🔗 Share this article

The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to its platform, and it's fair to say that fans were delightfully shocked by the quality of its debut season. By illustrating the retro-futuristic, nuclear-ravaged United States through the eyes of three different characters, it effectively portrayed different facets of the player's journey.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, trying to do the right thing and discovering that the wasteland made that incredibly hard; Max, the militant faction new recruit, who starts doubting his cult's leadership and causes a lot of havoc in powered exoskeleton; and Walton Goggins's character, a standout performance who has long since lost any moral compass out in the radioactive wastes.

Setting the Stage for the Second Season

The debut season's finale disclosed key information about the culprits behind the global annihilation that sealed a society in bomb-proof bunkers for centuries. It also left plenty of questions open for the next installment – and, on this occasion, anticipations are significantly higher.

“We'd gladly accept ‘not terrible’ – we should print that on merchandise,” remarks the show's co-creator.

“Starting the first season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” comments a key figure from the games. “We’re over the moon with the feedback to the show, so this time people are arriving with more enthusiasm and altered expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for Season Two

The second season is set in the neon-lit city, the setting of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the most compelling narratives and characters in the series, even if it was somewhat buggy at launch.

“It’s more of a arid atmosphere, a Mojave vibe, that’s so integral to that game,” explains the co-creator. “That dusty, desolate Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much enjoyable to incorporate into the show.”

In the series narrative, a considerable period has passed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the characters make their way there. However, the creators indicate that it acknowledges the gamer's experience.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is praised for its physical authenticity – its creators prioritized physical models and sets were fabricated, mirroring the makeshift 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 whole point of an adaptation, particularly of a interactive medium, is to seem like it’s real.”

Indeed, virtually everything you see on-screen is real, even the notoriously frightening irradiated monsters known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are created using animatronics, and were apparently quite terrifying up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series succeeds because it is made by skilled directors who are also passionate gamers, alongside the original creators behind the video games. This shared passion for the universe is evident in the finished show.

The second season is launching on a weekly basis rather than as a all-at-once release, marking a change from the initial release. This approach will foster a new audience reaction, something the showrunners themselves are excited to witness.

“It's richer, it’s bigger, it’s wittier, it has a lot of revelations,” says Howard. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”