Fallout (TV series)

Fallout is a television series based on the video game series of the same name. It is set in the world of Fallout and is a new original story in the franchise, rather than a re-telling of any of the previous games.^[2] Licensed to Amazon Studios,^[3] the series was developed by Kilter Films, in association with Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks. Executive producers include Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, and Athena Wickham for Kilter Films, Todd Howard for Bethesda Game Studios, and James Altman for Bethesda Softworks.^[4]

Fallout entered production in mid-2022, with Jonathan Nolan directing the first three episodes,^[5] as well as Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner serving as showrunners.^[6] Production and filming for the series took place across New York, New Jersey, Utah and the ghost town of Kolmanskop in the country of Namibia.^[7]

The series premiered on April 10, 2024. It has been renewed for an upcoming second season.^[1]

Fallout is not to be confused with Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game which is the title of the first video game in 1997. Despite this, both installements are set in the same region, with Shady Sands visited in both media.

Plot[]

Fallout is set in 2296, 219 years after the Great War of 2077, which killed the vast majority of humanity in a nuclear holocaust. It is also set 9 years after Fallout 4. It is heavily implied that Fallout begins near the end of 2296, as a terminal mentions it is 2297 by episode 5, and Lucy mentions while leaving Vault 4 she has only been on the surface for two weeks. During the Great War, some citizens of pre-War America managed to survive the war in Vaults, massive fallout shelters constructed by the Vault-Tec Corporation across the United States, and Fallout focuses on their descendants.

Lucy MacLean is a resident of one such Vault: Vault 33, located in the ruined city of Los Angeles. She has spent her life underground and is currently applying to have a husband from Vault 32 in an arranged marriage. After a tragic event involving a woman named Lee Moldaver, Lucy decides to leave for the surface on a mission to save her father Hank.^[8]

As she becomes accustomed to the dangers of the wasteland, she encounters other characters including Maximus, a young soldier in the Brotherhood of Steel, as well as the Ghoul, a ghoulified bounty hunter.^[9] The protagonists' paths converge as they chase an artifact from an enigmatic researcher named Siggi Wilzig which has the potential to reshape the power dynamic of the entire wasteland.^[8] Other perspectives include that of pre-War Hollywood star, Cooper Howard, the man who became the Ghoul; as well as the continued story of Vault 33's dwellers after Lucy leaves on her journey, shown through the perspective of her brother Norm MacLean.^[10]

Other details about the series include Filly, a junkyard-like settlement in the greater Los Angeles area; the Prydwen, an airship built and used by the Brotherhood; as well as Vault-Tec Corporation mascot Vault Boy being given a backstory.^[9] The series features four Vaults (4, 31, 32 and 33), the latter three are interconnected via exchanging resources.^[11]

Themes[]

Similar to the video games, Fallout features sociopolitical commentary and was intended to challenge the idea of black-and-white morality. A major goal was to get away from the binary thinking of people as being simply good or evil.^[9]

One of the story's themes is about exploring America as a place of haves and have-nots, and how being wealthy and never having to struggle for basic amenities such as food can drastically alter someone's perspective and opinions. Fallout explores Lucy's collision with the hard reality of other people’s experiences and what happened to the people who had no Vault and were left behind to die. Director Nolan compares this to real-life America, saying the wealth gap division has intensified over the last decades. Lucy's status as a Vault Dweller is mocked by characters such as Ma June and the Ghoul who view her as privileged.

Another intended theme regarding the Vaults is them being used as a metaphor about the hardships of immigration, particularly countries with open/closed border policies, and what excluding certain people could mean.^[12] Other themes include the morality of the death penalty, how people turn to religion in times of grief, how civilizations and factions are not immortal, how people's individual freedoms and human rights may be under attack, and the importance of exercising caution when dealing with strangers. Another theme is how people may not be what they seem, with Lucy discovering a major revelation about someone she trusted, while also jumping to negative conclusions about a particular group who seem evil and sinister, but she winds up misjudging their intentions.

