I Didn’t Love Halo’s TV Show, But Season 3 Being Canceled Is Still Very Frustrating

I’ll be the first to admit it: Paramount+’s Halo TV show wasn’t very good, but I’m still frustrated by its cancelation. In its first season, Halo was universally panned by critics and audiences alike. It wasn’t a faithful Halo adaptation, but it was also just mid-level sci-fi fare at best. I was surprised by just how much Halo season 2 tried to correct course after its first outing’s missteps. Obviously, there were certain elements — the Covenant’s Blessed One concept, for starters — that the series couldn’t completely retcon or erase, but it certainly did damage control.

Master Chief’s (Pablo Schreiber) sophomore outing improved by strengthening its connections to the source material. No, I don’t think the execution was always top-notch, but the effort was certainly there. John-117 continued to show his face, but Halo also leaned into the character’s lone-wolf mystique by picking off the members of Silver Team. In episode 4, Halo‘s Fall of Reach storyline showcased the series’ ambition. Even Kwan Ha’s (Yerin Ha) plot, although disconnected from Halo lore, teased the emergence of The Flood. It’s honestly a shame the show won’t wrap up its story with Halo season 3.

Halo Season 3 Would Have Finally Told Combat Evolved’s Story

The Series Ended With Master Chief Reaching Installation 04

In Halo season 2’s ending, Master Chief/John-117 rescues Cortana (Jen Taylor) and then races to the Halo ring to thwart Makee (Charlie Murphy) and The Arbiter Var ‘Gatanai’s (Viktor Åkerblom) plans. I actually thought it was one of Halo‘s better episodes. Packed with thrilling action sequences and impressive vistas, the finale finally sees John reaching the titular Forerunner superweapon. Capable of sterilizing the galaxy, the Halo ring is incredibly dangerous, especially under Makee’s control. Although it wasn’t primed to be a one-to-one adaptation, Halo season 3 would’ve begun Combat Evolved‘s story — finally.

Since it was the first, I think of Halo: Combat Evolved‘s narrative as the definitive Halo story in many ways. It was the first time we met Master Chief, Cortana, and the rest of Halo‘s cast of characters. The game not only introduced the Human Covenant War, but the Forerunners’ plan for the Halo array and the parasitic, all-consuming Flood. These elements have been franchise staples, shaping Halo’s lore. Viewers wanted a more faithful adaptation when Paramount+’s series debuted, and delving into Combat Evolved‘s story would have been a great way to finally deliver a fan-favorite chapter.

Halo Season 2 Ended On Multiple Cliffhangers Which Makes The Cancelation Worse

From 343 Guilty Spark’s Introduction To Dr. Halsey’s Flood Infection, Halo Leaves A Lot Unanswered

Aside from the promise of finally adapting Halo: Combat Evolved‘s story, Halo season 3 was primed to answer some major questions and resolve several cliffhangers. While John is speaking with The Monitor on the Halo, Onyx becomes overrun by a Flood outbreak. Not only does the parasitic, body-hijacking menace result in several Halo season 2 finale deaths, but Natascha McElhone’s Dr. Catherine Halsey, creator of the Spartan program, becomes infected. Halsey’s daughter, fellow scientist Commander Miranda Keyes (Olive Gray), cryogenically freezes her mother to slow the Flood’s takeover, hoping she can find a cure. I would’ve liked some resolution.

Why Halo Was Canceled By Paramount+

The Video Game Adaptation Was Too Costly

Although Paramount+ hasn’t given a definitive answer as to why Halo was canceled after two seasons, it’s likely that the sci-fi series was canceled over high costs and a tepid response from viewers. Some estimates put the show’s season-one costs at around $10 million per episode, while others reported the first outing’s budget was closer to $200 million (via The Guardian). Regardless, it was a staggeringly expensive show. Even though the second season turned things around somewhat, it ultimately wasn’t enough to recoup costs, win back fans’ goodwill, or save Halo from its demise.

The first two seasons of Halo stream exclusively on Paramount+.

Halo

A live-action adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name, Halo follows Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (Pablo Schrieber) as he fights his part in a war between humanity’s United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the Covenant, an alliance of multiple hostile races of aliens intent on destroying the human race. The Master Chief is supported by Cortana (Jen Taylor) – an AI construct based on the personality of Dr. Catherine Halsey, who created the Spartan supersoldier program – implanted in his brain.

Cast

Jen Taylor , Bokeem Woodbine , Charlie Murphy , Shabana Azmi , Kate Kennedy , Natascha McElhone , Yerin Ha , Bentley Kalu , Pablo Schreiber , Danny Sapani , Olive Gray , Natasha Culzac

Release Date

March 24, 2022

Seasons

2

Writers

Kyle Killen , Silka Luisa , Richard Robbins , Steven Kane , Justine Juel Gillmer

Directors

Otto Bathurst , Jonathan Liebesman , Roel Reiné , Dennie Gordon , Debs Paterson , Craig Zisk , Jessica Lowrey

Showrunner

Kyle Killen

Creator(s)

Kyle Killen , Steven Kane

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Source: The Guardian