''Fallout'' is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Graham Wagner and

Geneva Robertson-Dworet Geneva Robertson-Dworet (born May 8, 1985) is an American screenwriter. She rose to prominence after being hired in 2015 to rewrite the script for the 2018 Tomb Raider (film), ''Tomb Raider'' reboot, starring Alicia Vikander and directed by Roar ...

for

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

. Based on the role-playing video game franchise created by

Tim Cain Timothy Cain is an American video game developer best known as the creator, producer, lead programmer and one of the main designers of the 1997 computer game ''Fallout''. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of a ...

and

Leonard Boyarsky Leonard Boyarsky is an American computer game designer and visual artist. He is one of the key designers of the video games ''Fallout'' and ''Diablo III''. Early life After he earned a bachelor's degree in Illustration (at Cal State Fullerton ...

, the series stars

Ella Purnell Ella Summer Purnell (born 17 September 1996) is an English actress best known for her roles as Jackie in the Showtime drama series ''Yellowjackets,'' Jinx in the Netflix animated television series ''Arcane'', and Gwyn in the Paramount+/Nickelod ...

Aaron Moten ''Disjointed'' is an American television sitcom created by David Javerbaum and Chuck Lorre and starring Kathy Bates. Twenty episodes of the series were ordered from Warner Bros. by Netflix, with the first 10 episodes premiering on August 25, 2017 ...

, Kyle MacLachlan,

Moisés Arias Moisés Arias (born April 18, 1994), is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Rico in the Disney Channel series '' Hannah Montana'', Biaggio in the 2013 Sundance film ''The Kings of Summer'', Cokestraw in the 2019 SXSW comedy-dra ...

, Xelia Mendes-Jones, and Walton Goggins. Amazon purchased the rights to produce a live-action project in 2020, and the series was announced that July, with Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's Kilter Films joined by Bethesda Game Studios in the production. Nolan directed the first three episodes. Bethesda Game Studios producer

Todd Howard Todd Andrew Howard (born 1970) is an American video game designer, director, and producer. He serves as director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, where he has led the development of the ''Fallout'' and ''The Elder Scrolls'' s ...

, who directed various games in the series, signed on to executive produce alongside Nolan and Joy. Robertson-Dworet and Wagner were hired as the series'

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

s in January 2022, and Goggins and Purnell were cast in February and March, respectively. ''Fallout'' premiered on Prime Video on April 10, 2024. The series received generally positive reviews from critics and fans. Later that month, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

The series depicts the aftermath of the Great War of 2077, an apocalyptic nuclear exchange between the United States and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in an

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

of Earth where advances in

nuclear technology Nuclear technology is technology that involves the nuclear reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear reactors, nuclear medicine and nuclear weapons. It is also used, among other things, in smoke detectors an ...

after WWII led to the emergence of a

retrofuturistic Retrofuturism (adjective ''retrofuturistic'' or ''retrofuture'') is a movement in the creative arts showing the influence of depictions of the future produced in an earlier era. If futurism is sometimes called a "science" bent on anticipatin ...

society and a subsequent

resource war A resource war is a type of war caused by conflict over resources. In a resource war, there is typically a nation or group that controls the resource and an aggressor that wishes to seize control over said resource. This power dynamic between nati ...

. Many survivors took refuge in fallout bunkers known as Vaults, unaware each Vault was designed to perform sociological and psychological experiments on the Vault Dwellers. More than 200 years later in 2296, a young woman named Lucy leaves behind her home in Vault 33 to venture out into the dangerously unforgiving wasteland of a devastated Los Angeles to look for her father, who had been kidnapped. Along the way, she meets a Brotherhood of Steel squire and a ghoul bounty hunter, each has their own mysterious pasts and agendas to settle.

