Foundation (TV series)

Foundation is an American science fiction television series created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman for Apple TV+, loosely based on the Foundation series of stories by Isaac Asimov. It features an ensemble cast led by Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey. The series premiered on September 24, 2021. In October 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 14, 2023. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a third season.

The first season received some positive reviews, with praise aimed towards its performances (Pace and Harris in particular), epic scale, visual effects and score by Bear McCreary. However, the pacing, specifically of the time jumps, use of narration and complexity of plot were often criticized.

The second season received more positive reviews from critics, with many agreeing that it was an improvement over its first season, emphasizing the more accessible pacing, better plot, improved interpersonal characterizations and overall satisfaction with the season's payoff.

Plot
In the far future, most of the known galaxy is despotically ruled by a revolving triumvirate of Emperor Cleon clones: Brother Day, a Cleon in his prime; Brother Dusk, a retired and aging Cleon who serves in an advisory role; and Brother Dawn, a young Cleon being trained to succeed Brother Day. This "genetic dynasty" has been surreptitiously administered for 400 years by the regal Lady Demerzel, the emperor's majordomo and secretly a unique, ageless humanoid robot. Young Gaal Dornick solves a complex mathematic proof and wins a galaxy-wide contest, devised by famed mathematician and psychology professor Hari Seldon to find another mathematical genius who could understand his work. Arriving on the capital planet, Trantor, Gaal is thrust into the center of a conflict involving psychohistory, an algorithm created by Seldon which predicts the events and actions of large masses of people across vast timelines. Seldon has predicted the decay and imminent fall of the empire, which cannot be averted, but the consequences of which may be mitigated by the creation of Foundation preserving the knowledge of humanity. The Cleons, known collectively as Empire, are dismissive of Seldon, but ultimately allow him and his followers to establish the Foundation in exile on the remote planet Terminus. The series chronicles Empire's subsequent conflicts with the Foundation, and the characters which bridge the divide between them.

Main

 * Jared Harris as Hariton "Hari" Seldon, a mathematician and developer of psychohistory, an algorithmic science that allows him to predict the future in terms of probabilities
 * Lee Pace as Brother Day (Cleon I, XII, XIII and XVII), the middle-aged member of a series of genetic clones of Cleon I, who reigns as Emperor of the 12,000-year-old Galactic Empire; Pace also portrays Cleon I in his prime.
 * Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, Hari's protégée, a self-taught young woman from Synnax, a planet where the pursuit of knowledge is considered heresy. Teyarnie Galea portrays Gaal as a child.
 * Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin, the Warden of Terminus 35 years after Seldon's trial, hero of the Foundation's first crisis and Gaal Dornick's daughter
 * Laura Birn as Demerzel, majordomo to the Emperors and one of the last surviving androids from the ancient Robot Wars
 * Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk (Cleon I, XI, XII and XVI), the eldest member of a series of genetic clones of Cleon I who retired from his duties as Emperor; Mann also portrays an elderly Cleon I.
 * Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn (Cleon I, XIV and XVIII), the youngest member of a series of genetic clones of Cleon I and the successor-in-training of Brother Day.
 * Alexander Siddig as Dr. Ebling Mis (season 3), a self-taught psychohistorian and diehard fan of Hari Seldon. Siddig also portrayed Advocate Xylas, the prosecutor in Seldon's trial, in the first season.
 * Troy Kotsur as Preem Palver (season 3), the leader of a planet of psychics.