The show was criticized by certain people for having one of the four protagonists be a woman, resulting in Ella Purnell criticizing this idea, saying the Fallout games are inherently political and that analyzing society and its different groups is part of the DNA of Fallout. Purnell said she loves seeing women in survival dramas and seeing the brutality and violence women are capable of when they are hungry and in survival mode, and that it breaks stereotypes of what women have to be portrayed as in media, commenting, "You're not this together, pretty picture that films originally depicted women as."^[13]

Locations[]

Mentioned-only

This list includes locations mentioned only in supplementary and/or promotional materials for the TV show.

Factions[]

• Brotherhood of Steel
• Enclave
• Sorrel Booker's "govermint"
• New California Republic
• Raiders
• Vault 32 raiders
• Vault-Tec Corporation
  • Hawthorne Medical Laboratories

Canonicity[]

According to Todd Howard, the events of the Fallout TV series are considered part of the official Fallout canon, as he states, "We view what's happening in the show as canon." Bethesda Softworks has had some amount of oversight to ensure that the scripts fit within the existing world of Fallout and the series' previous titles.^[9] Howard and other show creators view the TV series as a mainline series entry in its own right, akin to Fallout 5.^[14]

Cast and characters[]

Main characters[]

• Lucy MacLean (portrayed by Ella Purnell, and Luciana VanDette as a child) is a resident of Vault 33. She has grown up in the Vault throughout her life and has an arranged marriage. She can be naive, but is a good shot with guns and has strong determination.
• Norm MacLean (portrayed by Moisés Arias) is Lucy's brother who is slightly younger than her. When Lucy leaves the Vault, the rest of the events are shown through his perspective as discovers a dark conspiracy regarding Vaults 31, 32 and 33.
• The Ghoul (portrayed by Walton Goggins) is a man transformed into a radiated human known as a ghoul. He was a famous actor Cooper Howard before the Great War, and was the father of a girl named Janey.
• Maximus (portrayed by Aaron Moten, and Amir Carr as a child) is a low-ranking member of the Brotherhood of Steel who yearns to be respected within the organization.
• Dane (portrayed by Xelia Mendes-Jones) is Maximus' friend in the Brotherhood of Steel.
• Hank MacLean (portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, and a younger version by Benjamin Izaak^[15]) is Lucy's father, as well as the overseer of Vault 33. He is abducted by Lee Moldaver and her raiders, and locating him is Lucy's motive.

Supporting characters[]

• Betty Pearson (portrayed by Leslie Uggams, and a younger version by Princess Bey) becomes the new overseer of Vault 33 after Hank's abduction. Norm becomes increasingly suspicious of her, as it seems there is more than she is letting on.
• Chet (portrayed by Dave Register) is Lucy's and Norm's cousin. He investigates strange events with Norm.
• Lee Moldaver (portrayed by Sarita Choudhury) is a leader of the NCR. Her gang abducts Hank MacLean.
• Dr. Siggi Wilzig (portrayed by Michael Emerson) is a scientist of the Enclave who flees the organization. He takes a dog with him, CX404. Wilzig becomes targeted by the Brotherhood of Steel.
• Barb Howard (portrayed by Frances Turner) is Howard's wife before the Great War and a Vault-Tec executive.
• Thaddeus (portrayed by Johnny Pemberton) is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel who becomes Maximus' companion during his mission.

Other characters[]

This list will only include recurring or otherwise major guest characters. Other minor or background characters will be listed on the articles of each season and episode.

