🔗 Share this article

The post-apocalyptic TV show is back to Prime Video, and it's safe to say that fans were pleasantly surprised by the quality of its debut season. By portraying the retro-futuristic, nuclear-ravaged United States through the perspectives of three distinct characters, it managed to capture multiple facets of the player's adventure.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, striving to act with integrity and finding that the wasteland made that exceptionally challenging; Max, the Brotherhood of Steel initiate, who begins to question his cult's leadership and causes plenty of trouble in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has completely shed any sense of morality out in the radioactive badlands.

Building Anticipation for a New Chapter

The show's first season ending unveiled a major secret about the culprits behind the global annihilation that sealed a society in bomb-proof bunkers for centuries. It also raised several enigmas open for the second season – and, on this occasion, expectations are significantly higher.

“We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” quips Jonah Nolan.

“Heading into the initial season, people were like, ‘Just get it right’,” comments a key figure from the games. “We’re over the moon with the response to the show, so now people are arriving with more excitement and altered expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment

The second season is located in New Vegas, the location of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the sharpest dialogue and cast in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch.

“It has a desert vibe, a Mojave vibe, that’s so integral to that game,” explains Nolan. “That parched, blasted-out Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much enjoyable to incorporate into the show.”

In the series narrative, a long time has elapsed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists make their way there. Nevertheless, the creators suggest that it does reference the gamer's experience.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its tangible quality – its makers insisted on authentic items and sets were constructed, echoing the makeshift nature of the settlements in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many shows I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a green screen,” comments co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The primary goal of an translation, particularly of a video game, is to seem like it’s authentic.”

In fact, pretty much each creature you see on-screen is physical, even the legendarily scary mutated beasts known as the apex predators. In the show, they are brought to life with animatronics, and were by all accounts quite terrifying up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series succeeds because it is crafted by skilled directors who are also dedicated players, in collaboration with the game developers behind the video games. This shared passion for the world is clear in the final product.

The second season is debuting on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a full-season drop, marking a change from the previous season. This schedule will allow for a altered weekly discussion, something the showrunners themselves are looking forward to witness.

“It has more depth, it’s bigger, it’s wittier, it has a lot of revelations,” promises the game director. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”