Why Halo Show Switched Networks Explained
Showtime executives explain that Halo’s roots as a video game didn’t fit with the other series on the network, but it was perfect for Paramount+.
You Are Reading :Why Halo Show Switched Networks Explained
Showtime executives offer up an explanation as to why Halo was moved to Paramount+. Based on the popular video game franchise of the same name, Halo focuses on Master Chief, a supersoldier known as a Spartan, who fights for humanity against an alien threat known as the Covenant. The series has become one of the most popular in gaming and plans for an adaptation go as far back as a film in 2005 from producer Peter Jackson that was to be directed by Neill Blomkamp before his debut film District 9.
The series has long been in development; it was first announced in 2013 with Steven Speilberg on board as an executive producer and originally targeted a 2015 premiere that kept getting postponed. The series was finally picked up by Showtime in 2018 and given a ten-episode order. However, in February 2021, it was announced that the Halo series would instead premiere on the streaming service Paramount+, as both Showtime and Paramount+ are subsidiaries of ViacomCBS. The series is currently set to premiere in 2022.
It now appears Showtime has offered up an explanation for the move to Paramount+, as Halo didn’t quite fit in with the Showtime brand of programming. Via Collider, in a virtual press conference for the Television Critics Association, Showtime presidents of entertainment Gary Levine and Jana Winograde commented on how Paramount+ is more focused on a variety of different shows that can appeal to a wider market. The duo said during the conference:
Gary Levine: “We started developing Halo seven years ago when there was no Paramount+ or even the glimmer of an idea about it, and it was always a bit of an odd fit, you know — what is Showtime doing taking a first-person shooter video game and putting it with their dramas?”
Jana Winograde: “[It] is going to launch this in an amazing way, and they are going to throw big resources at it and that’s going to be tremendous for the company as a whole, for, you know 343, which owns the Halo franchise, and for us as the studio. Paramount+ has a big tent for shows that are four-quadrant. It was in that mountain of entertainment, [while] Showtime has our sophisticated premium curated shows.”
Showtime has had a run of critically acclaimed drama series like Dexter, Masters of Sex, and Ray Donavan, and its shows tend to be very grounded character-centric series. Showtime’s biggest dip into genre television in the past few years was Penny Dreadful, unlike their competitor HBO, which had high-profile genre series like True Blood and Game of Thrones. The contrast between Showtime and HBO is more apparent given that Showtime moved Halo while HBO is currently developing a series based on The Last of Us games. Paramount+ is the home to various Star Trek series, which does seem like a better place for Halo.
Paramount+ has given a home to a wide variety of shows catering to a large fanbase. It has given a new life to the CBS series Evil, where the creators found more creative freedom not being bound by a traditional network. More adult-centric dramas like Why Women Kill and The Good Fight sit comfortably next to more kid-friendly series like the various Spongebob spinoffs and the new Rugrats series. The Paramount+ reboot of iCarly was aimed at an older audience who grew up watching the original series, a move that Disney was unable to make with the now-canceled Lizzie Maguire continuation. With the addition of Halo, the streaming service might be on the way to truly breaking out and making a name for itself.
Next: Every New Movie & TV Series Coming To Paramount Plus
Source: Collider
Richard Fink is a news writer for Screen Rant. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2016 with a degree in Film and Media Production. He loves the finer things in life, like cold Diet Coke on a hot summer day. Richard is a fan of all things Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and Film History.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/halo-show-showtime-paramount-plus-change-explained/