With its radiation-infused setting and a cast filled with steel-clad soldiers, ghoulish gunslingers, and happy-go-lucky Vault Dwellers, Fallout may not seem like a prime candidate to be one of the funniest shows of the year.
But it is – and cast member Kyle MacLachlan, who plays Overseer Hank MacLean in the Prime Video series, knows why – comparing the show’s twisted sense of humor to two of his finest works in Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet.
"It’s reminiscent a little bit of Twin Peaks in that you had comedic moments that came in very unusual places, also in situations that were very tense and frightening," MacLachlan tells GamesRadar+ of the funny side of Fallout and how its approach is similar to that of David Lynch’s television masterpiece. "Suddenly, there was a little bit of humor that was injected."
"People watch Blue Velvet, another example, and they laugh at really unusual moments and they’re sort of surprised that they’re laughing," MacLachlan adds, referring to the 1986 movie which starred MacLachlan as college student who embarks on a Lynchian dreamlike odyssey filled with sex and violence. "But they find the comedy in that, and it’s not dissimilar, I think, to Fallout and the humor that’s there."
MacLachlan’s co-star Walton Goggins also praises the low-key way Fallout handles its humor – which allowed the cast to focus on their characters.
"For me and I think for the rest of the cast, it was about making these people three dimensional and real," Goggins explains.
"You never play humor for humor’s sake, right? It’s just there. Maybe it’s a line that you walk, but if you believe it then these words just come out and the humor is situational. It’s not like ba-dum-bum: here’s a joke."
Fallout is streaming on Prime Video from April 10. For more, we've also got some exclusive insight from the cast and creators on the new series which you can read below:
- Fallout TV show
- Fallout TV show stars and creators on working with Todd Howard: "It means a lot to get his approval"
- The Fallout TV show went the extra mile – by creating a real-life Pip-Boy for its cast to use
- Fallout TV show star Walton Goggins intentionally chose not to play Fallout, even after getting the job
- Fallout cast watched Twitch and YouTube streams of the games before filming: "Watching people play was vital"
- Fallout release schedule
- Fallout season 1 review: "A big Vault Boy-style thumbs up"
- Is the Fallout TV show canon? Here’s what Bethesda’s Todd Howard and the showrunners have to say
- Fallout season 1 ending explained: Hank, Bud’s Buds, and *that* finale location
- When does the Fallout TV show take place on the series timeline?
- Will there be a Fallout season 2?
- The Fallout TV show just revealed the canon origins of Vault Boy's signature thumbs up
- All of the Fallout Easter eggs we spotted in the TV show
- Fallout’s finale may have just answered the centuries-old mystery behind who started the nuclear apocalypse
- Fallout season 2 sets up [SPOILER] as a major season 2 location
