail on the head there. And I can’t tell you how excited you get just exploring, like you know, you get a new little kernel in the Greek mythological tale and you’re like, you know. Ohh, I didn’t know about this. And Ohh, here’s an opportunity to bring the audience into this world that we’ve never seen the five rivers, whatever it may be, and it just gets us so excited, you know, whether it’s a character or new location. You know, and when Charlie said like it, these are the stories that our ancestors and they are truly amazing.
You know, guys, we’ve done research on other mythologies. We have. And I know I’m biased, but when you compare the Greek mythological tales to some of the other ones, they’re not even close. It’s just amazing how much thought went into some of these tales and the detail, you know, from a character perspective, from a location perspective, just from the imagination that you see, and it’s really it’s so exciting like every time we come across we’re like oh wouldn’t that be cooler or you know let’s explore.”
Thank you, Blood of Zeus creators Charlie and Vlas, for sharing these insights and for bringing such a compelling series to life. ‘Blood of Zeus’ isn’t just a show; it’s a celebration of Greek mythology and an invitation to explore these timeless tales through a modern lens.
Check out Blood of Zeus Season 2 on May 10,2024 on Netflix
Frequently Asked Questions about Blood of Zeus Season 2
1. When will Blood of Zeus Season 2 be released?
Season 2 Episode 1 will premiere on May 10, 2024. Keep an eye on our official social media channels for updates on subsequent episodes.
2. How many episodes are there in Blood of Zeus Season 2?
The total number of episodes for Season 2 has not been officially confirmed. Season 1 consisted of several episodes, and a similar format is expected for Season 2.
3. Will there be any new characters in Blood of Zeus Season 2?
While specific details about new characters have not been released, the creators have hinted at exciting additions to the cast. More information will be shared closer to the premiere date.
4. Can I watch Blood of Zeus Season 2 without seeing Season 1?
While Season 2 can be enjoyed on its own, watching Season 1 is highly recommended to fully understand the story and character developments.
5. Where can I watch Blood of Zeus Season 2?
Season 2 will be available for streaming on Netflix, just like Season 1.
6. Are there any trailers available for Blood of Zeus Season 2?
Yes, the official trailer for Season 2 has been released and can be viewed on our website and on Netflix’s official YouTube channel.
7. How can I catch up on Blood of Zeus Season 1 before Season 2 starts?
All episodes of Season 1 are available for streaming on Netflix. This is the perfect time to catch up or revisit the series before the premiere of Season 2.
8. Will the original cast return for blood of Zeus Season 2?
Yes, the main cast from Blood of Zeus Season 1 will return for Season 2, along with some new faces. More details about the cast will be announced as the premiere date approaches.
About the Author
Bob Stavrou’s journey from the intricacies of molecular diagnostics to the heart of Greek culinary traditions is a narrative of endless explorations in the culinary world.
