Exploring the Fallout Universe, the Gaming World’s Most Unexpected TV Hit
The Fallout TV series has come back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that audiences were delightfully shocked by the excellence of its debut season. By illustrating the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic United States through the perspectives of three distinct characters, it managed to capture various facets of the gamer's experience.
There was vault-dweller Lucy, attempting to uphold her morals and finding that the barren landscape made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction new recruit, who starts challenging his cult's dogma and creates significant chaos in powered exoskeleton; and the Ghoul, a fan-favorite figure who has entirely abandoned any ethical bearings out in the radioactive wilderness.
Building Anticipation for Season Two
The show's first season ending disclosed a major secret about who helped cause the nuclear war that sealed a society in underground vaults for an extended period. It also raised several enigmas unresolved for the next installment – and, on this occasion, hopes are significantly higher.
“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” says the show's co-creator.
“Starting the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” adds Todd Howard. “We are thrilled with the feedback to the show, so this time people are arriving with more excitement and altered expectations.”
The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment
The second season is located in the neon-lit city, the setting of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the best writing and characters in the franchise, even if it was technically flawed at launch.
“It has a arid atmosphere, a Mojave vibe, that’s so key to that game,” notes the co-creator. “That dusty, blasted-out Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much enjoyable to incorporate into the show.”
In the series narrative, a significant amount of time has passed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists make their way there. Yet, the creators hint that it will honor the player’s journey.
The Importance of Physical Sets
The Fallout TV series is distinguished by its physical authenticity – its production team prioritized physical models and locations were fabricated, echoing the makeshift nature of the towns in the games.
“As a sci-fi fan, so many shows I watch, I’m aware that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” comments co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The key objective of an translation, particularly of a video game, is to seem like it’s tangible.”
In fact, pretty much each creature you see on-screen is practical, even the notoriously frightening irradiated monsters known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are portrayed by animatronics, and were apparently quite terrifying up close.
A Labor of Love
The Fallout series works because it is developed by skilled directors who are also longtime fans, in collaboration with the visionaries behind the franchise. This shared passion for the lore is apparent in the final product.
The second season is launching on a weekly basis rather than as a full-season drop, offering a different experience from the first season. This format will allow for a different audience reaction, a dynamic the showrunners themselves are looking forward to engage with.
“It has more depth, it’s more expansive, it’s more humorous, it has a lot of revelations,” teases Howard. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”