Any video game adaptation is bound to have its fair share of gung-ho fans and naysaying haters, and Paramount+'s new Halo show has indeed garnered some mixed reviews that touched upon both extremes, as well as some middle-ground criticisms. Star Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black, American Gods) has seen the spectrum of reactions that have come out since the show's debut, and he took to social to address it all, which included a surprising response for the show’s biggest haters.
Halo star Pablo Schreiber, who was already facing criticisms just because his character doesn't always wear a helmet as it goes in the video game, hit up Instagram with an unexpected response to the video game adaptation’s haters. Check out his post on Instagram below:
Rather than attack the Halo TV show’s naysayers, or profusely defending the show for any particular reason, Pablo Schreiber respectuflly agreed to disagree. He told all the people vocally speaking against the new series that he respected their views and rights to voice those opinions, and even gave them some direct love, because he understands they all ‘love the same thing,’ and that their anger derives from their devotion to the video game franchise. Schreiber vowed to keep elevating the material to be the best it can be in order to give the Halo universe the love and attention it deserves, which in turn should also make fans happy.
Again, it wasn't all about foul takes in Pablo Schreiber's post, as his main focus was to send the show’s actual hardcore fans a loving shout-out. Addressing the fans who showered Halo with love and support, he claimed to have been humbled to bring such an intricate and lauded franchise to life on the small screen, and that it's been an honor to do so. The show has been in the works for several years, and suffered a string of pandemic-related delays, making its streaming arrival even more exciting for longtime fans.
While video game fans may have been skeptical of Halo, it hasn’t stopped the new streaming show from achieving some massive viewing numbers. According to Pablo Schreiber’s Instagram post, Halo was the second most-streamed show in America last week, beat out only by the 2022 Best Picture winner CODA - and in Canada, it managed to reach number one. Considering only two episodes have released so far, that’s a pretty impressive feat. If the numbers continue to impress, it bodes well for how everyone will respond to the second season, which was green-lit by the production studio back in February.
Based on the best-selling video game series, Halo follows Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber), a genetically engineered super soldier embroiled in an ongoing war between humanity and the Covenant, a group of several alien races. The show is meant to allude to the video game, but it is technically set in its own timeline. Characters like Master Chief and Cortana are taken from the games, but new characters will also be introduced to flesh out the world of Halo, as well as storylines that are separate from the source material.
The first two episodes of the television adaptation of Halo are now available to stream with your Paramount+ subscription, with the premiere available for those who only have an Amazon Prime Video subscription. New episodes will be released on Paramount Plus on Thursdays. Pablo Schreiber’s co-stars include Jen Taylor, Yerin Ha, Shabana Azmi, and Bokeem Woodbine.
