In April 2024, Fallout debuted on Prime Video and introduced viewers to their next favorite video game turned into a series, filled with radiation zombies and tons of body horror. The must-watch show takes place in the distant future, two centuries after a nuclear holocaust ended modern civilization (hence all of the vintage needle-drops). Countless different factions populate the Wasteland that was once L.A., but the show focuses on three main players: Lucy MacLean (Yellowjackets star Ella Purnell), who grew up in a Vault underground and ventures to the surface to save her abducted father (played by Kyle MacLachlan); Maximus (Aaron Moten), a squire in the mech-suit aided cop-cult Brotherhood of Steel; and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), a seemingly immortal bounty hunter who was also alive before the bombs dropped.
The Emmy-winning series delighted gamers and TV fans alike with its dystopian, lore-filled, intricately plotted story. (Westworld's Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy serve as executive producers, and the vibe of the two shows is not dissimilar.) The series made such a splash that Amazon quickly made big plans for the show's future. Below, read on to see everything we know about Fallout season 2.
Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) in a first-look photo at Fallout season 2.
Has 'Fallout' been renewed for season 2?
Yes! Amazon announced the season 2 renewal just a week after Fallout's premiere on April 10, 2024. Per the streamer, the new show ranked among Prime Video's top three most-watched titles ever within just four days of its debut, and it was their most-watched series since the Lord of the Rings reboot Rings of Power.
Upon its renewal, creators and co-showrunners Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner shared a joint statement: "Holy shit. Thank you to Jonah [Nolan], Kilter [Films], Bethesda [Game Studios] and Amazon for having the courage to make a show that gravely tackles all of society’s most serious problems these days—cannibalism, incest, jello cake. More to come!"
Norm MacLean (Moisés Arias) in season 2.
When will season 2 of 'Fallout' be released?
Prime Video has confirmed that Fallout season 2 will arrive on our screens on Wednesday, December 17. The streamer revealed the premiere date in mid-August when it shared the first teaser trailer (more on that below).
The streamer dropped the news that Fallout would return in December during a May 2025 presentation to advertisers, less than a week after stars Ella Purnell, Kyle Maclachlan, Aaron Moten, and Walton Goggins celebrated the end of filming on season 2. At the time, the streamer also revealed that Fallout is already set to return for season 3! The early renewal is another sign that the sci-fi drama will be one of the streamer's flagship shows for years to come.
Which of the cast will return for 'Fallout' season 2?
Most of the main cast will return for the next season, including Ella Purnell (Lucy MacLean), Aaron Moten (Maximus), Walton Goggins (The Ghoul), Kyle MacLachlan (Hank MacLean), Moisés Arias (Norm MacLean), Frances Turner (Barb Howard), Michael Esper (Bud Askins), Leslie Uggams (Betty Pearson), Dave Register (Chet), Annabel O’Hagan (Stephanie Harper), Zach Cherry (Woody Thomas), Rodrigo Luzzi (Reg McPhee), Johnny Pemberton (Thaddeus), and Xelia Mendes-Jones (Dane).
The biggest question right now is whether Sarita Choudhury could return, as her character Moldaver was shot in the finale. But if Moldaver could survive 200 years post-apocalypse, who says death can stop her?
Kyle MacLachlan will return as Hank MacLean in season 2.
Are there any new cast members in 'Fallout' season 2?
Fallout is building out its already impressive cast even more. In early November 2024, Deadline reported that '90s icon and former child star Macaulay Culkin is set to appear in season 2. The details regarding who he'll be playing are scarce and yet to be confirmed by Prime Video, but the outlet shared that Culkin is said to portray "a crazy genius-type character." Sounds great!
In a surprise move, the release of the first teaser trailer revealed that Justin Theroux is also a new cast member. His casting appears to have been made quietly and kept under wraps. However, we do know who he's playing: Prime Video stated in a press release that The Leftovers alum will portray game character Robert House. Fans of the series may recall House had a brief appearance in season 1, but now that Theroux is in the role and the show is headed to Vegas, you can expect to see even more of him—considering he's the ruler of Sin City.
