Inside Fallout, the Gaming World’s Most Astonishing Television Success

The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that audiences were agreeably astonished by the caliber of its initial run. By illustrating the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three distinct characters, it succeeded in capturing various facets of the player's experience.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, trying to do the right thing and learning that the barren landscape made that very difficult; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction rookie, who starts challenging his organization's dogma and unleashes plenty of trouble in robotic power armour; and Walton Goggins's character, a fan-favorite figure who has completely shed any moral compass out in the radioactive wilderness.

Setting the Stage for Season Two

The debut season's ending disclosed a major secret about those responsible for the nuclear war that sealed a population in subterranean shelters for hundreds of years. It also raised plenty of questions unanswered for the second season – and, this time, expectations are considerably elevated.

“We’ll take ‘not terrible’ – let’s get that on a poster,” quips Jonah Nolan.

“Starting the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” comments a key figure from the games. “We are thrilled with the feedback to the show, so this time people are arriving with more excitement and different expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for Season Two

The new season is located in the neon-lit city, the setting of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is frequently celebrated for having the most compelling narratives and cast in the series, despite the fact that it was somewhat buggy at launch.

“It has a sun-baked feel, a Southwestern essence, that’s so key to that game,” says Nolan. “That parched, blasted-out Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a significant amount of time has elapsed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the characters arrive there. However, the creators hint that it acknowledges the player’s journey.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is distinguished by its physical authenticity – its production team prioritized real props and environments were fabricated, reflecting the cobbled-together nature of the settlements 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,” comments another of the showrunners. “The whole point of an adaptation, especially of a interactive medium, is to appear as if it’s real.”

In fact, almost everything you see on-screen is real, including the notoriously frightening radioactive creatures known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are portrayed by practical effects, and were by all accounts pretty frightening up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series works because it is developed by accomplished storytellers who are also passionate gamers, alongside the visionaries behind the source material. This shared passion for the lore is evident in the end result.

The new batch of episodes is being released on a weekly basis rather than as a binge-able batch, marking a change from the previous season. This schedule will foster a different weekly discussion, a dynamic the showrunners themselves are eager to observe.

“It delves deeper, it’s bigger, it’s more humorous, it has a lot of twists,” teases Howard. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”