Vault 33[]

Vault 4[]

Wastelanders[]

Brotherhood of Steel[]

Pre-War[]

Items/Vehicles[]

• Armor and clothing
• Consumables
• Weapons
• Vehicles

Episode list[]

Episode	Title	Director	Writer	Original Airdate
S1.E01	The End	Jonathan Nolan	Graham Wagner Geneva Robertson-Dworet	April 10, 2024
S1.E02	The Target	Jonathan Nolan	Graham Wagner Geneva Robertson-Dworet	April 10, 2024
S1.E03	The Head	Jonathan Nolan	Graham Wagner Geneva Robertson-Dworet	April 10, 2024
S1.E04	The Ghouls	Daniel Gray Longino	Kieran Fitzgerald	April 10, 2024
S1.E05	The Past	Clare Kilner	Carson Mell	April 10, 2024
S1.E06	The Trap	Frederick E.O. Toye	Karey Dornetto Geneva Robertson-Dworet Graham Wagner	April 10, 2024
S1.E07	The Radio	Clare Kilner Frederick E.O. Toye	Chaz Hawkins	April 10, 2024
S1.E08	The Beginning	Wayne Yip	Gursimran Sandhu	April 10, 2024

Development[]

Early production[]

The idea for a TV series adaptation of Fallout were first discussed between Todd Howard and Jonathan Nolan in 2019. According to Nolan, Howard had rejected various TV adaptation offers in the past. Nolan had played Fallout 3 very extensively and was "very taken" with the Fallout setting. They found it easy to work together during their initial meeting and continued discussions over the coming months.^[11]

The rights to the TV series adaptation of Fallout were purchased by Amazon in 2020 following months of negotiation.^[3][4] A teaser for the series was released on July 2, 2020, revealing Amazon and Kilter Films' involvement.^[16] Following the announcement, the Kilter team stated, "Fallout is one of the greatest game series of all time. Each chapter of this insanely imaginative story has cost us countless hours we could have spent with family and friends. So we're incredibly excited to partner with Todd Howard and the rest of the brilliant lunatics at Bethesda to bring this massive, subversive, and darkly funny universe to life with Amazon Studios."^[3]

Albert Cheng, chief operating officer and co-head of television at Amazon Studios, said, "Fallout is an iconic global franchise, with legions of fans worldwide and a rich, deeply compelling storyline that powers it. And Jonah and Lisa are the perfect storytellers to bring this series to life. We’re thrilled to join with Bethesda to bring Fallout to television."^[17] Todd Howard stated that "over the last decade, we looked at many ways to bring Fallout to the screen, but it was clear from the moment I first spoke with Jonah and Lisa a few years ago, that they and the team at Kilter were the ones to do it right. We're enormous fans of their work and couldn't be more excited to work with them and Amazon Studios."^[4]

In an August 2021 interview, Lisa Joy described the upcoming series as "a gonzo, crazy, funny, adventure, and mindfuck like none you’ve ever seen before. It’s pretty cool."^[18] In November 2021 Reddit AMA, Todd Howard confirmed that the series was still in motion, stating: "[It's] moving ahead. [I'm] really excited to be working with Jonah, Lisa, and Amazon on it."^[19][20]

In January 2022, it was announced that screenwriters Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner would serve as showrunners for the series, which would be entering production that same year.^[6]

Direction[]

In an August 2020 interview, Bethesda design director Emil Pagliarulo stated that Bethesda set up lore information and guidelines for the series' writers, but afterward the writers "go off and do their things" as they are the experts.^[21] However, Howard also advised the showrunners to avoid certain elements that would be in Fallout 5.^[22]

While players of the video games were kept in mind, another goal of the TV series would be to serve as a standalone way for newcomers unfamiliar or intimidated by video games to learn about what Fallout is about.^[23] Nolan also felt that the Fallout fanbase is very opinionated with different views and values, so much so he felt that certain fans would not like it anyway no matter what he did, commenting:

Casting[]

Walton Goggins joined the cast in February 2022 in a lead role, portraying a ghoul character.^[24] Ella Purnell was cast in March.^[25] In June, Kyle MacLachlan, Xelia Mendes-Jones and Aaron Moten were announced as being part of the cast.^[26] An IMDb posting in September 2022 revealed the casting of Charlie Besso as "Tommy," in addition to Aaron Moten's character being named "Maximus." It also revealed the casting of Michael John Benzaia and Michael Emerson, the latter specifically by way of a stuntman.^[27]

