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The Fallout TV series has come back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that viewers were pleasantly surprised by the quality of its first season. By portraying the retro-futuristic, nuclear-ravaged United States through the perspectives of three distinct characters, it effectively portrayed multiple facets of the gamer's adventure.

There was vault-dweller Lucy, trying to do the right thing and discovering that the wasteland made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction rookie, who begins to question his organization's authority and creates a lot of havoc in robotic power armour; and Walton Goggins's character, a fan-favorite figure who has completely shed any moral compass out in the irradiated wastes.

Setting the Stage for the Second Season

The debut season's finale revealed key information about who helped cause the global annihilation that condemned a population in subterranean shelters for an extended period. It also raised plenty of questions open for the second season – and, now, anticipations are much greater.

“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” quips Jonah Nolan.

“Going into the first season, everyone’s like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” comments a key figure from the games. “We are ecstatic with the feedback to the show, so now people are bringing more eagerness and new expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for Season Two

The upcoming season is located in the neon-lit city, the location of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the best writing and characters in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch.

“It’s more of a sun-baked feel, a Southwestern essence, that’s so integral to that game,” says Nolan. “That parched, desolate Route 66 feeling of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a considerable period has elapsed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the characters make their way there. Yet, the creators suggest that it acknowledges the player’s journey.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is distinguished by its tactile feel – its production team prioritized physical models and environments were built, mirroring the makeshift nature of the outposts in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many series I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” says another of the showrunners. “The whole point of an translation, particularly of a interactive medium, is to seem like it’s real.”

Actually, almost every element you see on-screen is real, including the notoriously frightening mutated beasts known as the apex predators. In the show, they are brought to life with animatronics, and were apparently quite terrifying up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series succeeds because it is developed by talented film-makers who are also longtime fans, alongside the game developers behind the video games. This shared passion for the universe is clear in the final product.

The new batch of episodes is being released on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a binge-able batch, offering a different experience from the previous season. This schedule will allow for a different audience reaction, a dynamic the team themselves are excited to witness.

“It has more depth, it’s more expansive, it’s wittier, it has a lot of twists,” promises Howard. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”