Cast and characters

Main

as Lucy MacLean, a young Vault Dweller ** Luciana VanDette portrays young Lucy MacLean *

as Maximus, a squire of the Brotherhood of Steel who becomes an ally to Lucy ** Amir Carr portrays young Maximus * Kyle MacLachlan as Hank MacLean, Lucy's father and the Overseer of Vault 33, who originates from Vault 31 *

as Norm MacLean, a Vault 33 resident, and Lucy's brother * Xelia Mendes-Jones as Dane, a scribe of the Brotherhood of Steel and Maximus's closest friend * Walton Goggins as The Ghoul / Cooper Howard, a once famous

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

actor and Vault-Tec ambassador before The War, who mutated into a ghoul after the bombs fell, and now makes a living as a gunslinger and bounty hunter

Recurring

Sarita Choudhury Sarita Catherine Louise Choudhury (born 18 August 1966) is a British actress, known for her role as Mina in the Mira Nair-directed feature film ''Mississippi Masala'' (1991). Choudhury has played roles in American and international films and tel ...

as Lee Moldaver, the commander of a New California Republic military division with a past connection to Hank * Leslie Uggams as Betty Pearson, a member of Vault 33's governing council, and later Overseer, who originates from Vault 31 *

Johnny Pemberton John deJarnette Pemberton III (born June 1, 1981) is an American actor, comedian, podcast host and streamer from Rochester, Minnesota. He is best known for his role as the titular ''Son of Zorn'' in the short-lived Fox sitcom, and has also appea ...

as Thaddeus, a squire of the Brotherhood of Steel who serves Maximus *

Zach Cherry Zach Cherry is an American actor and improv comedian. He is known for his role as Dylan George on the Apple TV+ series ''Severance''. Life and career Zach Cherry was born in 1987. He attended Princeton Day School and Amherst College. He began ...

as Woody Thomas, a member of Vault 33's governing council * Annabel O'Hagan as Stephanie Harper, a pregnant resident of Vault 33 and Lucy's closest friend, who originates from Vault 31 * Dave Register as Chet, Lucy's cousin and Vault 33's gatekeeper * Rodrigo Luzzi as Reg McPhee, a member of Vault 33's governing council * Leer Leary as Davey, a Vault 33 resident * Elle Vertes as Rose MacLean, a former Vault 33 resident, and Lucy and Norm's mother * Teagan Meredith as Janey Howard, Cooper's daughter in 2077 * Frances Turner as Barb Howard, Cooper's wife in 2077 and a Vault-Tec top executive

Guest

Episodes

Production

Development

Bethesda had been approached multiple times about a television adaptation of the '' Fallout'' video games since the developer released '' Fallout 3'' in 2008, according to Bethesda's

, though he felt none of the suggestions met the vision of the ''Fallout'' series. Bethesda's marketing executive Pete Hines had also cautioned the company in 2015 about the potential impact of a poor adaptation of their video games, saying, "There's way more things that can go wrong than can go right with this," since the adaptation's director may override the vision of the series. Hines pointed to the example of the 2005 '' Doom'' film as an example of a bad adaptation. The situation changed when Jonathan Nolan approached Bethesda with his idea of a ''Fallout'' television series, having been an avid player of the game series. Howard, having seen what Nolan had created with the '' Westworld'' series, found that Nolan had a clear vision for the adaptation, and agreed this approach was a good way to bring the game series to the television screen. Bethesda gave Nolan freedom to craft a story as long as it remained true to the ''Fallout'' universe but served as its own unique story within the game series and not translate one of the existing games to television. The television adaptation was formally announced in July 2020 under Amazon Studios (later renamed

Amazon MGM Studios Amazon MGM Studios, formerly Amazon Studios in some markets, is an American film and television production and distribution studio owned by Amazon and launched on November 16, 2010. It took its current name on October 3, 2023, following its merger ...

) with Nolan and Lisa Joy developing the work. Joy described the series as "a gonzo, crazy, funny, adventure, and mindfuck like none you've ever seen before". In January 2022,

and Graham Wagner were hired as showrunners for the series, with Nolan set to direct the pilot episode. The series is canon with the games. Howard wanted an original story, instead of an adaptation of the games, but the series continues game storylines and factions, such as the Brotherhood of Steel. The series' 2296 setting is the furthest in the future that the ''Fallout'' franchise has occurred. On April 18, 2024, Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

In February 2022, Walton Goggins was cast in a lead role as Cooper Howard, a Hollywood actor who became a Ghoul after the bombs fell. In March 2022,

joined the cast. In June 2022, Kyle MacLachlan, Xelia Mendes-Jones and

joined as regulars. In October 2023, additional casting, including

, Michael Emerson, Leslie Uggams and

, was announced.

