Watching 1883 for the past couple of months, I saw advertisements of other series getting ready to start. One that caught my attention was that of Halo. I remember Halo being a big hit in the video game world when it first arrived. I never got into the gaming experience but I often listened to friends speaking of their times playing. Some articles that I’ve read have led me to believe that there is promise of success for this series. Here’s a rundown of what some people are saying:
First Season
Paramount Plus released two episodes so far.
Omri Petitte of PC Gamer says:
The Halo TV series is set for a March 24th debut on Paramount+.
Showtime had originally said that the show was expected in the first quarter of 2021. Like many things in 2020, production on Showtime’s Halo TV series was set back by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Episodes will be released weekly, not all at once.
Premiere
William Hughes of AV Club shares the results of the highly anticipated video game to TV series:
Some good news today for fans of TV-to-video-game adaptations and corporate products with mathematical symbols in their names: The Halo TV show is apparently a hit for Paramount+.
This is per Deadline, which reports that the ViacomCBS-owned service says its adaptation of the Microsoft-owned property had the service’s most successful first 24 hours ever, surpassing the numbers posted by Yellowstone spin-off 1883 last year.
Of course, because we’re talking streaming numbers—so rarely reported in concrete terms—this is all a little nebulous. Among the various things that aren’t clear here is the question of whether these Paramount+ numbers also encompass the service’s previous life as the far less Plus-y CBS All Access; if so, managing to beat the debut of Star Trek: Discovery, the show that kept the service afloat for more than a year, does read as at least moderately impressive.
🚨 @HaloTheSeries is live on @paramountplus! In our latest Silver Debrief, now a weekly companion to each episode, we provide a detailed recap alongside additional insights into the monumental events of the Master Chief's journey on the silver screen.
📄 https://t.co/iyAcyKFNyi pic.twitter.com/ULlhAMud3e
— Halo (@Halo) March 28, 2022
Halo’s Future
The series, which already has been renewed for a second season, takes place in the universe that first debuted in 2001 with the launch of Xbox’s first Halo game. Dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, Halo stars Pablo Schreiber as the Master Chief, Spartan-117; Natascha McElhone as Dr. Halsey, the brilliant, conflicted and inscrutable creator of the Spartan super soldiers; and Jen Taylor as Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history and potentially the key to the survival of the human race. — Nellie Andreeva on Deadline.
Found on CBS Sports.com
“Halo: The Series” is now on Paramount+, with the popular combat video game inspiring a show that started streaming on Thursday, March 24. Episode 1 was titled “Contact” and Episode 2, which is titled “Unbound,” will debut on Thursday, March 31. A new episode is scheduled to drop every Thursday, leading up to a thrilling conclusion on May 19. It’s one of the most anticipated streaming series in Paramount+ history and will attract fans of action and sci-fi. Sign up here to stream Halo.
Watch the action unfold as Master Chief defends humanity in the 26th century from a race of aliens known as The Covenant. Halo creators Kyle Killen and Stephen Kane are joined in production by some of the industry’s biggest names, including Amblin Television, 343 Industries, Showtime Network, One Big Picture, and Chapter Eleven. Otto Bathurst directs the series, following other successful directorial roles like “Robin Hood” (2018), “Peaky Blinders,” and “Black Mirror.” You can watch the official Halo trailer right here.
Personal Experience
My personal experience with Halo begins tonight. Feel free to help me ease into Halo with any background or tips. I’ll write more after watching the first two episodes. The question for me is whether or not I will be as impacted as gamers who have grown up with the Master Chief. When they are offended by story changes, will I even notice? Or are the more controversial lore departures going to be just as bad for me as they are for Xbox aficionados?
I know that the ratings for Halo aren’t necessarily great, but Paramount is revealing that Halo has been their top premiere of all time. So join me as I, a complete and utter Halo noob, join this version of the Master Chief to find out if a non-gamer can find fun in the latest streaming series. Somebody just remind me, what do you call the bad guys again? And exactly why are the glowing things called “sticky nades”?
Be blessed and happy streaming!!!
