Inside the Fallout Universe, the Gaming World’s Most Unexpected TV Hit

The post-apocalyptic TV series is back to Prime Video, and it's fair to say that fans were agreeably astonished by the excellence of its debut season. By depicting the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three distinct characters, it succeeded in capturing different facets of the gamer's journey.

There was Lucy the vault dweller, attempting to do the right thing and finding that the barren landscape made that incredibly hard; Max, the Brotherhood of Steel new recruit, who starts doubting his faction's authority and creates significant chaos in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has long since lost any moral compass out in the radioactive badlands.

Building Anticipation for a New Chapter

The show's first season ending unveiled crucial details about those responsible for the atomic conflict that condemned a group of people in bomb-proof bunkers for centuries. It also left numerous mysteries unanswered for the upcoming chapter – and, on this occasion, anticipations are significantly higher.

“We’ll take ‘not terrible’ – let’s get that on a poster,” says the show's co-creator.

“Going into the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” states Todd Howard. “We’re over the moon with the response to the show, so now people are bringing more eagerness and new expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for Season Two

The second season is located in the neon-lit city, the location of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the sharpest dialogue and characters in the franchise, even if it was a bit broken at launch.

“It embodies a sun-baked feel, a Mojave vibe, that’s so key to that game,” explains Nolan. “That parched, blasted-out Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much fun to translate into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a significant amount of time has passed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the characters arrive there. However, the creators suggest that it does reference the fan's adventure.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is praised for its physical authenticity – its makers ensured physical models and environments were constructed, reflecting the makeshift nature of the outposts in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many productions I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a green screen,” comments co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The key objective of an translation, especially of a video game, is to appear as if it’s tangible.”

Indeed, pretty much everything you see on-screen is real, even the legendarily scary radioactive creatures known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are portrayed by animatronics, and were by all accounts quite terrifying up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series works because it is crafted by skilled directors who are also passionate gamers, with the help of the original creators behind the video games. This common understanding for the lore is apparent in the end result.

The new batch of episodes is debuting on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a binge-able batch, representing a shift from the previous season. This approach will create a different audience reaction, a dynamic the team themselves are eager to witness.

“It has more depth, it’s bigger, it’s more humorous, it has a lot of twists,” says Howard. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”