Fans of the Fallout video games were tentatively excited when Amazon announced an upcoming Fallout TV show in 2020, but with the show finally debuting in just a few short weeks, the hype is building fast. Here’s a quick roundup of everything we know about the Fallout TV show, from the official release date to the cast and more.
When is the Fallout TV show coming out?
The first episode of the Fallout TV show will become available on Amazon Prime Video on April 12, 2024. Episodes will likely be released weekly after that. There will be a total of eight episodes in the first season, with the first three directed by executive producer Jonathan Nolan.
Although the series was picked up by Amazon back in 2020, filming began in 2022, wrapping up in 2023. It was filmed in areas of New Jersey, New York, and Utah, although the events of the story take place in California.
What to expect from the Fallout TV show
If you’re not familiar with the Fallout universe from the video games, the story takes place in an alternative history, two centuries after a nuclear war between the USA and China rendered the surface of the planet virtually inhabitable. Small groups of privileged survivors weathered the storm in underground bunkers called Vaults, with the younger generation blissfully unaware of the dangers of the outside world.
As for everyone else, they were forced to adapt to the harsh reality of the irradiated Wasteland or die. Mostly the latter.
The Fallout TV show follows one Vault dweller’s journey into the outside world near what’s left of Los Angeles, although it will not follow the story of any of the games. However, much of the retro-futuristic style of the world and tongue-in-cheek humor of the Fallout universe remain. Todd Howard, who directed and produced the Fallout video games, is an executive producer of the series, alongside industry veterans like Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Those two are also known for their work on Westworld, the first season of which has a similar sci-fi western feel.
The show takes place nine years after Fallout 4, but may make significant changes to the Fallout universe.
Judging from the trailer above, it appears that many of the elements of the games are still in place. The iconic Brotherhood of Steel Power Armor can be seen in several shots (not to mention the glorious Prydwen airship), and it’s implied that at least a few of the factions from the games will be introduced in the first season. The mutated human Ghouls also show up, although with some notable changes. The actor Walton Goggins plays a mutated bounty hunter called The Ghoul, with an appearance to match. In the trailer he can be seen alive before the bombs dropped, implying he’s been alive for hundreds of years.
One faction that’s noticeably absent from the trailer is the New California Republic, which is the closest thing to a functioning government in the Fallout universe. Given that the Fallout TV show takes place nine years after the events of Fallout 4, the world may have changed significantly. The games and TV show may also exist in alternative universes, with factions like the Brotherhood of Steel and the New California Republic combined for easier storytelling.
The showrunners, producers, and actors have also been very candid about avoiding a retread of any stories told in the video games. In fact, they have been actively avoiding playing the games to give the show its own identity.
Apart from that, the exact story to be told is largely unknown. The Fallout games have always lent themselves to open storytelling and rich worldbuilding, so there’s a lot the show can do in just eight episodes.
Fallout TV show cast
Like most Amazon Prime Video original series, the cast features a mix of well-known actors and relative newcomers. Here is a quick list of some of the characters early in the series:
- Ella Purnell as Lucy, a naive and optimistic Vault Dweller from Vault 33
- Aaron Moten as Maximus, a squire of the Brotherhood of Steel
- Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, a mutated bounty hunter
- Kyle MacLachlan as Hank, Lucy’s father and Overseer of Vault 33
- Moises Arias as Norm
- Johnny Pemberton as Thaddeus
- Michael Emerson as Wilzig
- Sarita Choudhury
- Leslie Uggams
- Frances Turner
- Dave Register
- Zach Cherry
- Annabel O’Hagan
- Xelia Mendes-Jones
And most importantly, Lucy will have a dog companion named CX404, similar to Dogmeat in the Fallout video games.
Where to watch the Fallout TV show
You can watch the Fallout TV show exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. As of writing, it’s not clear whether all episodes will be released at once or they will be drip-fed weekly. Judging by previous major releases like The Rings of Power, episodes are most likely to drop weekly.
FAQs
The Fallout TV show takes place outside of the remains of Los Angeles around the year 2296, in an alternative timeline where most of the world was destroyed in a nuclear war between the USA and China in the 21st century.
The Fallout TV show was filmed in areas of Utah, New Jersey, and New York.
The first three episodes of the Fallout TV show will be directed by Jonathan Nolan, who also serves as executive producer. The showrunners are Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagne, who have worked on other comic book and video game adaptations.
