Behind the Scenes of Fallout, the Gaming World’s Most Unexpected TV Hit
The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to streaming services, and it's safe 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 succeeded in capturing multiple facets of the player's experience.
There was vault-dweller Lucy, attempting to uphold her morals and finding that the wasteland made that very difficult; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction rookie, who starts doubting his organization's leadership and causes a lot of havoc in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a fan-favorite figure who has long since lost any moral compass out in the irradiated wilderness.
Building Anticipation for Season Two
The show's first season finale unveiled a major secret about those responsible for the nuclear war that trapped a group of people in underground vaults for centuries. It also left plenty of questions open for the upcoming chapter – and, this time, expectations are considerably elevated.
“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” quips Jonah Nolan.
“Starting the initial season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” comments Todd Howard. “We’re over the moon with the response to the show, so this time people are coming in with more excitement and altered expectations.”
The Mojave Beckons for Season Two
The upcoming season is located in New Vegas, the backdrop of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the sharpest dialogue and characters in the series, despite the fact that it was a bit broken at launch.
“It has a arid atmosphere, a Southwestern essence, that’s so integral to that game,” notes the co-creator. “That parched, desolate Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much rewarding to incorporate into the show.”
In the series narrative, a considerable period has passed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists make their way there. Yet, the creators indicate that it does reference the fan's adventure.
The Importance of Physical Sets
The Fallout TV series is praised for its tangible quality – its makers ensured authentic items and locations were built, reflecting the cobbled-together nature of the towns in the games.
“Being a genre enthusiast, so many productions I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all standing in front of a green screen,” observes co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The primary goal of an translation, particularly of a video game, is to appear as if it’s authentic.”
In fact, almost each creature you see on-screen is physical, including the infamously terrifying mutated beasts known as the apex predators. In the show, they are brought to life with puppets, and were by all accounts pretty frightening up close.
A Labor of Love
The Fallout series succeeds because it is developed by skilled directors who are also passionate gamers, in collaboration with the original creators behind the source material. This common understanding for the world is clear in the end result.
The new batch of episodes is being released on a weekly basis rather than as a binge-able batch, offering a different experience from the first season. This format will allow for a new weekly discussion, a dynamic the showrunners themselves are looking forward to observe.
“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.”