Behind the Scenes of Fallout, the Gaming World’s Most Surprising Television Success

The Fallout TV show has come back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that audiences were pleasantly surprised by the excellence of its first season. By portraying the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three distinct characters, it managed to capture multiple facets of the gamer's adventure.

We followed vault-dweller Lucy, attempting to uphold her morals and finding that the ruined world made that very difficult; Max, the militant faction new recruit, who begins to question his organization's dogma and causes significant chaos in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a fan-favorite figure who has completely shed any sense of morality out in the contaminated wastes.

Building Anticipation for the Second Season

The debut season's finale disclosed a major secret about the culprits behind the global annihilation that sealed a population in bomb-proof bunkers for hundreds of years. It also left numerous mysteries unresolved for the next installment – and, this time, anticipations are much greater.

“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” quips one of the series creators.

“Heading into the first season, people were like, ‘Just get it right’,” adds the game director. “We are ecstatic with the feedback to the show, so now people are bringing more eagerness and altered expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for Season Two

The new season is set in the neon-lit city, the backdrop 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 somewhat buggy at launch.

“It has a arid atmosphere, a Southwestern essence, that’s so integral to that game,” says Nolan. “That dusty, desolate iconic highway vibe of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the show's timeline, 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 player’s journey.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is notable for its physical authenticity – its makers insisted on physical models and environments were built, reflecting the improvised nature of the towns in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many series I watch, I’m aware that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” observes co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The primary goal of an translation, particularly of a interactive medium, is to appear as if it’s tangible.”

Indeed, pretty much everything you see on-screen is practical, even the legendarily scary radioactive creatures known as the apex predators. In the show, they are created using puppets, and were by all accounts pretty frightening up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series resonates because it is made by skilled directors who are also dedicated players, in collaboration with the original creators behind the franchise. This mutual respect for the universe is apparent in the final product.

The new batch of episodes is debuting on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a binge-able batch, representing a shift from the first season. This format will create a altered audience reaction, a dynamic the team themselves are looking forward to observe.

“It has more depth, it’s more expansive, it’s wittier, it has a lot of twists,” teases the game director. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”