6 best TV series for those who liked Fallout. From underrated masterpieces to the best film of 2023 – Executioner

The wasteland has swallowed you up.

The Fallout series based on the video game universe of the same name turned out to be more successful than many expected. After its release, almost all the games in the series broke their peak online records – all except Fallout 4, to be precise, but its sales increased enormously. But let Amazon and Bethesda evaluate these numbers. What is more important for us, the viewers, is that Fallout has become, probably, the best serial adaptation of video games in history, not counting animation.

And even if you haven’t played any Fallout, this story will have something to interest you. Which makes you wonder: how many series have we had that are similar to Fallout? In fact, the number is not that large. But even among them there are top titles. If you’ve already watched all eight episodes and then desperately want more, catch a collection of top series that are reminiscent of Fallout in spirit and vibe.

“Jericho” (2006 – 2008)

What is the essence of the atmosphere of Fallout? It’s a mixture of post-apocalyptic desert and optimistic American 1950s aesthetics. So, the forgotten series “Jericho” from the second half of the 2000s did something similar. The plot tells the story of a small town experiencing the first days and weeks after a nuclear attack. And here the optimistic spirit of unity quickly gives way to very dark things.

For example, the residents of Jericho have to literally fight with their neighbors from another town. Or resist the military taking over the territory. We can say that we see what happened in Fallout on the surface immediately after the disaster. And how the American outback turns into a real post-apocalyptic shelter. A very good project for its time, and “Jericho” has survived quite well, despite the moderate budget.

“In the Desert of Death” (2015 – 2019)

But what was the best Fallout adaptation before Fallout was the absolutely insane and criminally underrated Into the Desert of Death series. It’s a mixture of The Last of Us, The Road and nuclear samurai action in the strangest post-apocalyptic world you’ve ever seen. If you wanted to watch the war of factions in a setting formed after a major cataclysm, there was simply no better option.

Moreover, “In the Desert of Death” is one of the highest quality series in terms of staging battle scenes. The fight choreography here completely compensates for the small budget of the AMC channel. This is also a top project for those who primarily like obscurity and absurdity in the Fallout universe. By the way, there are many of these since the days of Fallout 2.

“Through the Snow” (2020 – …)

Important disclaimer: Snowpiercer is not based on the 2013 Korean film of the same name, but is based on a French comic book of the same name, just like the film. This needs to be understood, because here the same story is told a little differently and, let’s say, they let the setting go out into the vestibule to breathe. Snowpiercer is an excellent action-TV series.

The plot is simple and complex at the same time: our planet, after a man-made disaster, is going through another ice age, and the survivors are endlessly traveling somewhere on a giant train, where a new social division has occurred. Yes, it’s not exactly Fallout in the sense that you won’t see the Wasteland. But the strange fates of people after a global catastrophe are shown here just as well as in the film adaptation of a nuclear western.

“Metal Rattle” (2023)

The film adaptation of the Twisted Metal video game series turned out to be no less crazy in spirit than Fallout. This is a very strange world (again, after a global catastrophe), where the former United States is divided into separate cities, movement between which can and will be difficult for a variety of circumstances. Let’s just say this is where Fallout vibes meet Mad Max, as protagonist John Doe’s journey takes place by car.

This is where we return to madness. Opposing John is an interesting pursuer in the form of a killer clown nicknamed Sweet Tooth – he, by the way, is the main mascot of the entire Twisted Metal series. And “Rain of Metal” is much closer to the Fallout games than to the serial adaptation, because it flirts much more often with category B films and other layers of pulp culture.

“Shelter” (2023 – …)

The name can also be translated as “Bunker”. Or like “Shelter”. Well, you understand, right? Wow. The heroes of the series live in a giant bunker on the -144th floor and firmly believe that the world outside is poisoned, and anyone who comes to the surface will die instantly. If you really want to, there are even ways to get out – but it’s always a one-way ticket. Nobody comes back. Is there some terrible secret behind this? Well, if it weren’t, then what’s the point of filming the series “Shelter”?

Top mysterious production and one of the best TV series of 2023. This story has two things in common with Fallout: a global catastrophe and the concept of shelters, somewhat reminiscent of the products of the Vault-Tec company. And if you’re not yet convinced that this is definitely a must-see, know that it stars the majestic Rebecca Ferguson, now known for her role in Dune.

“Westworld” (2016 – 2022)

All truly good authors write the same story in different variations. Among others, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the creators of Westworld, worked on Fallout. And you can go crazy with how many similarities the new series has with the first season of the project about an amusement park with intelligent androids. And don’t say later that the ghoul Cooper is not the Man in Black.

Yes, Westworld in its later seasons hunches heavily under the weight of its esotericism. Only real psychopaths will be able to understand what is happening towards the end. But does that make the first two seasons worse? Absolutely not. So Westworld is highly recommended to anyone who loves the screenwriting approach of Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy.