HALO, the TV adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name, didn’t do too well on its first go around. Airing on Paramount+, Season 1 didn’t hit the mark for long-time fans, with the show changing a lot of what they loved from the games. Season 2 fared slightly better, but didn’t do enough to keep the show alive, and after two seasons, the show was not renewed. And that should’ve been the end of it, cliffhanger and all, or so I thought. A year and a half later, Season 1 of HALO made its way to Netflix, and it did surprisingly well, even cracking the Top Ten TV Shows on the service for a while. With this newfound attention, some speculate that this may be enough to revive the show for a potential Season 3, but does HALO deserve this second chance? Let’s go over the first two seasons of the show and see if HALO should be revived.
The first season of HALO wasn’t what many fans of the games were expecting. Instead of a show filled with non-stop action ripped straight from the games and immersing you in the HALO universe, we got a boring freedom fighter subplot, space pirates, and Master Chief taking his helmet off every chance he had. It was jarring, to say the least, when Chief never takes it off in the games (at least we never see him remove it), so it was bold for the show to remove it in the first episode. They most likely went this route so their lead actor, Pablo Schreiber, could have the audience see his face. I didn’t mind this change, but I wish they had waited until later in the season or at least had him wear the helmet more often.
My main critique of Season 1 was the storylines, as they were either boring, half-baked, or both. There were some interesting concepts, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The forerunner artifact is the biggest offender, as it could’ve opened up so many possibilities, but it devolves into just being a McGuffin the characters fight over. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of some of the new additions, like Kwan, played by Yerin Ha, and Makee, played by Charlie Murphy. Their characters had potential, but the story just didn’t help them at all. They both got better in Season 2, but it was a struggle to care for them in this season.
On the positive side, they got the look of HALO down. The Mjolnir armour for the different Spartans looked amazing and were highlights of any episodes they were in. I also did enjoy Schrieber’s performance (despite the helmet situation). It was a different kind of Chief compared to the games, but I was interested regardless. I also enjoyed Natascha McElhone as Halsey, which was some of the best casting in this show. It was also cool that they brought in Jen Taylor to voice Cortana, since she already voices the character in the games. She was the only voice actor to make an appearance, but still cool nonetheless.
Season 1 was an interesting start that tried a lot of different things, not a lot of which worked. The changes from the games, boring plotlines, and some unlikeable characters made Season 1 a struggle to watch. It’s saved by some good performances and excellent visuals, but it wasn’t something I was itching for more of. It wouldn’t be until Season 2 was released that a lot of these first-season issues would get ironed out (mostly).
You can read extended thoughts on HALO Season 1 here.
Season 2 had already been greenlit before Season 1 aired, a rarity in today's media landscape. Many people hoped that they would take the feedback from Season 1 and pivot the series to be at least closer to the games. When the first trailer for HALO Season 2 dropped, it appeared they were doing just that. Season 2 was promising more Spartan action, lore deep cuts, a larger focus on the inner workings of the UNSC, and most importantly, adapting the Fall of Reach storyline. Needless to say, I was excited to see this new direction the series was taking, and for the most part, I think they achieved what they set out to do; however, it was too little, too late for most.
The biggest improvements from Season 1 were undoubtedly the story and characters. It all felt closer in tone and style to the games, with the battle between humanity and the Covenant taking centre stage instead of a random artifact of the day. Although some plot threads from Season 1 remained, they were effectively tied into the new storylines.
The best example is Kwan’s story, which becomes integral to the overarching narrative, instead of boring me to sleep. Her heritage is further explored and is tied back to the Flood, the true big bad of the HALO universe (which I called at the start of the season). This made her character matter and not feel like an afterthought to pad out an episode or two. The season does this for most of the returning cast from Season 1 and had me actually care about them when one of them died or was left behind.
Speaking of characters, Season 2 introduced probably my favourite character in the show, James Ackerson, played by Joseph Morgan. He’s introduced as a stereotypical high-up in the UNSC who has it out for the Spartans, and if that’s all the show did with him, he would’ve been just ok. However, when the series delved deeper into his character, revealing his backstory and motivations, he quickly became one of my favourites. Ackerson is proof that this writing team could create compelling characters with emotional weight and depth. At the end of the season, I had hope that this momentum could continue, but alas, that was not the case.
You can read extended thoughts on HALO Season 2 here.
The million-dollar question: Does this renewed interest, thanks to Netflix, warrant a Season 3 of HALO? Taking everything I’ve talked about already into account, I’d say yes. The series had a rocky start for sure, and even in Season 2 there were some aspects I wasn’t fond of. But it was heading in the right direction, and if given a Season 3, I believe that we could get a pretty good HALO show, especially now that Master Chief is on the Halo Ring (only took them two seasons). I don’t think it would take long to get Season 3 into production, either, as they have the story mapped out already. Chief is on the Halo with Guilty Spark, the Flood is running rampant on Onyx, and the Covenant are still a major threat. That’s three storylines that could easily fill a 12-episode Season 3, and if they had Netflix money behind it, I guarantee that it would look phenomenal.
At the end of the day, who knows if this renewed interest in HALO will last? So far, only Season 1 has been released on Netflix, but it stands to reason that Season 2 will eventually make its way onto the service as well. I hope this will be a similar situation to Lucifer, which was cancelled by FOX only to be revived by Netflix and given a proper send-off. For now, we can only wait and see if this version of the HALO universe will continue, or be doomed to be forgotten (and stuck with those bloody cliffhangers).
If you're hungry for some more HALO content, why not check out the Watching Now Podcast, where we covered every episode of HALO Season 2 (and more).
Have you watched HALO? What did you think? Does it deserve a second chance at life? Let us know in the comments below where we can talk about all things HALO.
I really hope we get a 3rd season and more. Despite it's flaws there's a really good sci-fi action show in there that does the Master Chief a lot of justice.