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The post-apocalyptic TV series 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 depicting the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the perspectives of three separate characters, it succeeded in capturing different facets of the player's adventure.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, trying to act with integrity and discovering that the ruined world made that exceptionally challenging; Brotherhood initiate Max, the Brotherhood of Steel initiate, who starts challenging his cult's leadership and creates plenty of trouble in robotic power armour; and the Ghoul, a fan-favorite figure who has entirely abandoned any sense of morality out in the radioactive wastes.

Setting the Stage for the Second Season

The show's first season ending unveiled a major secret about the culprits behind the atomic conflict that condemned a group of people in underground vaults for hundreds of years. It also posed plenty of questions unresolved for the next installment – and, this time, expectations are much greater.

“We’ll take ‘not terrible’ – we should print that on merchandise,” says the show's co-creator.

“Starting the initial season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” adds the game director. “We’re over the moon with the feedback to the show, so now people are arriving with more enthusiasm and new expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment

The second season is set in the neon-lit city, the location of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the best writing and characters in the franchise, despite the fact that it was technically flawed at launch.

“It has a sun-baked feel, a Mojave vibe, that’s so integral to that game,” explains the co-creator. “That parched, blasted-out iconic highway vibe of the game is so much enjoyable to incorporate into the show.”

In the series narrative, a considerable period has elapsed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the characters make their way there. However, the creators suggest that it will honor the gamer's experience.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its tangible quality – its makers ensured authentic items and sets were constructed, mirroring the cobbled-together nature of the outposts in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many productions I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all filmed against a digital backdrop,” observes another of the showrunners. “The key objective of an translation, particularly of a video game, is to seem like it’s real.”

Indeed, virtually everything you see on-screen is physical, including the infamously terrifying irradiated monsters known as the apex predators. In the show, they are created using animatronics, and were apparently rather intimidating up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series works because it is made by accomplished storytellers who are also passionate gamers, with the help of the game developers behind the video games. This shared passion for the universe is evident in the end result.

The new batch of episodes is being released on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a binge-able batch, representing a shift from the initial release. This format will foster a new audience reaction, a dynamic the creators themselves are eager to witness.

“It delves deeper, it’s bigger, it’s funnier, it has a lot of surprises,” promises Howard. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”