🔗 Share this article

The Fallout TV series has come back to its platform, and it's safe to say that fans were pleasantly surprised by the quality of its debut season. By depicting the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic United States through the perspectives of three separate characters, it managed to capture various facets of the player's journey.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, striving to do the right thing and learning that the barren landscape made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction new recruit, who starts doubting his faction's dogma and unleashes plenty of trouble in mechanized battle suit; and Walton Goggins's character, a fan-favorite figure who has entirely abandoned any moral compass out in the contaminated wilderness.

Setting the Stage for the Second Season

The show's first season conclusion disclosed key information about those responsible for the atomic conflict that sealed a population in underground vaults for centuries. It also left numerous mysteries unanswered for the second season – and, now, hopes are considerably elevated.

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

“Going into the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” states a key figure from the games. “We are thrilled with the response to the show, so this time people are arriving with more enthusiasm and different expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for the Next Installment

The new season is taking place in the neon-lit city, the backdrop of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the sharpest dialogue and characters in the franchise, despite the fact that it was somewhat buggy at launch.

“It embodies a sun-baked feel, a Mojave vibe, that’s so integral to that game,” explains the co-creator. “That dusty, desolate Route 66 feeling of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the series narrative, a considerable period has passed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists make their way there. Yet, the creators hint that it acknowledges the player’s journey.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is praised for its tactile feel – its makers insisted on authentic items and sets were built, reflecting the cobbled-together nature of the towns in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many series I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a digital backdrop,” observes co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The key objective of an adaptation, particularly of a video game, is to seem like it’s real.”

Indeed, virtually every element you see on-screen is physical, even the infamously terrifying radioactive creatures known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are portrayed by puppets, and were by all accounts quite terrifying up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series works because it is crafted by accomplished storytellers who are also passionate gamers, in collaboration with the visionaries behind the video games. This shared passion for the universe is apparent in the final product.

The second season is being released on a weekly basis rather than as a full-season drop, marking a change from the previous season. This approach will foster a altered audience reaction, a dynamic the showrunners themselves are excited to engage with.

“It delves deeper, it’s more expansive, it’s wittier, it has a lot of surprises,” says the game director. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”