Summary

• The Fallout show found success for a number of reasons, including its celebration of iconic game elements and its creation of a unique narrative path.
• The show balances dark drama with quirky humor, creating a distinct post-apocalyptic world.
• Well-developed characters and exceptional world-building make Fallout a standout in the genre.

The Reviews of Fallout have almost unanimously praised the show, and it currently has a critic score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's especially high praise for a video game adaptation, a genre of movies and shows that has historically struggled to find its footing. Part of the reason Fallout has avoided the pitfalls of other adaptations is that it takes a much different approach to its subject material than most other examples.

The games Fallout is based on are incredibly popular, so the show definitely inherited some of its best aspects. the Fallout timeline, and many of them helped it earn an exceptional reception.

8 Fallout Has A Reverence For Its Source Material

With Several Easter eggs And References, Fans Of The Games Have Plenty To Enjoy From The Show

A major draw of the Fallout show, and a big reason it was created in the first place, is the popularity of its source material. It's one of the most compelling series of games out there, and the show needed to do justice to them to find success. Fortunately, Fallout was created by fans of the games, and their ion for the franchise bled into almost every aspect of the show.

The entire first season of Fallout is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

As Screen Rant's Kate Bove noted, there's plenty for longtime followers of the franchise to recognize and enjoy in the show, writing, "It’s clear that the series’ creators are Fallout devotees. From the retro-futuristic aesthetic and blue-and-yellow jumpsuits to Lucy’s use of a Survival Syringe and the myriad posters of Vault Boy (Vault-Tec’s mascot), Fallout is packed with nods to the franchise." While it clearly treats its source material with respect, the Fallout show also understood that it couldn't completely lean on the franchise's past success.

7 The Fallout Show Doesn't Depend On The Games

The Show Explains Its Own Lore And Is Good Enough To Stand On Its Own

There are plenty of references for fans of the games, but Fallout doesn't satisfy them at the expense of new viewers. Those Easter eggs serve as connections and tributes to the games, but most of them are not vital to the plot, and the ones that are important were well explained. That makes Fallout accessible to the average viewer, which not only opened it up to wider audiences, but also helped it craft a more self-contained story independent of the games.

Howard Waldstein of CBR saw the show's independence from the games as a major positive, writing, "For those who have never played the Fallout series, especially those of the time-strapped ilk who can't just pour hundreds of hours into a game, they should give Prime Video's Fallout a go." A major reason Fallout has gotten such great reviews is because it works on its own, the Fallout franchise just acts as a setting and a background for an independent tale

6 Fallout Balances Its Drama & Comedy Aspects Well

The Show's Conflicting Tones Work Together And Enhance Each Other

Fallout has long been known for both its biting satire and its quirky sense of humor, and the show has followed the franchise's trend. Finding a way to introduce comedic elements into a dramatic story is often a difficult task, and handling it poorly can both cheapen the drama and cause the comedy to fall flat. Luckily, Fallout found a perfect balance between its serious story and eccentric humor.

William Goodman of The Wrap saw how impressive that balance was, writing, "the games’ darkness and oppressive post-apocalyptic nature are ever present, but the comedic elements are hilariously in play as well." Goodman went on to say,​​​​ "Finding a tonal balance between the drama and the comedy is a razor’s edge, but “Fallout” makes it look effortless." Part of why balance is so important is because the comedy can keep the drama from becoming too dark, while the drama can keep the comedy from becoming too silly; a principle Fallout clearly understood.

5 Fallout Is Incredibly Unique

In An Over-Saturated Genre, Fallout Manages To Stand Out From The Crowd

The post-apocalyptic genre has been crowded for years, but the Fallout franchise has always managed to distance itself from other entries. The Fallout show has been able to do the same, even with recent dystopian video game adaptations like The Last of Us making comparisons even more likely. Fallout took its one-of-a-kind setting and brought its most unique features up to a new level.

