🔗 Share this article

The Fallout TV show is back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that viewers were delightfully shocked by the caliber of its first season. By illustrating the retro-futuristic, nuclear-ravaged United States through the lenses of three different characters, it managed to capture various facets of the player's journey.

There was Lucy the vault dweller, striving to uphold her morals and learning that the ruined world made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction rookie, who starts challenging his organization's dogma and creates a lot of havoc in mechanized battle suit; and Walton Goggins's character, a standout performance who has long since lost any sense of morality out in the contaminated wilderness.

Setting the Stage for a New Chapter

The show's first season finale revealed crucial details about those responsible for the nuclear war that condemned a society in bomb-proof bunkers for an extended period. It also raised plenty of questions unanswered for the next installment – and, now, anticipations are significantly higher.

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

“Starting the initial 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 arriving with more excitement and different expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for Season Two

The upcoming season is set in New Vegas, the setting of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the most compelling narratives and characters in the franchise, even if it was a bit broken at launch.

“It’s more of a arid atmosphere, a Southwestern essence, that’s so essential to that game,” explains Nolan. “That dusty, blasted-out iconic highway vibe of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the series narrative, a significant amount of time has elapsed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists arrive there. However, the creators suggest that it will honor the player’s journey.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is praised for its physical authenticity – its production team ensured physical models and locations were constructed, mirroring the cobbled-together nature of the towns in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many shows I watch, I’m aware that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” says another of the showrunners. “The primary goal of an translation, especially of a interactive medium, is to seem like it’s tangible.”

Actually, almost every element you see on-screen is real, including the notoriously frightening mutated beasts known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are created using puppets, and were by all accounts rather intimidating up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series succeeds because it is developed by accomplished storytellers who are also dedicated players, with the help of the game developers behind the video games. This mutual respect for the lore is apparent in the finished show.

The second season is being released on a weekly basis rather than as a full-season drop, representing a shift from the initial release. This format will allow for a new viewing experience, a dynamic the showrunners themselves are looking forward to witness.

“It delves deeper, it’s bigger, it’s wittier, it has a lot of surprises,” promises Howard. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”