Filming[]

Production on the series began in mid-2022.^[26] In July 2022, Goggins confirmed via Instagram that filming had commenced on the series in New York, with a behind-the-scenes photo of himself at a makeup trailer, with "GHOUL" written on a sign behind him.^[28] That same month, several photos began to leak from the series' principal photography, including that of a set repurposing a Staten Island supermarket for a Super-Duper Mart.^[29] As filming continued, more set images were leaked in January 2023, featuring a Red Rocket station constructed for a set in Nyack, New York.^[30] Filming wrapped by February 2023.^[31] Another filming location was the Skeleton Coast of Namibia (including in particular the ghost town Kolmanskop), a personal favorite of Jonathan Nolan, which was used to depict various locations in the wasteland around Los Angeles,^[11] and was what actually inspired the producers and writers to choose Los Angeles as the setting of the Fallout show.^[32]

Scenes were also filmed in the towns of Cortlandt and Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County, New York,^[33] the latter of which specifically was used for the opening scene of "The End."^[34] Other scenes were filmed in Utah,^[35] including the Brotherhood of Steel's base, which was shot at Wendover Airfield, a former U.S. Air Force base.^[36]

Announcements[]

In October 2022, a Bethesda Softworks video, "Fallout Retrospective - Beyond the Game," featured an interview with Jonathan Nolan in which he appeared to be on set for the TV series, with ruins in the background in a desert-like area, and being handed a Nuka-Cola by a person in power armor.^[37] That same month, Amazon Prime Video released a "first look" image from the series, revealing the existence of Vault 33.^[38] During a November 2022 interview with Lex Fridman, Todd Howard confirmed that the series would not be a retelling of one of the game's plots; rather, it will actually be a new, unique story in the Fallout universe.^[39][2]

In August 2023, Amazon Prime Video confirmed the series will premiere in 2024. The new location of Vault 33 was also announced as being situated in Los Angeles.^[40] A teaser video was also shown by Todd Howard at Gamescom 2023.^[41] A more specific release date of April 12, 2024, was confirmed and announced on October 23, 2023.^[42] The announcement of the release date coincided with a new press release that included more casting details.^[5]

On November 28, 2023, a "first look" preview of the series was released in Vanity Fair, featuring significant, previously-unreleased plot details and new images.^[9] A display for the Fallout TV series was also hosted at CCXP 2023 in São Paulo, Brazil, from November 30 to December 3, 2023, during which Jonathan Nolan and Graham Wagner, as well as stars Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, and Aaron Moten were available for interview.^[11][43][44] The first official teaser trailer for the series released on December 2, 2023,^[45] following a one-hour long "Special Live Report" with Jon Daly playing a Galaxy News reporter covering an exclusive unveiling of Vault 33.^[46] Another full-length trailer was released on March 7, 2024. The same trailer also revealed that the release date had been adjusted to April 11, premiering a day earlier, and that all episodes would arrive on that date.^[47]

On April 8, 2024, it was reported that Fallout had been renewed for a second season, with the state of California awarding tax incentives for several TV series (including Fallout) to film in the state. Of the series that had been awarded, Fallout had the largest budget, with $153 million in qualified expenditures for a second season. Its renewal came three days before the series' first season premiered.^[48] The same day, it was announced that the series release date had again been pushed up, now releasing another day earlier on April 10, at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. Fallout released worldwide on April 10, 2024.^[49] A second season was officially announced on social media on April 18, 2024.^[1]

Soundtrack[]

The series' score was composed by Ramin Djawadi, who previously worked on Game of Thrones and Westworld.^[50] The first trailer for the series featured the song "I Don't Want to See Tomorrow" by Nat King Cole.

Reception[]

The Fallout show received generally positive reception, earning a 8.5 out of 10 based on over 100,000 votes on IMDb. It was Amazon Prime's most watched show since 2022's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The show had 65 million viewers globally over its first 16 days. 60% of the show's audience was from outside the United States, with outsized performance in the UK, France, and Brazil.^[51]

Timothy Cain, the creator of the original Fallout game, said he enjoyed the TV series.

