Behind the Scenes of the Fallout Universe, Gaming’s Most Astonishing Television Success

The post-apocalyptic TV show has made a triumphant return to Prime Video, and it's safe to say that viewers were agreeably astonished by the excellence of its initial run. By illustrating the retro-futuristic, nuclear-ravaged United States through the eyes of three different characters, it effectively portrayed multiple facets of the gamer's journey.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, attempting to uphold her morals and discovering that the ruined world made that very difficult; Max, the militant faction initiate, who begins to question his cult's dogma and unleashes significant chaos in powered exoskeleton; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has long since lost any sense of morality out in the radioactive wilderness.

Setting the Stage for the Second Season

The show's first season ending revealed crucial details about who helped cause the atomic conflict that condemned a society in subterranean shelters for an extended period. It also left several enigmas open for the upcoming chapter – and, now, hopes are significantly higher.

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

“Heading into the first season, people were like, ‘Just get it right’,” adds a key figure from the games. “We are ecstatic with the feedback to the show, so now people are coming in with more enthusiasm and new expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment

The second season is taking place in New Vegas, the location of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the sharpest dialogue and characters in the series, despite the fact that it was somewhat buggy at launch.

“It’s more of a sun-baked feel, a Mojave vibe, that’s so essential to that game,” says the co-creator. “That parched, blasted-out Route 66 feeling of the game is so much enjoyable to translate into the show.”

In the series narrative, a significant amount of time has elapsed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the characters make their way there. Yet, the creators hint that it acknowledges the fan's adventure.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its tactile feel – its makers insisted on physical models and sets were constructed, echoing the cobbled-together nature of the towns in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many series I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” observes co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The whole point of an adaptation, especially of a video game, is to seem like it’s real.”

Indeed, pretty much every element you see on-screen is real, even the notoriously frightening mutated beasts known as the apex predators. In the show, they are created using animatronics, and were apparently quite terrifying up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series resonates because it is made by accomplished storytellers who are also longtime fans, alongside the visionaries behind the source material. This shared passion for the world is clear in the finished show.

The second season is launching on a weekly basis rather than as a binge-able batch, marking a change from the initial release. This schedule will create a different viewing experience, something the team themselves are excited to engage with.

“It's richer, it’s bigger, it’s wittier, it has a lot of revelations,” teases Howard. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”