Exploring the Fallout Universe, the Gaming World’s Most Surprising TV Hit
The Fallout TV series has made a triumphant return to its platform, and it's fair to say that viewers were pleasantly surprised by the caliber of its first season. By depicting the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three separate characters, it effectively portrayed various facets of the player's adventure.
We followed vault-dweller Lucy, trying to do the right thing and learning that the ruined world made that very difficult; Max, the militant faction initiate, who starts doubting his cult's leadership and causes plenty of trouble in mechanized battle suit; and Walton Goggins's character, a standout performance who has completely shed any moral compass out in the irradiated badlands.
Setting the Stage for Season Two
The show's first season finale unveiled a major secret about those responsible for the atomic conflict that sealed a group of people in subterranean shelters for centuries. It also left plenty of questions unanswered for the second season – and, on this occasion, anticipations are considerably elevated.
“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” quips one of the series creators.
“Going into the initial season, people were like, ‘Just get it right’,” comments Todd Howard. “We are thrilled with the response to the show, so now people are arriving with more enthusiasm and altered expectations.”
A New Vegas Vibe for the Next Installment
The new season is set in New Vegas, the location of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the best writing 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,” explains Nolan. “That dusty, desolate iconic highway aesthetic of the game is so much enjoyable to incorporate into the show.”
In the show's timeline, a significant amount of time has elapsed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the characters make their way there. Nevertheless, the creators suggest that it does reference the gamer's experience.
The Importance of Physical Sets
The Fallout TV series is praised for its physical authenticity – its makers insisted on authentic items and sets were built, echoing the makeshift nature of the settlements in the games.
“As a sci-fi fan, so many shows I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a digital backdrop,” observes co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The whole point of an translation, particularly of a video game, is to appear as if it’s authentic.”
In fact, almost everything you see on-screen is real, including the notoriously frightening mutated beasts known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are created using practical effects, and were apparently quite terrifying up close.
A Labor of Love
The Fallout series resonates because it is made by skilled directors who are also longtime fans, with the help of the game developers behind the source material. This mutual respect for the lore is clear in the finished show.
The second season is debuting on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a full-season drop, offering a different experience from the first season. This format will allow for a different viewing experience, a dynamic the creators themselves are eager to engage with.
“It delves deeper, it’s larger in scale, it’s funnier, it has a lot of surprises,” promises Howard. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”