Being based on a hugely popular video game gives Prime Video’s Fallout series a big boost: there’s already built-in fan base.
But there’s also pressure that comes with adapting a beloved property, and in a new interview, its showrunners talked about how they captured the game’s distinctive tone—especially its quirky sense of humor—for the streaming show.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner said throughout the multi-year process of bringing the game to TV, one big element that evolved was the show’s approach to comedy.
“When we say ‘comedy,’ we mean the ways in which the show is odd and unexpected—not necessarily zingers,” Wagner explained.
“We played with all versions of this.
There were zingers in the script and we were like, ‘Is the show this?’ We found ourselves taking out a lot of the more classic jokes and just leaning into the premise itself, because there’s an absurdity to it.
Taking an absurd premise and playing it with a relatively straight face felt like the best way to do it.” Robertson-Dworet said “nailing that tone” that so carefully calibrates post-apocalyptic drama, graphic violence, and zany humor was the toughest thing about their task.
But she also told the trade, “I love that the games make the apocalypse fun and weird, and I hope that’s something that we properly brought to the screen.” All eight episodes of Fallout season one are now streaming on Prime Video.
The Fallout series on Prime Video benefits greatly from having a built-in fan base because it is based on a hugely popular video game. However, there is pressure associated with adapting a well-known property. The showrunners discussed how they managed to preserve the unique tone of the game—particularly its peculiar sense of humor—for the streaming series in a recent interview.
Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner said that the show’s comedic approach changed significantly over the course of the multi-year process of adapting the game to television. “We mean the ways in which the show is odd and unexpected—not necessarily zingers—when we say comedy,” Wagner clarified. We experimented with every variation of this. We found ourselves removing a lot of the more traditional jokes and just leaning into the premise itself because there’s an absurdity to it. There were zingers in the script that made us wonder, “Is the show this?”. The best way to handle the ridiculous premise seemed to be to play it with a relatively straight face. “.
According to Robertson-Dworet, the hardest part of their work was “nailing that tone,” which so expertly balances graphic violence, post-apocalyptic drama, and outrageous humor. However, she also stated to the trade, “I hope we properly brought that to the screen because I love how the games make the apocalypse fun and weird.”. “.
Prime Video now streams all eight episodes of Fallout: First Light.