Filming

Filming began on July 5, 2022, in New Jersey,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and Utah. Wasteland scenes were additionally filmed in

Kolmanskop Kolmanskop (Afrikaans for “Coleman's head”, german: Kolmannskuppe) is a ghost town in the Namib in southern Namibia, ten kilometres inland from the port town of Lüderitz. It was named after a transport driver named Johnny Coleman who, during ...

, a former mining operation-turned- ghost town, as well as on Namibia's infamous Skeleton Coast. The desolate location is where desert sands meet the sea, where the western Namib Desert reaches Namibia's South Atlantic coastline. As a result of the treacherous seas offshore, the "skeleton" coast is dotted with both historic and recent shipwrecks; some scenes were filmed at the wreck of the '' Eduard Bohlen''. Nolan directed the first three episodes of the series, with

Stuart Dryburgh Stuart Dryburgh (born 30 March 1952 in London) is an English-born New Zealand cinematographer, now working in Hollywood. He completed a degree in architecture at the University of Auckland, but subsequently moved into the film industry. He was no ...

and

Teodoro Maniaci Teodoro Maniaci is an American cinematographer and documentary director. He is best known for the directing ''One Nation Under God'', a documentary on the ex-gay movement. Personal life and education Maniaci was born and raised in Long Island ...

serving as cinematographers. Primary filming of the second season will occur in Los Angeles and Toronto, to take advantage of a $25 million tax incentive offered by the state. Filming is scheduled to begin in September 2024.

Music

In January 2024, it was revealed that Ramin Djawadi had composed a score inspired by the works of

Inon Zur Inon Zur ( he, ינון צור, ; born July 4, 1965) is an Israeli-American composer. Originally writing for movies and television, he later moved into composing for video games. He has been described as being "internationally recognized as one ...

's ''Fallout'' series compositions. ''Fallout'' also features a licensed soundtrack like the video game series. The television series' first soundtrack was released by Amazon on April 8, 2024.

Post-production

Jay Worth served as the production's visual effects supervisor, returning to work with director Jonathan Nolan and executive producer Lisa Joy following ''Person of Interest'', ''Westworld'', ''The Peripheral'' and ''

Reminiscence Reminiscence is the act of recollecting past experiences or events. An example of the typical use of reminiscence is when people share their personal stories with others or allows other people to live vicariously through stories of family, frien ...

.'' Grant Everett was the on-set visual effects supervisor who brought together a variety of visual effects studios for the environment, creature, hard surface work and more. Framestore in Montreal took on the Yao Gui and Gulper creature work, RISE FX in Germany the Vertibird shots, power armour work and numerous environments, Swedish studio Important Looking Pirates took on Cyclops and Snip Snip. FutureWorks in India did all the Ghoul noses. Refuge, CoSA, Mavericks, One of Us, Studio 8 and Deep Water FX were also involved across the 3,300 visual effects shots of the season.

Release

''Fallout'' was scheduled to premiere on

on April 12, 2024, but this date was later moved forward to be released on April 10, 2024, at 6 PM Pacific Time (GMT-8:00).

Reception

Viewership

According to Amazon, ''Fallout'' pulled in 65 million viewers in its first 16 days of availability. It was the second most-watched title in the history of the platform. The adaptation's success on Amazon Prime Video has led to renewed commercial success of the ''Fallout'' video games, including the original game; according to Steam Charts, it experienced the highest percentage increase in player base at 160%.

Critical response

''Fallout'' received positive reviews from critics and fans. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating based on 116 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "An adaptation that feels like a true extension of the games, ''Fallout'' is a post-apocalyptic blast for newcomers and longtime fans alike." Metacritic assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Kristen Baldwin of '' Entertainment Weekly'' gave the series a B+ and said, "The eight-episode season exists in a vivid and captivating universe that will be familiar to gamers—though knowledge of the franchise isn't required to enjoy its darkly comic dystopian pleasures." Reviewing the series for the '' San Francisco Chronicle'', Zaki Hasan gave a rating of 3/4 and wrote, "With a raft of unfolding mysteries, protagonists we care about and a quest we want to see through to the end, ''Fallout'' is well situated to grow the loyal fan base that has kept the video game franchise going for 27 years." In a YouTube video, Tim Cain praised the adaptation for matching the mood of the series and for its easter eggs and characters. He also defended the adaptation from accusations of contradicting the ''Fallout'' canon.

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

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