🔗 Share this article

The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to Prime Video, and it's fair to say that fans were agreeably astonished by the caliber of its debut season. By portraying the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three separate characters, it managed to capture multiple facets of the gamer's journey.

We followed vault-dweller Lucy, attempting to do the right thing and discovering that the wasteland made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction initiate, who begins to question his cult's dogma and causes significant chaos in powered exoskeleton; and Walton Goggins's character, a standout performance who has entirely abandoned any sense of morality out in the irradiated wilderness.

Setting the Stage for a New Chapter

The show's first season ending unveiled key information about the culprits behind the global annihilation that sealed a group of people in subterranean shelters for an extended period. It also posed plenty of questions unanswered for the upcoming chapter – and, this time, hopes are considerably elevated.

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

“Starting the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” states the game director. “We’re over the moon with the response to the show, so now people are bringing more enthusiasm and different expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for the Next Installment

The upcoming season is located in the neon-lit city, the backdrop of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is frequently celebrated for having the most compelling narratives and personalities in the franchise, even if it was a bit broken at launch.

“It embodies a arid atmosphere, a Mojave vibe, that’s so integral to that game,” says the co-creator. “That parched, desolate iconic highway vibe of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a long time has elapsed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the characters make their way there. Yet, the creators indicate that it acknowledges the gamer's experience.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its physical authenticity – its makers ensured physical models and sets were built, echoing the makeshift nature of the settlements in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many series I watch, I’m aware that they’re all standing in front of a green screen,” says another of the showrunners. “The whole point of an translation, particularly of a video game, is to appear as if it’s real.”

Actually, pretty much everything you see on-screen is real, including the infamously terrifying mutated beasts known as the apex predators. In the show, they are created using practical effects, and were apparently quite terrifying up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series succeeds because it is made by talented film-makers who are also dedicated players, in collaboration with the original creators behind the franchise. This mutual respect for the lore is clear in the finished show.

The second season is being released on a weekly basis rather than as a binge-able batch, marking a change from the previous season. This format will allow for a different weekly discussion, something the creators themselves are looking forward to engage with.

“It's richer, it’s bigger, it’s wittier, it has a lot of surprises,” teases the game director. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”