HALO: Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief in HALO set to stream on Paramount+ in 2022. Photo: Paramount+ ©2021 Paramount+. All Rights Reserved. *SCREEN GRAB*
Paramount+
One of Paramount+’s biggest, most expensive shows in its short history is Halo, the adaptation (I use that word loosely) of the famed video game series that ran from 2022-2024 before it was cancelled after season 2, with no season 3 greenlit.
Now, Halo has hit Netflix and is performing decently well, hanging out around #4 on Netflix’s top 10 list behind only three big original shows, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Love is Blind and Wayward. It’s the highest-ranking licensed series on the list.
Some are wondering if Halo heading to Netflix means that the larger service could potentially pick the show up for season 3. As crazy as that sounds, I think we need to flash back to 2024 when the cancelation first went down.
After the series was cancelled, there was a lot of well-wishing among those involved, including from 343, the current maker of Halo games for Microsoft (via THR):
“We deeply appreciate the millions of fans who propelled the Halo series to be a global success, and we remain committed to broadening the Halo universe in different ways in the future,” said 343 Industries. “We are grateful to Amblin and Paramount for their partnership in bringing our expansive sci-fi universe to viewers around the world.”
However, in the same breath as the show being cancelled, reporting indicated that Amblin, Xbox and 343 were looking to take the series for a third season at another outlet, and Paramount+ was supportive of that move. So, here we are. Halo is on Netflix, it’s doing well and—
Well, hold on.
Right now, there is nothing official or even from insiders that season 3 is being planned. The only thing you see are tweets from a relatively small amount of fans hoping for Netflix to pick the series up from here. It’s not impossible this could be a “trial run” for pickup, but there are no indications that’s happening, just a licensing deal.
I don’t think the odds are in Halo’s favor here, despite past claims of shopping it around and its current top 10 performance. For starters:
- It’s an expensive series. This is not Netflix picking up Manifest or Cobra Kai for more seasons, moving them from their original homes. Halo is a sprawling sci-fi series with loads of blockbuster effects. Estimates range from a $90-$200 million budget for just the first season. This would be a significant investment for the Netflix for a series they didn’t even create. It would also cost them money to acquire the show in the first place.
- Second, it’s just not very good. Season 1 especially is terrible, and while season 2 showed some improvement, it never made it to “good.” This is not remotely in the same league as rival live-action game adaptations like The Last of Us or Fallout on other services. The only thing that would make a Halo show work at this point is a totally fresh start, and clearly that’s not going to happen.
Mention the Halo show to most Halo fans and it’s radioactive. I’m not saying no one likes it, and no one wants a third season (which would finally start covering the events of Halo: Combat Evolved), but there is not some large, passionate fanbase cheering for this. Its placement on the Top 10 list isn’t bad, but Netflix didn’t even pick up something like Manifest until it was #1 on the service for months. I’ll be amazed if Halo is still in the top 10 list in two weeks.
I cannot confirm there are no conversations going on behind the scenes about this, as it was as recently as last year that this idea of shopping the show was proposed, but I do not think this is remotely likely.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.