Bethesda had a huge year in 2024 and it’s shockingly not because of anything coming out of its gaming division. Instead, the slam dunk mainstream success of theFallouttelevision show on Prime has taken the series and its studio to new heights in the public consciousness.The series was recognized at The Game Awards, and is a likely contender for a few Emmys. And though a second season is already in the works, it’s still a ways off, which leaves Bethesda and Amazon with a lot of time to plan their next follow-up moves.
A second season ofFalloutwas always going to be a no-brainer. Longtime fans and newcomers to the wasteland alike both found a lot to love in characters like Lucy, the Ghoul, and Maximus. ButFalloutis far from the only major franchise Bethesda has under its belt, nor is it the only of the studio’s IPs begging for a television series. And despite Todd Howard’s previous reluctance to pursue it, now might be the perfect time to explore the studio’s other beloved RPG in the form of a small screen adventure.
Fallout’s Success on Prime is Proof an Elder Scrolls Show Could Work, Despite The Studio’s Hesitations
Fallout’s meteoric success on streaming is the perfect sign for Bethesda to finally pull the trigger on a live actionElder Scrollsproject. Studio head Todd Howard has said multiple times over the years that there wereno plans to adoptThe Elder Scrollsinto a movie or show, but it’ll be hard to keep that stance after all the accolades for theFalloutshow continue rolling in over the next few weeks and months.
Time and again, audiences have shown that there’s a high demand for shows set in high fantasy settings. The cultural ubiquity ofGame of Thrones,its prequel seriesHouse of the Dragon, and even Prime’sRings of Powershows that there is a clear demand for high-budget fantasy stories on television. And few fantasy settings have more potential for a long-running television show thanThe Elder Scrolls. Bethesda can strike while the iron is hot, capitalize on the success ofFalloutand that market desire for fantasy television, and make something truly special that will do right by existing diehards while introducing a whole new generation of fans to Tamriel.
What Can an Elder Scrolls Show Even Be About?
The best thing for anElder Scrollsshow would be to take a note fromFalloutand create a new, smaller scale narrative within the setting using new characters. The key would befinding this show’s own Lucy MacLean: a fish out of water character who is experiencing the world alongside the viewers. From there, giving the audience a band of quirky, yet relatable party members like the Ghoul or Maximus would be ideal, and then having them set out on an adventure like any classic fantasy story.
The great thing about a potentialElder Scrollsshow is that the sky really is the limit to what it could actually be about. The series timeline spans hundreds of years and isspread across Tamriel’s nine provinces. The hardest part would be picking a time period and running from there. The obvious first picks would be setting the show in the same general era as eitherSkyrimorOblivion, the two most recent and popular titles in the series.
How Would Bethesda Approach The Elder Scrolls as a TV Show?
Thefantasy world of Tamriel is massive and expansive, even more so than the wastelands formerly known as America inFallout. It would be a challenge to show so much of that world within the confines of just one story, though maybe that doesn’t have to be the case. Following in the direction of shows likeAmerican Horror Story, each season of anElder Scrollsshow could revolve around a different set of characters. This would allow the show to explore different provinces, time periods, and cultures across Tamriel’s expansive and storied history.
Ananthology approach might be the best way for anElder Scrollsshowto proceed. Bethesda wouldn’t have to focus on expansive, multi-season narratives and could instead focus on tight, impactful stories that are woven together by the sheer fact that they all take place inside the same universe.
This is an obvious contrast to theFalloutshow, which will continue Lucy’s story in Season 2, but it might be just what anElder Scrollsproject needs to maintain that sense of continuously finding a new adventure. Everyone who’s ever played anElder Scrollstitle can easily recall the sense of wonder and scale they felt when they first booted up their first game in the series; a whole wide open world full of adventure waiting at their fingertips, ready to be explored. A television or streaming show has the potential to recreate that feeling for both series veterans and folks who’ve never experienced waking up in a wagon bound for Helgen.
Fallout
Cast
Created by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout is based on the post-apocalyptic RPG gaming franchise that started in the 1990s. Set hundreds of years after the Great War, Lucy leaves her Vault bunker to travel the Wasteland in search of her kidnapped father.