Recurring

 * Alfred Enoch as Raych Foss (seasons 1–2), the adopted son of Hari Seldon
 * Daniel MacPherson as Hugo Crast (seasons 1–2), an interplanetary trader from Thespis who became Salvor Hardin's lover
 * Clarke Peters as Abbas Hardin (season 1), a Seldon follower, the first Warden and first Mayor of Terminus, and surrogate father of Salvor Hardin
 * Sasha Behar as Mari Hardin (season 1), a Seldon follower and surrogate mother of Salvor Hardin
 * Elliot Cowan as Lewis Pirenne (season 1), the Director of the Foundation and first successor of Hari Seldon
 * Amy Tyger as Azura Odili (season 1), an Imperial Palace gardener and love interest of Brother Dawn/Cleon XIV
 * Mido Hamada as Shadow Master Obrecht (season 1), the Imperial spymaster during Cleon XIII's reign
 * Christian Contreras as Commander Dorwin (season 1), an Imperial soldier sent to investigate loss of contact with Terminus
 * Cooper Carter as the child Brother Dawn/Cleon XIII (season 1).
 * Kubbra Sait as Grand Huntress Phara Keaen (season 1), the top military officer of Anacreon who personally leads a raid on Terminus
 * Kulvinder Ghir as High Claric Poly Verisof (season 2), Brother Constant's superior and companion, who was a child at the dawn of the Foundation
 * Oliver Chris as Director Sermak (season 2), a leader of the Foundation and Brother Constant's father
 * Ella-Rae Smith as Queen Sareth (season 2), ruler of Cloud Dominion and bride-to-be of Brother Day/Cleon XVII
 * Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Enjoiner Rue Corintha (season 2), Sareth's retainer and advisor
 * Ben Daniels as Bel Riose (season 2), an admired general who was imprisoned for disobeying Empire
 * Dino Fetscher as Glawen Curr (season 2), Riose's husband and second-in-command
 * Ed Birch as Keeper Yartell (season 2), the guardian of the Empire's memory archives
 * Judi Shekoni as She-Bends-Light (season 2), a Spacer navigator in Riose's flagship
 * Isabella Laughland as Brother Constant (season 2), a novice claric and traveling "magician" spreading the gospel of Hari Seldon
 * Rachel House as Tellem Bond (season 2), the leader of a community of Mentalics on planet Ignis
 * Michael Akinsulire as Loron (season 2), a Mentalic and Tellem's enforcer
 * Dimitri Leonidas as Hober Mallow (season 2), a roguish trader and con man who plays an important role in Seldon's plan
 * Mikael Persbrandt (season 2) and Pilou Asbæk (season 3) as The Mule
 * Cherry Jones as Foundation Ambassador Quent (season 3)
 * Synnøve Karlsen as Bayta Mallow (season 3)
 * Cody Fern as Toran Mallow (season 3)
 * Brandon P. Bell as Han Pritcher (season 3)
 * Tómas Lemarquis as Magnifico Giganticus (season 3)
 * Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing as Song (season 3)
 * Leo Bill as Mayor Indbur (season 3)

Guest

 * Reece Shearsmith as Jerril (seasons 1–2), an Imperial agent during Cleon XII's reign
 * Chris Jarman as Jarko (seasons 1–2), Gaal Dornick's father
 * Jade Harrison as Bayla (season 1), Gaal Dornick's mother
 * T'Nia Miller as Zephyr Halima Ifa (season 1), a senior priestess of the Luminist faith vying to become its next leader
 * Ian McNeice as Master Statistician Tivole (season 1), the head of the Emperor's team of mathematicians
 * Chipo Chung as the voice of the Raven operating system (season 1)
 * Nimrat Kaur as Yanna Seldon (season 2), Hari Seldon's deceased life partner
 * Holt McCallany as Jaegger Fount (season 2), a Warden of Terminus
 * Rowena King as Kalle (season 2), a mathematician whose work helped Hari Seldon create his Prime Radiant
 * Jesper Christensen as Ducem Barr (season 2), an Imperial loyalist on Siwenna
 * Noah Taylor as Hetman (season 2), a bandit on the planet Siwenna
 * Fiona O'Shaughnessy as Dr. Tadj (season 2), the provost of the University of Helicon
 * Philip Glenister as Commdor Argo (season 2), ruler of Korell

Development
On June 27, 2017, it was reported that Skydance Television was developing a television series adaptation of Isaac Asimov's science fiction book series Foundation with David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman serving as the production's writers. At the time of the report, the production company was in the midst of closing a deal with Asimov's estate for the rights to the book series. On April 10, 2018, it was announced that Apple, through their Worldwide Video Unit, had bought the series and put it into development with the potential for a straight-to-series order. It was further announced that Goyer and Friedman were also expected to serve as executive producers and showrunners. Other executive producers announced included David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross.

