Inside the Fallout Universe, the Gaming World’s Most Surprising Television Success

The Fallout TV series is back to its platform, and it's fair to say that viewers were delightfully shocked by the caliber of its initial run. By portraying the retro-futuristic, nuclear-ravaged United States through the lenses of three separate characters, it succeeded in capturing multiple facets of the player's experience.

We followed vault-dweller Lucy, attempting to do the right thing and learning that the wasteland made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the Brotherhood of Steel initiate, who begins to question his organization's authority and causes significant chaos in mechanized battle suit; and Walton Goggins's character, a fan-favorite figure who has long since lost any ethical bearings out in the contaminated badlands.

Building Anticipation for a New Chapter

The show's first season conclusion revealed key information about who helped cause the atomic conflict that sealed a group of people in bomb-proof bunkers for an extended period. It also raised plenty of questions unresolved for the next installment – and, now, hopes are much greater.

“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” says Jonah Nolan.

“Heading into the first season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” comments the game director. “We are thrilled with the feedback to the show, so this time people are arriving with more enthusiasm and altered expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for Season Two

The second season is located in the neon-lit city, the location of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the sharpest dialogue and characters in the series, even if it was a bit broken at launch.

“It embodies a sun-baked feel, a Southwestern essence, that’s so integral to that game,” notes the co-creator. “That parched, blasted-out Route 66 vibe of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a considerable period has passed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists arrive there. However, the creators hint 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 fabricated, mirroring the cobbled-together nature of the towns in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many series I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all standing in front of a green screen,” says another of the showrunners. “The whole point of an adaptation, particularly of a interactive medium, is to appear as if it’s authentic.”

In fact, pretty much every element you see on-screen is physical, even the legendarily scary radioactive creatures known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are brought to life with puppets, and were apparently quite terrifying up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series succeeds because it is crafted by skilled directors who are also passionate gamers, in collaboration with the original creators behind the video games. This common understanding for the universe is apparent in the finished show.

The new batch of episodes is being released on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a full-season drop, marking a change from the first season. This approach will create a new audience reaction, something the creators themselves are looking forward to witness.

“It's richer, it’s more expansive, it’s funnier, it has a lot of revelations,” promises Howard. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”