🔗 Share this article

The Fallout TV series is back to its platform, and it's fair to say that fans were agreeably astonished by the caliber of its debut season. By portraying the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic United States through the eyes of three distinct characters, it managed to capture multiple facets of the player's journey.

We followed vault-dweller Lucy, striving to do the right thing and learning that the wasteland made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction initiate, who starts challenging his organization's authority and creates a lot of havoc in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has entirely abandoned any moral compass out in the contaminated wastes.

Setting the Stage for Season Two

The debut season's finale unveiled a major secret about the culprits behind the atomic conflict that condemned a group of people in underground vaults for hundreds of years. It also posed plenty of questions unresolved for the upcoming chapter – and, now, anticipations are significantly higher.

“We’ll take ‘not terrible’ – we should print that on merchandise,” says the show's co-creator.

“Starting the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” comments Todd Howard. “We’re over the moon with the feedback to the show, so now people are bringing more eagerness and new expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment

The second season is located in the neon-lit city, the backdrop of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the best writing and characters in the series, even if it was a bit broken at launch.

“It has a desert vibe, a Southwestern essence, that’s so essential to that game,” says Nolan. “That parched, desolate Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much rewarding to translate into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a considerable period has passed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists arrive there. Nevertheless, the creators suggest that it acknowledges the fan's adventure.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its tangible quality – its creators insisted on real props and sets were built, mirroring the improvised nature of the settlements in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many shows I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all standing in front of a blue screen,” comments co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The whole point of an translation, particularly of a interactive medium, is to appear as if it’s real.”

In fact, almost every element you see on-screen is physical, including the legendarily scary irradiated monsters known as the apex predators. In the show, they are created using practical effects, and were apparently pretty frightening up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series succeeds because it is crafted by skilled directors who are also passionate gamers, in collaboration with the visionaries behind the video games. This mutual respect 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 previous season. This approach will create a different weekly discussion, something the creators themselves are excited to witness.

“It delves deeper, it’s more expansive, it’s funnier, it has a lot of twists,” teases the game director. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”