If you come to "Fallout," as I did, not knowing the games, you might want to Google the backstory. Otherwise you're sure to be puzzled.
The first scene of the show occurs in the year 2077, however, the furniture, clothing, hair styles and electronics are totally1950s era. The only thing out of place is a fleeting glance at a robot. It says to the lady of the house: "Ready to be of service, madam."
The explanation? We are viewing an American /Earth alternate universe. Apparently the fear of nuclear war, which gripped our America after WW2, was so extreme that it's stunted this America's social & technological growth. In many ways, leaving America style-stuck in the fifties.
The stunted technological growth has prevented the invention of the transistor and circuit boards. That's why radios, TVs and such are all still dependent on Tube Technology.
And so it seems, from the building fear of Nuclear war in the 1950's, up to the first scene of this show, in 2077, America's industry have focused their efforts on building elaborate life-sustaining vaults. These are designed to house Americans underground. Thus keeping an elite segment of the population safe from nuclear war FALLOUT.
That is a clever premise indeed. Making this dystopian universe unlike most others. Frankly I had grown a bit tired of shows exploring apocalyptic and dystopian worlds. Especially the ones which are midnight-dark and depressing. Happily, that's not the case with Fallout. While some scenes are genuinely terrifying, there are more than enough scenes which treat us to intelligent and logically placed comedy.
Another factor which lightens the brooding atmosphere is the (song) music which is appropriate to the action and interspersed throughout each episode. Mostly vocal selections from the 40s and 50s.
The incidental music is composed by Game of Thrones genius Ramin Djawadi. It's excellent. And if you normally skip the end titles, don't. The graphics are different for each ending and they are accompanied by beautuful Djawadi compositions.
While Fallout may not be the greatest science fiction episodic series, it's among the best. It's original enough not to be hackneyed. The acting is solid, the CGI is excellent, the scripts are good and this all provides for some terrific sci-fi entertainment.