It's hard for any TV series or movie to make it in an era with such choice. Let's be honest, cancellations on the TV side of things and box office flops for the movies have always been a constant of the entertainment industry, but sometimes the stars just don't align like the studios had hoped. But in the modern age of 2025, when you can stream almost any property you want at the click of a finger, rediscover classic movies instead of seeing new ones in movie theaters, or binge-watch larger-than-life cinema-quality productions on TV instead, it's just so hard to compete.
Franchises find the most success these days because of their automatically inbuilt audiences, but that's not always a given either. Due to the rise in competition and increased exposure, even cinematic titans like Marvel Studios struggle to produce sure-fire hits now (and that has unfortunately led to a number of its projects being cancelled). But there was one particularly high-profile cancellation within the past two years that might just have been the most shocking of them all. The good news is that it will live on for a whole new audience as it has found a brand new streaming home.
Cancelled Halo series finds new streaming home on Netflix
Halo has officially arrived on Netflix. Both seasons of the Paramount Plus-produced series debuted on the streamer as of October 1, meaning that those who haven't seen it yet can now finally tune in to see what the fuss was all about. And believe us when we say that there was a lot of justified "fuss" about this one.
Halo premiered on Paramount Plus back in March 2022 and it was one of the most high-profile series of the past decade - understandably so when you factor in that it is based on one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time. Unfortunately, that also meant that it had a ridiculously large budget (somewhere in the realm of $90 - $100 million) which can make it extremely hard for a TV series to be successful, regardless of how well-received it is.
The series received mixed reviews early on, but its second season was widely considered an improvement over its first. That was just one of the many reasons why Paramount Plus' decision to cancel it in July 2024 was as shocking as it was - especially when you consider how popular the Xbox video game series is.
Fans certainly had issues with the TV series and the deviations it took from the source material, particularly how often the Master Chief's helmet came off, but there was a love for it nonetheless. And it's hard to fully sum up just how high-profile its cancellation was, because in spite of the show's shortcomings, it never felt like premature cancellation was ever on the cards for it. After all, it was successful for the streamer; it just couldn't compete with the insanely large budget that it required.
Video game adaptations regularly run into issues simply for being unable to fully adapt the world of the video game they are inspired by or from taking too many liberties with the storylines, characters, or other elements. While Halo never struggled in the way that so many previous video game movies and / or TV shows did (a lot often find themselves on the "worst movies ever made" lists), it didn't achieve the heights of HBO's The Last of Us either - which is now widely-regarded as the best video game adaptation of all time.
As for Halo, there was hope that it might find a new home for a third season in the future, but that unfortunately has not happened yet. Therefore, reliving it on Netflix is the closest that the series will get to a second life (for now) outside of the video game franchise itself. Who knows: If it's a popular addition to the streamer perhaps Netflix will consider reviving it. We can certainly hope!
Halo seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix.