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

The Fallout TV series is back to Prime Video, and it's fair to say that viewers were delightfully shocked by the excellence of its initial run. By illustrating the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three separate characters, it succeeded in capturing multiple facets of the gamer's experience.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, attempting to uphold her morals and discovering that the wasteland made that very difficult; Brotherhood initiate Max, the Brotherhood of Steel new recruit, who starts doubting his faction's authority and unleashes significant chaos in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a breakout character who has long since lost any moral compass out in the contaminated wilderness.

Building Anticipation for a New Chapter

The debut season's ending revealed key information about those responsible for the atomic conflict that trapped a group of people in subterranean shelters for hundreds of years. It also raised several enigmas unresolved for the second season – and, this time, expectations are significantly higher.

“We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” quips one of the series creators.

“Heading into the first season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” adds Todd Howard. “We’re over the moon with the response to the show, so this time people are coming in with more excitement and altered expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for the Next Installment

The new season is set in the neon-lit city, the backdrop of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the sharpest dialogue and cast in the series, even if it was a bit broken at launch.

“It’s more of a desert vibe, a Southwestern essence, that’s so key to that game,” notes the co-creator. “That parched, desolate iconic highway feeling of the game is so much enjoyable to incorporate into the show.”

In the series narrative, a significant amount of time has elapsed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the characters make their way there. Nevertheless, the creators indicate that it will honor the player’s journey.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is praised for its physical authenticity – its production team prioritized physical models and locations were constructed, mirroring the cobbled-together nature of the outposts in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many productions I watch, I’m aware that they’re all standing in front of a green screen,” observes another of the showrunners. “The key objective of an adaptation, particularly of a video game, is to appear as if it’s authentic.”

In fact, virtually everything you see on-screen is real, including the infamously terrifying mutated beasts known as the apex predators. In the show, they are portrayed by animatronics, and were reportedly pretty frightening up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series succeeds because it is made by accomplished storytellers who are also longtime fans, with the help of the game developers behind the source material. This mutual respect for the universe is evident in the final product.

The new batch of episodes is debuting on a weekly basis rather than as a binge-able batch, marking a change from the first season. This schedule will allow for a different weekly discussion, something the team themselves are eager to engage with.

“It has more depth, it’s more expansive, it’s funnier, it has a lot of surprises,” teases Howard. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”