🔗 Share this article Inside the Fallout Universe, Gaming’s Most Unexpected TV Hit The Fallout TV series has made a triumphant return to streaming services, and it's safe to say that viewers were pleasantly surprised by the caliber of its debut season. By portraying the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the perspectives of three distinct characters, it succeeded in capturing multiple facets of the gamer's experience. There was vault-dweller Lucy, striving to do the right thing and discovering that the barren landscape made that very difficult; Brotherhood initiate Max, the Brotherhood of Steel rookie, who starts challenging his faction's leadership and causes significant chaos in mechanized battle suit; and Walton Goggins's character, a standout performance who has entirely abandoned any sense of morality out in the radioactive badlands. Building Anticipation for a New Chapter The debut season's conclusion disclosed a major secret about the culprits behind the nuclear war that trapped a population in underground vaults for hundreds of years. It also left numerous mysteries unresolved for the upcoming chapter – and, on this occasion, hopes are much greater. “We'd gladly accept ‘not terrible’ – let’s get that on a poster,” says Jonah Nolan. “Heading into the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” adds a key figure from the games. “We are thrilled with the reception to the show, so this time people are bringing more enthusiasm and altered expectations.” A New Vegas Vibe for Season Two The upcoming season is set in the neon-lit city, the backdrop of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the best writing and personalities in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch. “It embodies a sun-baked feel, a Mojave vibe, that’s so key to that game,” says the co-creator. “That dusty, blasted-out iconic highway vibe of the game is so much rewarding to incorporate into the show.” In the show's timeline, a significant amount of time has passed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists arrive there. However, the creators hint that it acknowledges the gamer's experience. The Importance of Physical Sets The Fallout TV series is praised for its physical authenticity – its production team insisted on physical models and locations were fabricated, echoing the cobbled-together nature of the outposts in the games. “Being a genre enthusiast, so many productions I watch, I’m aware that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” observes another of the showrunners. “The primary goal of an adaptation, especially of a video game, is to feel like it’s real.” Indeed, pretty much each creature you see on-screen is real, even the notoriously frightening irradiated monsters known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are portrayed by animatronics, and were by all accounts pretty frightening up close. A Labor of Love The Fallout series resonates because it is made by skilled directors who are also longtime fans, alongside the game developers behind the source material. This shared passion for the world is clear in the end result. The second season is debuting on a weekly basis rather than as a binge-able batch, representing a shift from the first season. This approach will allow for a new weekly discussion, something the team themselves are excited to witness. “It delves deeper, it’s bigger, it’s funnier, it has a lot of twists,” teases Howard. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”