Therese Lacson of Collider emphasized how Fallout stands out from other TV shows. Lacson wrote in her review that "in sidestepping mass appeal, the series has carved out a niche for itself that feels unique to the current TV landscape. There's really nothing like Fallout on television right now, and that's ultimately a good thing." Lacson also noted that Fallout refused to compromise on its creative vision, and that decision has certainly paid off in both its unique style and its reception.

4 Fallout Prioritizes Story & Substance

The Retro-Futuristic Aesthetic And Wacky Wasteland Are Perks, But The Main Attraction Is The Narrative

The Fallout show could have relied on the legacy the games have created, and it would have been alright. With iconic style elements like the retro-futuristic aesthetic, radioactive monsters and mutants, and more, the show could have been a simple recreation of one of the games, and it would have been an average success. Instead, Fallout took a risk and crafted a completely unique story separate from any other installment in the franchise, and it paid off in dividends.

Bernard Boo of Den of Geek called the show one of the entire franchise's best narratives and wrote that "Fallout does something the games in the legendary franchise never have — put storytelling above all else." He also called the story "all-new and unexpectedly thought-provoking." No amount of style and action can replace a solid story, and Fallout's creators kept that in mind while writing the show. No matter how wacky or outlandish the wasteland can be, there is still a heartfelt message at its center, which critics appreciated.

3 Fallout's Three Main Characters Are Well-Developed

Lucy, Maximus, And The Ghoul Are All Three-Dimensional

Of course, a good story can only take a show so far, and it has to be ed by equally well-written characters. Luckily, Fallout has a huge cast of characters, and all of them worked together to make the wasteland feel alive. None of the main characters in the show feel under-developed, and all of them have incredibly interesting layers to them.

Christopher Cross of Asynchronus Media noted how the show's three main characters were particularly compelling. He wrote, "There’s so much room for the series to grow thanks to the solid foundation of characters it has built and its careful approach to world-building that injects the post-apocalypse with a uniquely enthusiastic demeanor." Cross also mentioned that Lucy and the Ghoul were the major standouts of the cast, while Maximus was more subdued and grounded.

2 Fallout's Lead Actors Give Compelling Performances

Purnell, Moten, And Goggins Bring Their Characters To Life

Part of what makes a character compelling, in addition to how they're written, is how they are portrayed. Fallout's three main leads, Purnell, Moten, and Goggins, gave exceptional performances in their roles, and their acting abilities helped establish their characters as comprehensive and realistic people. Even the ing cast added incredible depth to the show and its world, and gave the story's stakes true weight.

Screen Rant's Kate Bove noted that each of the main actors displayed impressive range, writing that "Fallout’s cast is a beautiful blend of actors who have as many comedic chops as they do dramatic ones." With such a complicated world to inhabit, conflicting tones to balance, and characters to portray, that range was exceptionally useful. Bove also noted that "The cast of Fallout also helps the post-apocalyptic drama stand out in a crowded field." Purnell, Moten, and Goggins helped Fallout feel special just as much as, if not more than, Lucy, Maximus, and Cooper did.

1 Fallout's Worldbuilding Is Exceptional

There's A Lot To Love About The Wasteland, And Fallout Conveyed Its Most Beloved Aspects

On the surface, Fallout's wasteland is a fairly standard dystopian nightmare, complete with destroyed buildings, dangerous raiders, and the horrors of the apocalypse. It's the details that set Fallout apart from other dystopias, though, and there are more than a few of them. The Fallout show managed to convey everything about the wasteland that makes it so special, while also implementing those details in a way that let newer viewers keep up with the dense lore of the wasteland.

As Greg Archer of MovieWeb noted, "Fallout offers some of the finest world-building we’ve seen on streaming." He went on to applaud the show's creators, writing, "The writers do a nice job establishing intrigue and curiosity with these significant characters and all the various side players we meet along that way. We want to know about this world, and the “Great War” that changed everything." As with the games, Fallout's world can instantly draw in audiences.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, CBR, The Wrap, Collider, Den of Geek, Asynchronus Media, MovieWeb,