Chris Avellone, a designer for Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, was more critical of the show. While he found it entertaining to watch and congratulated Todd and the crew for actually managing to create a Fallout show, he still felt the show exhibited poor craftmanship, felt uneven, and said it does not respect its own internal lore. He felt the show should have developed more of its confusing plot points, rather than leaving fans to craft theories.

He mentioned the original Fallout games were not about the evils of capitalism, and he groaned, laughed and wept upon hearing Vault-Tec was willing to drop the first nuke. He was unsatisfied with the amount of retcons, such as the unnamed serum which seems to turn people into ghouls and heal their injuries, and the idea of ghouls having to take drugs to prevent going feral. He was confused why the Ghoul did not exploit the power armor flaw while fighting Maximus, why Shady Sands seemed to have a working trolley system, why the Brotherhood does not seem to teach proper sex education, and why Frederick Sinclair was portrayed as evil when it was not Avellone's intention.

He questioned the dog CX404's role, feeling she was too ignored in the show, and wished there was more of a bond shown between Cooper and Roosevelt. He found the water chip failure nod to Fallout to be confusing and embarrassing, and wished modern Fallout media were not about trying to rescue missing family members. He also wished Moldaver and Bud Askins were more fleshed out antagonists. While he acknowledges more of the plot points will be developed in Season 2, he ultimately gave Season 1 around a 4/5/6 out of 10.^[52][53]

Behind the scenes[]

• Despite concerns about the ending of the TV series, Emil Pagliarulo stated that Fallout: New Vegas is still canon, saying, "Of course it is."^[54] This was caused by a chalkboard in the show which some viewers misinterpreted that Shady Sands was nuked before the events of New Vegas in 2277. However, a week after the show was released, Todd Howard mentioned Shady Sands was nuked after Fallout: New Vegas, erasing lore discrepancies.^[55]
  • Joshua Sawyer, the lead designer of New Vegas, said he doesn't care what the show does with New Vegas lore, feeling he does not own any of it, and simply views himself as a guest who worked on a project owned by something else (i.e. Bethesda). He mentioned he "doesn't get attached" to the lore like some fans of the game do, and thinks people can get too invested over fiction in an unhealthy way.^[56]

• Fallout 76 has allowed players to download a free Vault 33 jumpsuit underarmor to promote the TV series. It was originally available between December 2-12, 2023, and was again made available from April 9 - May 2024. The Ghoul's outfit was released on April 11, 2024, as a Fallout 1st exclusive, while Lucy's backpack was also released in-game.
• The Fallout SPECIAL Anthology was released on April 11, 2024 (one day after the TV show's premiere), as a collection of seven of the main Fallout games. It was announced on February 19, 2024, in anticipation of the TV show's release, with pre-orders opening the same day.
• Calling the Vault-Tec phone number in the show will result in audio of a man screaming as if he is being tortured.^[57]
• The naming convention for the series' episodes, in which the titles are a relevant word preceded by "The" (such as "The Head" or "The Ghouls"), is similar to the naming convention used for the quests in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Lonesome Road. "The End" in particular is the name of both a main quest of the add-on as well as the first episode of the TV series.
• The Assaultron seen partially buried in the sand after Lucy exited Vault 33 at the beginning of Episode 2 was apparently named MOX-13 and was built by cosplayer Nathan Carter of No Sleep Till Cosplay. He and his wife Jennifer currently have 2 new upgraded Assaultron cosplays they have built since selling her to the show that they wear to conventions (MOX-13 v2 and ADA).

