'Fallout' Season 2 Is a Nuclear Blast of Post-Apocalyptic Fun

When Fallout premiered on Prime Video in 2024, there was ample trepidation about whether this series would deliver where other video game adaptations had failed. The program, created by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner — and executive produced by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy — more than proved its worth. 

Thanks to a focus on creating an original storyline that honors the property created by Bethesda Softworks, along with immersive world-building, unique characters and a fun tongue-in-cheek style, the series did well by the franchise’s fandom. 

Now, a year and a half later, Fallout is back with Season 2. Rest assured, after viewing the first six episodes, I can attest that, once again, Fallout turns the crumbling of humanity into a rollicking good time. There are story and character details that I can’t discuss without spoiling the plot, so I won’t. That said, if you want to go into these episodes fresh, turn back now.

Fans of the Fallout games can all agree that the most engaging component of the series is the franchise’s absorbing story world. There are iconic locales and a deeply developed lore that is all held together by an oddly quaint retrofuturistic aesthetic. It’s a formula that makes the series unique, bridging nostalgia with fantasy. 

As with the first season, the new episodes lean into these world details without feeling contrived. Look around, and you’ll see people wearing Pip-Boys and drinking bottles of Nuka Cola. Radroaches and StimPaks sprinkle the story, instead of oversaturating it, broadening the edges of an already realized reality. These are the fun Easter eggs for fans of the games to engage with, while newcomers can relish in the absurdity. 

Season 2 shifts locations, relocating the story to the iconic setting of New Vegas. It’s a fun pivot. Aside from unleashing more aesthetic references to the games, the new environment brings new stakes to the mix. 

All this wouldn’t really matter if the show didn’t have a collection of strong heroes to root for; Fallout has three. Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins and Aaron Moten return as Lucy, The Ghoul and Maximus. Our main characters find themselves grappling with crises of identity. 

I was afraid the new episodes would be a retread for the characters. While I’d have no issue watching Goggins swagger through the desert, delivering one-liners through his noseless face, I’m happy to say that each of these characters faces challenges that spark discomfort and change within them, leading the show to go into exciting, sometimes unpredictable, directions.

It’s fair to say I have a soft spot for The Ghoul; he was my MVP for the show’s first outing. In a surprising turn of events, Moten’s portrayal of Maximus and his time with the Brotherhood of Steel are a standout this time around. There’s a determined sense of morality that fuels him, even if he keeps finding himself in the most violent situations. 

Lucy shares his drive to uphold justice, but Season 2 reveals the innocent, sheltered Vault Dweller has been changed by the Wasteland. Her journey through the desert, accompanied by The Ghoul, is delightful. The chemistry between Purnell and Goggins is electric. There’s plenty of comedy here, but their connection also results in heartbreak, which only makes things even more resonant.

Then there’s Kyle MacLachlan, who looks like he’s having the time of his life as Hank MacLean. His character’s heel turn at the end of the first season is the catalyst for Lucy and The Ghoul’s trek into the desert in the first place, and the stuff he does in these episodes is nothing short of disturbing. 

Conflict leads to more conflict throughout the season, and a tug-of-war that pits the ideals of humanity versus its darker, violent side ends up surfacing as an overarching theme. The first season sprinkled hints at a mystery surrounding Vault-Tec’s involvement in the world’s end, and the real reason the underground vaults were created. 

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Through flashbacks, Season 2 delves deeper, unveiling more pieces to the puzzle. 

There’s an espionage element to these sequences, adding a new tonal element to the mix, which complements the show’s polished, 1950s-esque style nicely. Justin Theroux’s addition to the cast as Robert House, the morally questionable billionaire, accentuates these parts. He fits right into all the ridiculousness brilliantly.

As for the bloody nature of the show, it feels like the new season has less gore. Perhaps that’s a creative choice; maybe it’s a matter of budget. Some may find that offputting, but it didn’t affect my experience. In fact, there is a practical nature to some of the monster effects this time around, which lends a nice tactile quality to things. 

Fallout is a video game adaptation done right. It’s as sticky-sweet as a Nuka Cola, and as terrifying as an irradiated Wasteland mutant. That was a weird sentence to type, but it’s the best way I can describe the balance the show achieves. On paper, it shouldn’t work. But somehow, it does. 

For a show that explores the gritty underbelly of humanity while tackling topics such as corporate warfare, the military-industrial complex, classism and the erosion of the nuclear family, it’s a truly enjoyable ride.