🔗 Share this article

The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that fans were pleasantly surprised by the excellence of its debut season. By illustrating the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three separate characters, it succeeded in capturing multiple facets of the gamer's journey.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, striving 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 cult's leadership and unleashes a lot of havoc in robotic power armour; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has long since lost any sense of morality out in the irradiated wilderness.

Setting the Stage for Season Two

The debut season's ending revealed crucial details about the culprits behind the nuclear war that sealed a population in underground vaults for hundreds of years. It also posed numerous mysteries unanswered for the upcoming chapter – and, this time, anticipations are considerably elevated.

“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” remarks the show's co-creator.

“Starting the initial season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” states Todd Howard. “We are thrilled with the feedback to the show, so this time people are coming in with more enthusiasm and different expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for Season Two

The second season is taking place in the neon-lit city, the location of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the sharpest dialogue and personalities in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch.

“It’s more of a sun-baked feel, a Mojave vibe, that’s so integral to that game,” notes the co-creator. “That parched, blasted-out iconic highway feeling of the game is so much rewarding to incorporate 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 arrive there. Yet, the creators hint that it acknowledges the gamer's experience.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its physical authenticity – its production team ensured authentic items and environments were built, echoing the improvised nature of the towns in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many productions I watch, I’m aware that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” comments co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The primary goal of an adaptation, especially of a interactive medium, is to feel like it’s real.”

Indeed, pretty much each creature you see on-screen is physical, including the notoriously frightening irradiated monsters known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are portrayed by puppets, and were apparently pretty frightening up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series succeeds because it is developed by talented film-makers who are also passionate gamers, in collaboration with the original creators behind the video games. This shared passion for the world is evident in the final product.

The second season is being released on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a binge-able batch, offering a different experience from the initial release. This approach will allow for a altered viewing experience, something the creators themselves are excited to observe.

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