This Video Game Based TV Show Spent $10m on Each Episode and Still Flopped

Summary:

• Halo is a military science fiction game franchise that began in 2001.
• The game was adapted by Paramount Plus and remade into a TV series that premiered its first season in 2022.
• Although the production reportedly cost over $10M per episode, the first season failed to impress fans.

Since the early 2000s, the Halo franchise has never really stopped growing. Starting as a video game, it continued to be released in every format imaginable, from comic books to animated and live-action adaptations. With such a massive fan base, nearly every other project associated with the brand was destined for instant success.

However, with any big title comes a lot of expectations that the adaptation must try to live up to. From the set design to the special effects, fans of virtual reality will always have very high standards when it comes to visuals, but that's not the only thing that goes into making a TV show based on the iconic game a hit.

So when Paramount Plus decided to take on Halo, the stakes for the show were very high. And unfortunately, judging by the performance of the first season, the show failed to deliver.

Is Halo TV Show Worth Watching?

According to Variety, the production of Halo cost Showtime Networks a lot of money. The budget for each episode was more than $10 million, which can be compared to such television giants as Game of Thrones. The only difference is that one is still relevant years after its finale and the other didn't manage to become mainstream.

Halo season 1, which now sits with a fairly high critical rating of 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, cannot boast the same success with viewers. The audience rating takes it down a notch, landing at 53%. How come? No amount of CGI and set design could hide the unpopular changes to beloved characters and lore established in a game.

The majority of viewers who gave the show poor reviews cited the show's handling of the Master Chief character, adding too many subplots that failed to engage fans, and treating the games as very vague source material to build upon.

Despite the backlash the creative team faced, the show moved forward with season 2, which just premiered on February 8, 2024. Even though there are only a few episodes left to be released, Halo has managed to impress both critics and fans much more this time around.

As of now, Halo season 2 stands at 94% from critics and a solid 73% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Those fans who were willing to give it a second chance, or decided to stick around purely for the quality sci-fi production, pointed out the vast improvement in storytelling and strong cast performances.

If you are interested in checking out Halo and deciding for yourself if it is worth watching, be sure to tune in to Paramount Plus every Thursday to not miss a single new episode.

Source: Variety