Halo (TV Series, Seasons 1–2) is a spectacular case study in what happens when a studio licenses a beloved IP, then promptly forgets—or ignores—what made it beloved. What starts with a brutally effective opening set piece quickly nose-dives into a tonal mush of prestige posturing, lore vandalism, and baffling narrative choices. The showrunners (Kyle Killen, Steven Kane, and later David Wiener) treat Halo less like a grounded military sci-fi and more like a generic space opera, complete with chosen-one prophecy arcs, spiritual fungus caves, and whispery Forerunner ghosts that seem pulled from a different franchise entirely.
By far the worst offense is its treatment of Master Chief. Rather than the stoic mythic figure from the games, he’s turned into a mopey therapy case who spends more time unmasked than in armor. Characters like Cortana, Halsey, and even the Flood are stripped of their intrigue and reduced to exposition furniture, narrative Band-Aids, or outright cringe delivery systems. The series’ lone bright spots—brutal combat sequences and decent Covenant design—are buried under hours of beige emotional drama and shoehorned subplots that go nowhere (looking at you, Kwan). The Season 2 finale tries to tee up future revelations, but it’s too little, too late. The show was officially canceled in 2024, and frankly, that’s a mercy.
2025.04.18 – 2025.04.20