Failed sci-fi series skyrockets to renewed success on Netflix

These days, not every new TV show can be a runaway success as much as we might love certain shows. Sometimes shows simply won't connect with a wide audience and will end up canceled after only one or two seasons. It's a sad reality of the television business. If we've seen it once, we've seen it a million times, and we'll continue to see if for many more years to come.

Even if shows wind up canceled before their time, the silver lining of the streaming era is that there's always the chance that shows can return for a victory lap in one form or another. Netflix has been a breeding ground for giving shows a second life, and that's exactly what's happening right now with an underrated (literally) sci-fi show that a new audience is discovering.

Canceled Halo series propels onto the Netflix top 10 most popular shows list

Paramount+'s unfortunately canceled military sci-fi series Halo, which is based on the video game franchise of the same name, landed on Netflix on Oct. 1, 2025 and quickly proved that fans still want to tune in. As of this writing on Monday, Oct. 6, Halo seasons 1 and 2 (the complete series) have reached a peak of No. 4 on Netflix's top 10 most popular shows ranking. That's impressive!

While it's unlikely to beat out that just-released Monster: The Ed Gein Story for the No. 1 position, there's still a chance that Halo could rise higher and the ranking and stay put in the top 10 for at least a few more weeks, even up to or over a month. That's best-case scenario as we've seen it before, but the potential for continued second-act success is currently there for Halo.

Sadly, Paramount+ canceled Halo after two seasons likely due to excessive budget costs, as the show was reported to have cost the streamer between $90 million and $200 million to produce. If a certain amount of people aren't tuning in to justify those high production costs, then a streaming service or network has no other choice but to cancel the show. Halo wasn't saved by another streamer or network for season 3, which fans definitely would have wanted.

Because Halo produced two seasons and 17 episodes, it's technically not a failure. That's a lot further than some streaming series make it in this cutthroat, fast-paced environment! But in the grand scheme of things, the show did fail to connect and become a huge hit for Paramount+. You could also say that the streamer failed with promotion and quality control, which contributed to the show not being viewed by a larger audience. A lot went wrong to lead to the show's cancellation.

But it's exciting to see the show reaching new heights on Netflix. Who knows how far the show can take this renewed success and bigger visibility? It's unlikely that the show would manage to score a surprise renewal for season 3. The Netflix numbers would have to be astronomical, again to justify the production costs. But just seeing more people enjoy a show that could have been written off as just another failed attempt to adapt a popular video game is a triumphant comeback in itself.

Halo comes from showrunners Kyle Killen, Steven Kane, and David Wiener and executive producer Steven Spielberg. The series boasts an extensive cast that includes Pablo Schreiber, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, and Bridgerton season 4 star Yerin Ha. While the show celebrates a second wind on Netflix, make sure to give the show a chance. Maybe give it a second chance if you tried to watch on Paramount+! You just might find your next fun binge-watch.

Watch Halo seasons 1 and 2 while they're available on Netflix.