Fallout season 2 is set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
What will happen in 'Fallout' season 2?
Season 1 of Fallout ended with two major cliffhangers. Firstly, a heartbroken Lucy learned that her father, Hank (MacLachlan), is secretly a part of the conspiracy behind the Vaults. It's revealed that, before the bombs dropped, Hank was an employee of Vault-Tec, the defense contractor that sold spots for families to their doomsday Vaults. To ensure that their business model paid off, Vault-Tec dropped the nuclear bombs themselves to start the war and monopolize the industry. (This detail is original to the show, which ends decades of debate among video game fans regarding who started the apocalypse.)
The Ghoul (Goggins) and Barb Howard (Frances Turner) in season 2.
If prompting Armageddon wasn't bad enough, Vault-Tec also conspired to use the Vaults as sadistic social experiments, installing systems to test which Vault would become the ultimate society. Lucy's Vault 33 was connected to two others, and her brother Norm (Moisés Arias) discovers that Vault 31 is full of the cryogenically frozen brains of Vault-Tec workers. They've been preserved since before the war, and once awakened, they often end up being elected as an overseer of the other Vaults. Also, their mission extends to ensuring civilization doesn't restart on the surface, taking away their monopoly. Hank has gone to extreme lengths to fulfill his role, including destroying the surface community Shady Sands (and radiating Lucy's mother in the process when she took their children to live there).
In the final battle to capture the McGuffin that everyone's been searching for all season, which turns out to be the key to infinite power via cold fusion, Hank escapes, and Maximus is knocked out. The Ghoul offers Lucy two choices: Stay and likely get killed by the Brotherhood, or join him in tracking down Hank, who knows where the remaining members of Ghoul's family may be hiding out.
She decides to go with him, setting up season 2 with a road trip plot line, as they set out to track him down. The final scene also shows a hint of Hank's destination, at least for a couple of episodes: New Vegas, the town that's the subject of one of the most popular Fallout games. Basically, expect many more interesting characters and even more bloodshed.
Is there a trailer for 'Fallout' season 2?
Yes! Prime Video unveiled the first teaser in mid-August, showing The Ghoul and Lucy trudging through the desert, as she hunts for her father. "Wanna know why the world ended? It started here with one man," The Ghoul says, referring to their destination of Las Vegas.
There, The Ghoul comes face to face with Justin Theroux's seemingly very powerful, very dangerous new character who rules over the city. "Like yourself, I am the very best at what I do, and what I do is I know everything," Theroux's character Robert House says to him. "I know there’s a war coming. The bombs will only be the beginning. My concern is that you would do just about everything to save your family. I think you are actually quite a violent man. You just don’t want to kill me yet." The clip then teases images of explosions and characters putting on machinery to prepare for battle; so it looks like a war is indeed coming—and like this season will be even more epic than the first.
Maximus (Aaron Moten) in season 2.
What has the cast and crew said about season 2?
In an interview with GQ, creators Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet teased some of the storylines they're excited to explore in season 2, including Lucy's motivation as she goes after her dad.
"What exactly her precise motive is is something we're very excited to dive into more in season 2, but I wouldn't ever underestimate Lucy's curiosity as something that's motivating her deep down," Robertson-Dworet told the outlet. "As much as she leaves to find her father in the pilot, she also wants to f--kin' know what's out that door. Similarly, over the course of the season, she's learned that everything she thought about the world, in her vault, was wrong, right? ... There's a certain amount of, ‘I want to understand, I want to leave the cave again.’ In a way, it's a mirror image to the pilot."
The co-showrunners have also teased that one of the most beloved monsters from the game will make it to the screen in season 2. While speaking with TheWrap, the pair confirmed that some characters next season will have to face off against the apex predators of the Fallout universe, the Deathclaws.
“We wanted to get Deathclaws [in season 1], but we didn’t want to just throw it away. It’s such a monumental piece,” Wagner explained. “We want to save some something for season 2 to be able to do it properly, not just added on to the massive world-building we had to do already in season 1. So season 2, we’re very excited to finally tackle one of the most iconic elements of the games.”