🔗 Share this article

The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that viewers were delightfully shocked by the quality of its debut season. By portraying the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three distinct characters, it effectively portrayed various facets of the gamer's journey.

We followed vault-dweller Lucy, attempting to uphold her morals and finding that the ruined world made that exceptionally challenging; Max, the militant faction rookie, who begins to question his faction's leadership and causes plenty of trouble in robotic power armour; and Walton Goggins's character, a fan-favorite figure who has long since lost any ethical bearings out in the irradiated wastes.

Building Anticipation for the Second Season

The show's first season conclusion revealed a major secret about those responsible for the global annihilation that sealed a society in underground vaults for centuries. It also posed plenty of questions unresolved for the second season – and, now, expectations are considerably elevated.

“We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” quips Jonah Nolan.

“Starting the first season, everyone’s like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” adds the game director. “We’re over the moon with the reception to the show, so now people are arriving with more enthusiasm and altered expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment

The second season is taking place in the neon-lit city, the setting of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is frequently celebrated for having the most compelling narratives and cast in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch.

“It has a arid atmosphere, a Southwestern essence, that’s so essential to that game,” says the co-creator. “That dusty, desolate Route 66 feeling of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a considerable period has passed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists make their way there. However, the creators suggest that it does reference the player’s journey.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is praised for its physical authenticity – its production team prioritized physical models and locations were constructed, reflecting the makeshift nature of the outposts in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many shows I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a digital backdrop,” says co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The whole point of an adaptation, especially of a interactive medium, is to seem like it’s authentic.”

Actually, pretty much each creature you see on-screen is physical, including the notoriously frightening radioactive creatures known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are created using animatronics, and were reportedly rather intimidating up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series succeeds because it is crafted by accomplished storytellers who are also dedicated players, alongside the game developers behind the video games. This common understanding for the lore is evident in the final product.

The new batch of episodes is debuting on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a all-at-once release, marking a change from the first season. This format will allow for a new weekly discussion, a dynamic the creators themselves are looking forward to observe.

“It's richer, it’s more expansive, it’s funnier, it has a lot of twists,” promises the game director. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”