The Fallout TV show is now here and is already proving to be a success. That should come as no surprise, seeing as how it's inspired by some of the best Fallout games (and set in the same shared universe), and shepherded onto the screen by the likes of Westworld co-creator Jonathan Nolan, Portlandia's Graham Wagner, and Captain Marvel writer Geneva Robertson-Dworet.
Post-release, we're here to take you through everything surrounding the show, including exclusive insight from the cast and creatives about their characters and working in the Fallout universe, as well as some of our own explainers and reviews. On top of that, we've got the full cast list, episode count, and more.
Fallout TV show release date and episode count
All eight episodes of the Fallout TV show were released on April 10 on Prime Video.
Fallout season 1 review
It's a big Vault Boy-style thumbs up on from us. Our four-star Fallout season 1 review calls the show "a joyous mix of uproarious comedy, physical humor, and gnarly violence." Our reviewer writes: "Despite its inconsistent tone and overcrowded story, Fallout blows the competition away with a game-accurate, hilarious quest through the Wasteland anchored by plenty of personality and punchy social commentary."
Fallout TV show trailer
Not decided yet on whether to watch the Fallout TV show? The trailer should sell you on it, giving viewers a rad-filled taste of the post-apocalyptic LA setting, the faithful recreation of in-game elements like the Brotherhood of Steel and the Vaults, and deeper dives into characters like Walton Goggins' Ghoul and Ella Purnell's Vault Dweller, Lucy.
Fallout TV show cast
The Fallout TV show cast is a star-studded affair, featuring everyone from Yellowjackets regular Ella Purnell and Justified star Walton Goggins taking the leads. Aaron Moten is Maximus, a squire of the Brotherhood of Steel. Then we've got performances from heavyweights like Twin Peaks' Kyle MacLachlan. We know that actors like Chris Parnell (30 Rock), Leslie Uggams (Empire), and Zach Cherry (Severance) too. Check out the full cast list below.
- Ella Purnell – Lucy MacLean
- Walton Goggins – The Ghoul / Cooper Howard
- Aaron Moten – Maximus
- Kyle MacLachlan – Hank MacLean
- Xelia Mendes-Jones – Dane
- Moisés Arias – Norm MacLean
- Sarita Choudhury – Moldaver
- Mike Doyle – Mr. Spencer
- Matt Berry – Mr. Handy
- Johnny Pemberton – Thaddeus
- Cherien Dabis – Birdie
- Dale Dickey – Ma June
- Matty Cardarople – Huey
- Michael Emerson – Wilzig
- Dave Register – Chet
- Rodrigo Luzzi – Reg
- Annabel O'Hagan – Steph
- Chris Parnell – Ben
- Frances Turner – Barb
- Leslie Uggams – Betty
Fallout TV show plot
The broader strokes of the Fallout TV show plot should be pretty familiar to any of you who have played the video games. But for those of you who are new to the concept, let's run over the basics: Before the world is consumed by nuclear annihilation, certain members of society are selected to take refuge in experimental fallout bunkers built to preserve humanity known as Vaults.
The show follows Lucy, a resident of Vault 33, who leaves behind the only life she has ever known to explore an irradiated Los Angeles in an effort to rescue her father, Hank. Out there in the wilds, she'll need to survive a strange and lawless land, one beset with strange characters, dangerous bandits, and mutated creatures – oh, and contend with the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) a mysterious bounty hunter who holds within him a 200-year history of the Wasteland.
Fallout TV show setting and timeline
The Fallout TV show takes place in 2296, some 219 years after the Great War of 2077 ended in nuclear annihilation, with the vast majority of humanity succumbing to the fallout. The Fallout TV show draws from several locations, including Vault 33, the L.A. wasteland, and a few game locales we shan't spoil here.
In the video games, some of the Vaults are actually long-running social experiments, but you'll have to watch and see if Lucy has been subjected to something similar. Out in the LA wasteland, we head to Western-inspired towns maintained by unlikely survivors, strongholds for key factions like the Brotherhood of Steel, and into areas controlled by Ghouls, Mutants, malfunctioning robots, and deadly irradiated creatures – some of which you may recognize from the videos games.
For more, check out the Fallout timeline.
Is the Fallout TV show Fallout 5?
Everything in the Fallout TV show is canon, but this isn't Fallout 5. We know that the next game in the series is in the earliest stages of pre-production, expected to enter development following the release of The Elder Scrolls 6, but Howard has stepped in to ensure that some of Fallout 5's big creative concepts don't appear in the show.
Executive producer Jonathan Nolan (best known for penning the screenplays for some of the best Christopher Nolan movies like The Prestige and The Dark Knight) told our friends at Total Film that the goal has always been to create an "original story" that can fit into the wider Fallout timeline, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet telling SFX that the team "felt like that would be the best thing to honor the gamer's experiences, and the most truthful." So if you're wondering why the Fallout TV show isn't a direct sequel to Fallout 4, or a direct adaptation of something like Fallout 3, now you have your answer.
Fallout TV show exclusive insight
Ahead of the show's release, GamesRadar+ sat down with the cast and creators of the series to hear some of their thoughts about what to expect. Take a look through our interviews below:
- The Fallout TV show went the extra mile – by creating a real-life Pip-Boy for its cast to use
- Fallout TV show stars and creators on working with Todd Howard: "It means a lot to get his approval"
- Fallout TV show star Walton Goggins intentionally chose not to play Fallout, even after getting the job
- Fallout cast watched Twitch and YouTube streams of the games before filming: "Watching people play was vital"
- Kyle MacLachlan immediately sells us on Fallout – by comparing it to two of his greatest works: Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet
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Fallout star says her character Lucy is the most brilliantly unhinged combo: "Leslie Knope meets Ned Flanders" and someone who can "also kill you"
Once you've seen the show, be sure to dive into our Fallout spoiler explainers, such as,
- All of the Fallout Easter eggs we spotted in the TV show
- Fallout’s finale may have just answered the centuries-old mystery behind who started the nuclear apocalypse
- The Fallout TV show just revealed the canon origins of Vault Boy's signature thumbs up
- Fallout season 2 sets up [SPOILER] as a major season 2 location
- Fallout season 1 ending explained: Hank, Bud’s Buds, and *that* finale location
Will there be a Fallout season two?
As excited as we are for the Fallout TV show, a second season is yet to be confirmed. Signs are looking positive, however. Season one will run for eight episodes, and the series' co-writer says there's plenty more that can be explored. Graham Wagner says that "there's piles and piles of stuff we want to do," although it's likely that the Fallout TV show will need to be received well by folks in and outside of the Fallout fanbase if more is to be made in the future.