Gallery[]

Promotional artwork[]

Screenshots[]

Sets[]

Behind the scenes[]

Cast and creators photos[]

The Game Awards

SXSW Activation Event

Global Red Carpet Premiere

Videos[]

Trailers[]

Clips[]

Behind the scenes[]

Interviews[]

External links[]

• Official Instagram
• Official X

References[]

v · d · e Fallout TV series Episodes Season 1 The End · The Target · The Head · The Ghouls · The Past · The Trap · The Radio · The Beginning Season 2 TBA Vault Seller's Survival Guide The Winning Team! · Follow Your Nos! · Welcome Home! · Meet Me in Coswald! · Step on the Gas! · Steer the Ship! · Bud's Buds! Characters Main Lucy MacLean · The Ghoul · Maximus Supporting Betty Pearson · Chet · CX404 · Hank MacLean · Lee Moldaver · Ma June · Norm MacLean · Reg McPhee · Siggi Wilzig · Steph Harper · Thaddeus · Knight Titus · Woody Thomas Locations The Prydwen · Los Angeles · Los Angeles International Airport · Filly · Griffith Observatory · Hawthorne Medical Laboratories · Santa Monica · Vault 33 · Red Rocket station · Super Duper Mart · Vault 4 · Vault 32 · Vault 31 · Shady Sands · The Wilds · California Crest Studios · Hollywood (Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood Forever, Hollywood Sign) · Brotherhood of Steel airbase · Enclave research colony · Soviet satellite Creatures Brahmin · Chicken · Deathclaw · Dog · Deer · Feral ghoul · Goat · Gulper · Horse · Leech · Radroach · Yao guai Factions Brotherhood of Steel · The Govermint · New California Republic · Vault-Tec Corporation (Bud's Buds) Related articles Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News · Fallout Season 1 Amazon overview · Visit Vault 33 NOW!

v · d · e Fallout series Fallout RPGs and add-ons Fallout · Fallout 2 Fallout 3 Operation: Anchorage · The Pitt · Broken Steel · Point Lookout · Mothership Zeta Fallout: New Vegas Dead Money · Honest Hearts · Old World Blues · Lonesome Road · Gun Runners' Arsenal · Courier's Stash Fallout 4 Automatron · Wasteland Workshop · Far Harbor · Contraptions Workshop · Vault-Tec Workshop · Nuka-World Fallout 76 List of updates Fallout 5 Spin-offs Video games Fallout Tactics · Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel · Fallout Shelter · Fallout Shelter Online TTRPG supplements and scenarios Fallout: The Roleplaying Game (Fully Operational, Hunted!, Machine Frequency, Map Pack 1: Vault, Map Pack 2: Wasteland Locales, NPC Pack 1 - Rust Devils, NPC Pack 2 - Enclave Remnants, NPC Pack 3 - Reilly's Rangers, Once Upon a Time in the Wasteland, Orange Coloured Sky, Royal Flush, Settler's Guide Book, Showdown in Skull Canyon, Wanderer's Guide Book, Winter of Atom, With a Bang, or a Whimper) · Fallout: Wasteland Warfare Roleplaying Game (Machine Frequency) Wargaming and board games Fallout: Warfare · Fallout: Wasteland Warfare · Fallout: The Board Game (Fallout: New California) · Fallout Shelter: The Board Game Promotional games Fallout Tactics Simon Says  · Fallout: Tactics Concentration Game  · Vault Dash  · Fallout Free Style RPG Quest Other media One Man, and a Crate of Puppets (webcomic) · All Roads (graphic novel) · Fallout C.H.A.T. (emoji and gif app) · Fallout Pip-Boy (companion app) · Fallout (TV series) Compilations Fallout Trilogy · Fallout Anthology · Fallout Legacy Collection · Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology Canceled projects Fallout 3 (CN: Van Buren) · Fallout 4 (Black Isle Studios)  · Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2 · Fallout d20 · Fallout Extreme · Fallout Tactics 2 · Project V13 · Fallout movie Developers Bethesda Softworks · Black Isle Studios · Fantasy Flight Games · Interplay Entertainment · Masthead Studios · Modiphius · Obsidian Entertainment Related articles Fallout setting (Divergence, Glossary) · Fallout: New Vegas 2 · Fonts · References in other media · Themes · SPECIAL · Source texts (all games)