🔗 Share this article

The Fallout TV show has come back to Prime Video, and it's safe to say that fans were agreeably astonished by the quality of its initial run. By depicting the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three different characters, it effectively portrayed different facets of the gamer's journey.

We followed vault-dweller Lucy, trying to act with integrity and discovering that the wasteland made that exceptionally challenging; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction initiate, who begins to question his organization's leadership and creates plenty of trouble in powered exoskeleton; and Walton Goggins's character, a standout performance who has long since lost any ethical bearings out in the irradiated wilderness.

Building Anticipation for Season Two

The debut season's conclusion unveiled crucial details about those responsible for the atomic conflict that condemned a group of people in underground vaults for an extended period. It also left several enigmas open for the next installment – and, now, anticipations are much greater.

“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” says the show's co-creator.

“Starting the first season, everyone’s like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” comments a key figure from the games. “We’re over the moon with the reception to the show, so now people are arriving with more excitement and altered expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for Season Two

The second season is located in New Vegas, the setting of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the best writing and cast in the franchise, even if it was a bit broken at launch.

“It’s more of a desert vibe, a Mojave vibe, that’s so key to that game,” says the co-creator. “That dusty, desolate iconic highway aesthetic of the game is so much fun to incorporate into the show.”

In the series narrative, a long time has passed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists arrive there. Yet, the creators hint that it will honor the fan's adventure.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its physical authenticity – its creators ensured physical models and environments were fabricated, echoing the improvised nature of the outposts in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many series I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a green screen,” says another of the showrunners. “The primary goal of an translation, especially of a interactive medium, is to feel like it’s tangible.”

In fact, pretty much everything you see on-screen is practical, including the legendarily scary irradiated monsters known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are brought to life with puppets, and were apparently rather intimidating up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series succeeds because it is developed by skilled directors who are also longtime fans, with the help of the game developers behind the video games. This mutual respect for the lore is clear in the finished show.

The new batch of episodes is being released on a weekly basis rather than as a full-season drop, representing a shift from the previous season. This schedule will allow for a new audience reaction, something the team themselves are looking forward to witness.

“It delves deeper, it’s larger in scale, it’s funnier, it has a lot of twists,” says the game director. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”