Fallout (TV Series) Review

Welcome back to the Wasteland! Not counting the hundreds of hours I’ve spent in MMOs like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV, only a few game series have occupied my gaming time as much as Fallout. That is saying a lot, since most of that time has been in either the “Commonwealth” region in Fallout 4, or the “Appalachia” territory in Fallout 76. The closest rivals in my gaming log are probably the Assassin’s Creed and Halo series, which span far more individual titles! That humble brag is meant to disclose some bias before reading the review below, both positive and negative, so take it for what it’s worth!

DavPoint: Fallout was directed by Jonathon Nolan (3 episodes); Clare Kilner and Frederick E.O. Toye (2 episodes each); Daniel Gray Longino and Wayne Yip (1 episode each), written by Chaz Hawkins, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and Graham Wagner, plus Karey Dornetto, Kieran Fitzgerald, Carson Mell, and Gursimran Sandhu. It was created by Chaz Hawkins, Geneva Robertson Dworet, and Graham Wagner for Amazon Studios based on the Fallout game series created by Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios. It was produced by Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Graham Wagner, Athena Wickman, James Altman, James W Skotchdopole, Margot Lulick, with Howard Cummings, Karey Dornetto, Kieran Fitzgerald, and Todd Howard. Music is by Ramin Djawadi.

Background: Fallout stars Ella Purnell as Lucy MacLean, Aaron Moten as Maximus, Walton Goggins as Cooper Howard/The Ghoul, and Moises Arias as Norm MacLean, with Kyle MacLachlan as Overseer Hank MacLean. From Amazon Studios’ synopsis: “Based on one of the greatest video games of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them above.”

My Experience: The Fallout TV series was announced around the same time that HBO announced their own video game adaptation series, based on The Last of Us, but each studio took widely different creative choices: HBO teamed up with The Last of Us’ series creator and president of Naughty Dog, Neil Druckmann, to faithfully recreate The Last of Us (Part 1) game, sometimes shot for shot and line by line, with some added material rounding out the experience, and Amazon teamed up with Fallout’s series creator and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, Todd Howard, to create a brand new story, with new characters, faithfully based in the alternative-history/post-apocalyptic setting of the Fallout series. I was curious at the time of these announcements, which would succeed and which was “braver” in their respective approaches – and it turns out that BOTH series did exceptionally well!

First and foremost, I have to give props to creator and director Jonathon Nolan, for working with Todd Howard, and bringing in some very talented people that were clearly dedicated to creating such a faithful adaptation. The tightness in writing, direction, and action, all carrying the proper tone and attention to detail, are all thanks to this close collaboration between game and TV series’ producers. The sets, costumes, props, make-up, and special effects are nearly indistinguishable from the games! The creative minds behind the series were so close to the source material, that it was revealed in interviews that Todd Howard had to request some elements and story choices had to be left out, because they were too similar to ideas that HE wanted to include in Fallout 5!

Following this praise, I want to recognize the stellar cast: Ella Purnell (Lucy) expertly masks her ferocity behind her doe-eyed innocence, Aaron Moten (Maximus) deftly portrays his own mix of conviction and deception, and Walton Goggins (Cooper Howard/The Ghoul) easily steals the show by portraying one of the best pro/antagonists I’ve seen in some time! Further, the 8 episode series cleverly weaves the satisfying character arcs of these three leads in an epic tale of surprising revelations and consequences that will shape the future of the Fallout series (games and shows) to come!

DavPoint: Here’s another surprise: the award-worthy production design is credited to none other than “the Ghoul” himself, Howard Cummings!

Conclusion: Fallout is a satisfyingly rich “coming of age” saga that nails the dark, often gory tone of its source material, with just the right amount of surprises, humor, and emotion. The meticulous attention to detail will probably be the first thing that fans will recognize and appreciate, but don’t let unfamiliarity deter non-fans from loving a new post-apocalyptic series with heart-felt contributions that will hopefully be recognized come award season!

• Directors: Jonathon Nolan; Clare Kilner, Frederick E.O. Toye, Daniel Gray Longino, and Wayne Yip
• Produced by: Amazon Studios with Bethesda Game Studios
• Starring: Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walter Goggins, and Moises Arias, with Kyle MacLachlan
• Rating: TV-M for Nudity, violence, substance use, alcohol use, smoking, foul language, sexual content
• Release Date: April 10, 2024