🔗 Share this article

The Fallout TV series has made a triumphant return to streaming services, and it's fair to say that audiences were pleasantly surprised by the caliber of its debut season. By depicting the atomic-age, nuclear-ravaged United States through the eyes of three separate characters, it effectively portrayed various facets of the player's adventure.

There was Lucy the vault dweller, striving to do the right thing and finding that the barren landscape made that exceptionally challenging; Brotherhood initiate Max, the Brotherhood of Steel new recruit, who starts doubting his faction's authority and creates a lot of havoc in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has long since lost any sense of morality out in the radioactive badlands.

Setting the Stage for a New Chapter

The show's first season ending revealed key information about the culprits behind the nuclear war that sealed a group of people in underground vaults for centuries. It also raised several enigmas unresolved for the upcoming chapter – and, on this occasion, hopes are considerably elevated.

“We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” quips the show's co-creator.

“Starting the initial season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” comments the game director. “We are ecstatic with the response to the show, so this time people are arriving with more eagerness and different expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment

The new season is taking place in New Vegas, the setting of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the most compelling narratives and personalities in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch.

“It has a desert vibe, a Mojave vibe, that’s so essential to that game,” notes Nolan. “That dusty, desolate iconic highway feeling of the game is so much rewarding to incorporate into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a long time has passed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the characters make their way there. Yet, the creators suggest that it acknowledges the player’s journey.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its tangible quality – its creators insisted on physical models and sets were constructed, mirroring the cobbled-together nature of the towns in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many productions I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” comments co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The primary goal of an translation, especially of a interactive medium, is to feel like it’s real.”

In fact, almost each creature you see on-screen is physical, including the legendarily scary mutated beasts known as the apex predators. In the show, they are portrayed by animatronics, and were apparently rather intimidating up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series works because it is crafted by accomplished storytellers who are also dedicated players, alongside the visionaries behind the franchise. This shared passion for the universe 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 initial release. This schedule will allow for a new audience reaction, a dynamic the creators themselves are looking forward to observe.

“It has more depth, it’s larger in scale, it’s funnier, it has a lot of surprises,” says Howard. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”