Exploring Fallout, the Gaming World’s Most Unexpected TV Hit

The Fallout TV show is back to Prime Video, and it's safe to say that viewers were pleasantly surprised by the quality of its first season. By portraying the retro-futuristic, nuclear-ravaged United States through the eyes of three distinct characters, it managed to capture multiple facets of the gamer's experience.

There was Lucy the vault dweller, attempting to act with integrity and discovering that the barren landscape made that very difficult; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction initiate, who starts doubting his organization's authority and creates a lot of havoc in powered exoskeleton; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has entirely abandoned any moral compass out in the contaminated wilderness.

Building Anticipation for Season Two

The show's first season finale unveiled key information about who helped cause the global annihilation that sealed a society in bomb-proof bunkers for an extended period. It also left numerous mysteries unresolved for the next installment – and, now, expectations are considerably elevated.

“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” quips one of the series creators.

“Going into the first season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” states the game director. “We’re over the moon with the feedback to the show, so now people are bringing more enthusiasm and new expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for the Next Installment

The upcoming season is set in New Vegas, the backdrop of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is frequently celebrated for having the most compelling narratives and personalities in the series, despite the fact that it was technically flawed at launch.

“It has a sun-baked feel, a Mojave vibe, that’s so key to that game,” notes the co-creator. “That dusty, blasted-out iconic highway feeling of the game is so much rewarding to translate into the show.”

In the series narrative, 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 gamer's experience.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is notable for its tactile feel – its creators insisted on physical models and locations were built, mirroring the cobbled-together nature of the towns 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 adaptation, especially of a video game, is to feel like it’s tangible.”

Indeed, almost every element you see on-screen is physical, even the legendarily scary radioactive creatures known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are created using puppets, and were by all accounts rather intimidating up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series works because it is developed by talented film-makers who are also passionate gamers, with the help of the game developers behind the video games. This common understanding for the world is evident in the final product.

The new batch of episodes is debuting on a weekly basis rather than as a binge-able batch, offering a different experience from the initial release. This schedule will foster a new viewing experience, something the showrunners themselves are eager to witness.

“It has more depth, it’s larger in scale, it’s funnier, it has a lot of revelations,” says Howard. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”