🔗 Share this article

The Fallout TV series is back to streaming services, and it's safe to say that fans were delightfully shocked by the caliber of its debut season. By portraying the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic United States through the eyes of three distinct characters, it effectively portrayed multiple facets of the player's experience.

There was Lucy the vault dweller, trying to act with integrity and discovering that the ruined world made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction initiate, who begins to question his faction's authority and causes plenty of trouble in robotic power armour; and Walton Goggins's character, a standout performance who has long since lost any sense of morality out in the radioactive badlands.

Setting the Stage for Season Two

The show's first season finale disclosed crucial details about the culprits behind the global annihilation that condemned a society in subterranean shelters for an extended period. It also posed several enigmas unanswered for the upcoming chapter – and, on this occasion, hopes are significantly higher.

“We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” quips Jonah Nolan.

“Going into the first season, people were like, ‘Just get it right’,” adds the game director. “We are thrilled with the reception to the show, so this time people are coming in with more enthusiasm and new expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for Season Two

The second season is taking place in New Vegas, the backdrop of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the sharpest dialogue and cast in the series, despite the fact that it was somewhat buggy at launch.

“It has a arid atmosphere, a Mojave vibe, that’s so essential to that game,” says Nolan. “That dusty, blasted-out Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much fun to incorporate 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 protagonists make their way there. Nevertheless, the creators hint that it acknowledges the gamer's experience.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is praised for its tangible quality – its makers insisted on real props and environments were fabricated, reflecting the makeshift nature of the settlements in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many series I watch, I’m aware that they’re all standing in front of a blue screen,” observes another of the showrunners. “The whole point of an adaptation, especially of a interactive medium, is to seem like it’s tangible.”

In fact, virtually every element you see on-screen is real, including the notoriously frightening radioactive creatures known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are brought to life with puppets, and were apparently pretty frightening up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series succeeds because it is crafted by talented film-makers who are also longtime fans, with the help of the original creators behind the franchise. This common understanding for the world is clear in the end result.

The second season is launching on a weekly basis rather than as a full-season drop, marking a change from the initial release. This format will create a altered viewing experience, a dynamic the showrunners themselves are looking forward to engage with.

“It has more depth, it’s bigger, it’s funnier, it has a lot of revelations,” says Howard. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”