New Halo showrunner and actor explain why season 2 feels like a "different" show: "I think this is the Halo that I wanted to see"

EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesHaloNew Halo showrunner and actor explain why season 2 feels like a “different” show: “I think this is the Halo that I wanted to see"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesHaloNew Halo showrunner and actor explain why season 2 feels like a “different” show: “I think this is the Halo that I wanted to see"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Paramount)

Halo

Halo’s first season may have got fans talkingfor all the wrong reasons, but the Paramount Plus show’s second season is focusing on a new chapter that aims to silence the critics.

“I think what appealed to me washowwe tell that story tonally and the perspective in which we want to place our audience,” Wiener tells GamesRadar+

“Season two is in a much more subjective perspective. We’re with our Spartans in their emotional journeys but even in the combat and the action sequences. We are subject to the fog of war. We’re never seeing things that they don’t see, we don’t know things that they don’t know… Ultimately, the result is a grittier, more grounded, more visceral ride.”

Executive producer and head of property expansion atMicrosoftKiki Wolfkill, who was part of season 1’s behind-the-scenes team and previously told us they would betaking fan feedback into account, is candid about how Halo season 2 will build on things they wanted to change back in 2022.

“Do we love every decision on season one? No,” Wolfkill admits. “It’s our job to step up and do the best we can.”

“What we’re able to do in season two is actually remedy some of the things we would’ve liked to in season one but you don’t really get the chance to during the course of a season.”

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(Image credit: Paramount)

Halo

The Vampire Diaries' Joseph Morgan, who joins the cast as ONI officer James Ackerson and counts himself as a fan of the franchise, also adds to the conversation of change surrounding the show in its sophomore season.

“I feel like it’s a different show – season two to season one,” Morgan says. “I feel like if you just want Master Chief’s helmet on, you’re never going to be happy. But if you want to show it’s faithful to the Halo canon and takes it more in a direction like the games that I played when I was a teenager, I think you’re going to like season two of the show.”

Morgan adds, “Look, I’m a fan of the world and of the games. I think this is the Halo that I wanted to see. I think it’s grittier and grimier and it just looks and feels a lot cooler. There’s a lot more character development, subtext, and the layers that I want… space politics, all of that sort of thing which is such a big part of Halo. We’re aiming really, really high with it.”

Halo season 2 premieres on Paramount Plus on February 8.

For more, check out our ranking of thebest Halo games.

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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

1

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2

Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

3

Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

4

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

5

Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

1

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

2

Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3

Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5

Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

Squid Game season 2

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

1

Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

2

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

3

Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

4

Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

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