Break out your Pip-Boy, dust off your power armor and crack a Nuka-Cola: the highly anticipated TV adaptation of the popular video game Fallout by Prime Video is finally here!
With an original story written by Jonathan Nolan (Christopher Nolan’s brother) and Lisa Joy, who are no strangers to the sci-fi, dystopian future and apocalyptic fiction genres having penned HBO’s hit series Westworld, Fallout takes us into the war-torn atomic wasteland of the far-future United States with a healthy blend of action, emotion, (sometimes dark) comedy and social satire.
Ready to lock yourself in your own Vault (or living room) and get immersed in the world of Fallout? Here’s your guide to watching the new Fallout TV show on Amazon.
When Did ‘Fallout’ TV Show Come Out?
Fallout premiered on April 12, 2024.
Where Can I Watch ‘Fallout’?
Fallout is available on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service. Amazon released all of the episodes at once, so you’ll be able to stream the entire first season. A subscription is only 15 bottle caps … err, $15 per month!
What is ‘Fallout’ About?
Fallout is the first television series to be based on the popular and long-running Fallout video game series by Bethesda Game Studios. The video game studio is famous for producing many beloved and epic games series, often with large, open worlds and deep storylines, including The Elder Scrolls, Starfield and Doom. The Doom series has been turned into feature films.
The series is set in post-apocalyptic versions of various locations around the United States, which, in the series’ alternate timeline, was devastated by a full-scale nuclear war between the U.S. and China, known as the Great War.
The Great War
The Great War was a day-long thermonuclear war between the U.S. and China, sparked by a stalemate that saw the Chinese invade Alaska and parts of U.S.-annexed Canada causing the U.S., in turn, to attempt to invade mainland China.
The Chinese tried to end the war by launching a massive nuclear strike on the U.S. mainland, sending many of its residents into underground fallout shelters called Vaults. Above the surface, the strike created an irradiated wasteland populated by mutants and warring factions of survivors and pockmarked with toxic environments and other hazards. The U.S. launched retaliatory strikes, and the entire world was blasted into ruin.
Vaults
Vaults are a fixture of the Fallout series, and most of the games start with the protagonist living inside one before emerging to explore the surface world. The Vaults were built by a company called Vault-Tec to help protect the population of the United States in the event of nuclear war so that the country could be re-populated.
People who entered the Vaults when the bombs began to drop were sealed inside. The series begins when protagonist Lucy leaves Vault 33 in Los Angeles to search for her father.
Factions
Factions play a big role in the Fallout games, and likely the show, as well. With the world a savage, irradiated mess, survivors had to find ways to continue surviving. Many banded together to form factions, either to protect those close to them, build communities or pillage others. Here’s a few of the most prominent ones:
The Brotherhood of Steel: The Brotherhood of Steel was originally a unit of military soldiers based in California who grew disillusioned with the U.S. government and formed their own paramilitary group. They believe society can’t be trusted to responsibly manage the technology it creates and are dedicated to collecting and preserving all kinds of technology to prevent a second apocalypse.
The Enclave: The Enclave is one of the primary antagonist factions in the Fallout series. After the Great War, the Enclave took control of the United States government after operating in the shadows for most of its existence. The organization is known for conducting human experimentation and ruling with an iron, authoritarian fist.
The New California Republic: The New California Republic is sort of the opposite of the Enclave. Boasting a powerful military, the NCR believes in the effectiveness of government in the form it took before the Great War and enforces the rule of law within its territory.
What Part of the ‘Fallout’ Timeline is the Show Set In?
The show is set in the year 2296, placing it the furthest in the future of any of the canon entries in the video game series. Here’s the approximate years each of the six games released to date took place:
Fallout 76: 2102
Fallout: 2161
Fallout 2: 2241
Fallout 3: 2277
Fallout: New Vegas: 2281
Fallout 4: 2287
Being set in 2296 means the show is set a full 219 years after the Great War shattered Fallout’s world.
How Many Episodes Does ‘Fallout’ Have?
Fallout Season 1 has eight episodes.
Will There Be a ‘Fallout’ Season 2?
There’s no official confirmation of a second season for Fallout but the writers have said that the first season does not encompass the full arc of their Fallout story, so we could certainly see a season two!
‘Fallout’ Cast
So, who’s in the new Fallout TV show? Let’s take a look.
Ella Purnell steps into the lead role as Lucy MacLean, a young resident of Vault 33 who leaves in search of her father, Hank.
Kyle MacLachlan as Hank MacLean, Lucy’s father and the overseer of Vault 33.
Moises Arias as Norm MacLean, Lucy’s brother.
Walton Goggins as Cooper Howard, a notorious and skilled bounty hunter and a mutated ghoul who survived the initial nuclear holocaust and has been roaming the U.S. ever since.
Aaron Motenas Maximus, a member of the Brotherhood of Steel and ally to Lucy.
Xelia Mendes-Jones as Dane, another member of the Brotherhood of Steel and a friend of Maximus.
Michael Emerson as Dr. Siggi Wilzig
Sarita Choudhury as Lee Moldaver.
Johnny Pemberton as Thaddeus.
Zach Cherry as Woody Thomas
Leslie Uggams as Betty Pearson
Dave Register as Chet
Rodrigo Luzzi as Reg McPhee
Leer Leary as Davey
Elle Vertes as Rose MacLean
Teagan Meredith as Janey Howard
Frances Turner as Barb Howard
Movies and TV Show like ‘Fallout’ on DIRECTV
Want to get in the mood to watch Fallout or already binged the whole series and want more post-apocalyptic mayhem? Here’s a few other movies and TV shows to check out:
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’
Mad Max: Fury Road follows Max Rockatansky as he becomes enmeshed in an escape plan from a warlord’s fortress. Max and his allies battle bloodthirsty gang warriors as they chase him across the blasted landscape.
‘The Walking Dead’
After a zombie apocalypse ends modern society, a group of survivors band together to keep each other safe, fend off rival and often more powerful groups and retain some semblance of humanity amid a hazard-filled and harsh new world.
‘The Book of Eli’
The Book of Eli follows a lone traveler named Eli as he carries what he believes is the last copy of the Bible across a post-apocalyptic America, seeking to deliver it into the right hands and secure humanity’s redemption.
‘The Last of Us’
Another show based on a popular video game, The Last of Us follows Joel, a grizzled survivor of a zombie apocalypse, as he escorts Ellie, a teenage girl who may hold the secret to a cure for the fungal infection that caused the outbreak, across a devastated United States.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which video game studio made the Fallout games?
Bethesda Game Studios developed the series.
What year is Fallout set in?
2296
Do you need to play the games to understand the TV show?
Nope! The story is considered canon to the game storyline but it's a completely standalone plot.
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