Paramount has made the decision to cancel Halo, the live-action TV adaptation of Xbox’s flagship franchise, after two seasons. While the first season was a disaster of storytelling, the show’s second season was also met with a somewhat similar reception from fans and critics. Despite this, the team behind Halo is actively seeking a new platform for a potential third season, with Paramount reportedly supporting this effort.
In an official statement, Paramount had this to say:
“Paramount+ can confirm that ‘Halo’ will not move forward with a third season on the service.
We are extremely proud of this ambitious series and would like to thank our partners at Xbox, 343 Industries, and Amblin Television, along with showrunner and executive producer David Wiener, his fellow executive producers, the entire cast led by Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief, and the amazing crew for all their outstanding work.
We wish everyone the best going forward.”
Considering the bastardization of storytelling that is the first two seasons, I think many would agree that simply cancelling this and seeing if they can salvage something from a tax write-off is the way to go. I don’t believe there are enough fans out there that appreciated the liberties the writers took to make this show to warrant a continuation. Instead, we feel strongly that the slate should be wiped clean and a new series from another platform should start fresh from scratch.
The Halo series, which premiered on March 24, 2022, starred Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief. The first season was criticized for straying wildly from the established lore and characterizations of the games, leading to a mixed reception from both fans and critics. The second season, which ran from February 8 to March 21 of this year, was seen as a significant improvement, earning more positive reviews but that doesn’t add up to much considering how low the bar was set by the show’s first season.
Between Master Chief frequently being shown in the nude (nicknamed Master Cheeks), the constantly removal of Chief’s helmet to show Pablo’s face, and the story arc of Master Chief having literal sex with a Covenant prisoner of war are just a few reasons why this show was criticized so poorly. That, along with the numerous plot deviations and poor narrative decisions solidified the fate of the show.
Translating Video games into adaptations to other mediums, such as movies and television, can be successful if the writers and showrunners respect the source material, as demonstrated by shows like Fallout and The Last of Us. However, the writing was on the wall for Halo on Paramount+ since its debut, as those in charge failed to honor the original content. Disastrously so. And as a result, Halo will be remembered as another adaptation failure, similar to Netflix’s The Witcher. It’s perplexing why it’s so challenging to hire a team that genuinely respects and understands the source material. I just don’t get it.
