One of the things people want in life is consistency. For example, payday. After working for however many hours a day, week, or month, you expect to have your money sent at the same time on the same day. Sometimes getting the money early is good, but something as good as getting paid early can throw your flow off. On a lesser level, that analogy works for TV shows.
HBO has been a ruler of Sundays for decades, thanks to the success of shows like Game of Thrones, Insecure, and The Sopranos having consistent release times. When streaming became a popular thing, the launch time for shows has become loose. Prime Video has taken advantage of that with programs like Invincible and The Boys that have three-episode season premieres. They've also altered the times of their release depending on what is going on at the time. That brings us to the subject of today's article, Fallout.
Prime Video shaking up the release times of Fallout wasn’t weird. As it was mentioned earlier, they've done it before. Nevertheless, it is odd that changing them again for the final two episodes of the season (episodes 7 and 8) makes this the third time. It went from 9 p.m. EST to 3 a.m. EST. Now it’s going back to its initial 9 p.m. start time. The question now is why.
The beginning of the year is when a lot of channels and streaming platforms send out their biggest guns. It’s a smart way to set the tone for the rest of the year. HBO began the year with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and Paramount+ kicked things off with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. As for Prime Video, their first premiere of 2026 was season 2 of The Night Manager. That program's 3 a.m. could be why Fallout was moved.
Sure, having a show available whenever after it comes out makes it easier for people to make a decision. But if you’re awake and can only watch one, the other show will suffer. You may go back and watch the program at a later date, but, sadly, the first day numbers are important to projects success.
It doesn't matter if both eventually do the same numbers. It can still be canceled. Fans have seen their favorite shows and movies get axed even if they were profitable and popular. So, rather than have two shows on the same platform to fight for dominance, the smart thing to do is to move one of them.
As of now, it’s unclear if this is a gift or a curse. The good news is that it seems that viewers are enjoying Prime Video's Fallout, and people love Ella Purnell (Lucy) and Walton Goggins (Cooper Howard/the Ghoul). With all of that in mind, this time change could be the move that keeps Fallout on track for its already approved third season, or get it canceled. This writer hopes it's the former.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow’s social media pages on Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more Fallout news, opinions, and rumors as they come out.