TV Show review
Review basis: 2 seasons · through February 3, 2026
April 10, 2024 · TV-MA · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Fallout TV series adapts the video game franchise into a two-season post-apocalyptic story set 200 years after nuclear war. Vault dweller Lucy MacLean leaves her sheltered home to rescue her father and teams up with Brotherhood squire Maximus and pre-war ghoul bounty hunter Cooper Howard in a violent, weird wasteland full of factions, corporate experiments, and dark humor. The narrative centers on survival, Vault-Tec greed causing the apocalypse, and satirical takes on 1950s American consumerism and authority. Some audience-visible diversity appears in casting, including a non-binary side character in the Brotherhood of Steel and interracial dynamics, which sparked fan debate, but the core story stays true to the games' classic anti-corporate and survival satire without modern activist lectures.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Fallout.
Woke representation / casting
Visible diversity in leads (white female protagonist Lucy, Black male Maximus) and side non-binary Dane (they/them) in Brotherhood; some interracial dynamics noted by critics. Post-apocalypse setting allows variety, but choices drew specific complaints about fit and emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
Satire targets corporate greed (Vault-Tec), consumerism, and faction absurdities in classic Fallout style; no modern identity politics lectures or current-event framing.
Identity-driven story themes
Minor non-binary side character adds LGBTQ+ visibility with elevated weight per guidelines, but story focuses on survival, family secrets, and corporate plots rather than identity arcs or messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Sharp satire on pre-war American corporations profiting from apocalypse and exclusionary "progressivism" in vaults versus wasteland chaos; stays within alternate-history game satire without modern activist takes on patriarchy or systemic issues.
Woke character or canon changes
Minor addition of non-binary Dane to Brotherhood (games had limited prior LGBTQ examples elsewhere); overall praised for fidelity to tone and lore by creator and fans.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Substantial fan complaints on social media and YouTube about forced diversity, female lead as "girlboss," non-binary character in traditional faction, and white male portrayals; labeled "woke garbage" by vocal groups despite defenses tying it to source satire.
Creator track record context
Nolan/Joy from Westworld (big-idea sci-fi); Espenson with Buffy-era LGBTQ rep history; most other writers low-profile comedy/drama credits. No aggressive activist pattern or identity push in Fallout statements or marketing.
Production