On August 23, 2018, it was announced that Apple had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. It was also announced that Asimov's daughter, Robyn Asimov, would serve as an executive producer. On April 18, 2019, Josh Friedman left as co-writer and co-showrunner. On July 28, 2019, it was announced that Troy Studios in Limerick, Ireland, would host production of the show. According to Screen Ireland the series would create more than 500 production jobs at the studio. Asimov's daughter, Robyn Asimov, provides familial assistance to the series. Goyer pitched the series in one sentence: "It's a 1,000-year chess game between Hari Seldon and the Empire, and all the characters in between are the pawns, but some of the pawns over the course of this saga end up becoming kings and queens." On October 7, 2021, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on July 14, 2023.

Writing
In January 2021, Goyer stated "with Foundation we can tell the story, hopefully, over the course of eighty episodes; eighty hours, as opposed to trying to condense it all into two or three hours for a single film". Goyer said that this format might not succeed, but if it did it would be unique. David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman were set as the production's writers; however, Friedman left as co-writer in April 2019. Goyer also noted that telling a story that took place over 1,000 years was something a film could not accomplish and would have been a harder story to tell in that format.

Casting
Lee Pace and Jared Harris play Brother Day and Hari Seldon, respectively. Lou Llobell stars as Gaal Dornick, a mathematical genius from a rural, repressed aquatic planet. Leah Harvey plays Salvor Hardin, the protective and intuitive warden of a remote outer planet. Laura Birn stars as Demerzel, the enigmatic android aide to the Emperor of the Galaxy. Terrence Mann stars as Brother Dusk, the eldest living member of the ruling family. Cassian Bilton plays Brother Dawn, the youngest living member of the ruling family and next in line to be Brother Day. New characters Brother Day, Brother Dusk, and Brother Dawn are original characters created for the series. Each is a different-aged clone in the "genetic dynasty" of the Emperor Cleon I: the youngest clone is called Dawn, the middle clone and reigning emperor is called Day, and the emperor emeritus is called Dusk. In a June 2021 trailer, Alfred Enoch was announced as part of the cast.

For season two, Isabella Laughland was cast as Brother Constant, along with Sandra Yi Sencindiver, Ella-Rae Smith, Dimitri Leonidas, Ben Daniels, Holt McCallany, Mikael Persbrandt, Rachel House, and Nimrat Kaur. For season three, Alexander Siddig and Troy Kotsur were cast in the roles of Dr. Ebling Mis, a self-taught psychohistorian, and Preem Palver, the leader of a planet of psychics, respectively. Siddig previously appeared in a season one guest role as a different character. Additional season three series regulars include Pilou Asbæk (a recast of The Mule), Cherry Jones, Synnøve Karlsen, Cody Fern, Brandon P. Bell, Tómas Lemarquis, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing and Leo Bill.

Filming
On March 12, 2020, Apple suspended production of the show in Ireland due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 6, filming was resumed. On January 27, 2021, Goyer announced that after quarantining and receiving special waivers from the government of Malta, cast and crew members were allowed to start filming on the island. Goyer noted some filming was always planned to be conducted in Malta, however, due to new restrictions imposed in London, they moved significant portions of production to Malta. Filming in Malta concluded in February 2021. Filming in Tuineje, Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) was already wrapped by March 2021. The production team worked in volcanic landscapes such as the Caldera de los Arrabales and Granja de Pozo Negro. The production team then moved to Tenerife, where filming resumed on March 22, 2021. Filming concluded in April 2021 after 19 months.

The second season began filming in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 11, 2022.

The third season began filming in late May 2023 in Prague. Filming was halted on July 14, 2023, due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Production on the third season was expected to resume in Prague in February 2024, but was disbanded once again due to budgetary issues. It was eventually set to resume production by March 6, 2024 in Prague and Poland.

Season 1
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 72% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 89 reviews for the first season. The website's critical consensus reads, "Foundation big-budget production and impressive performances are a sight to behold, but it struggles to wrangle the behemoth that is its source material into a fully satisfying series." Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com considers Foundation to be "the type of sci-fi series that truly warrants being called an event", a "grandiose sci-fi with limits". He writes that the show is "huge in numerous senses", praising its world building as "always impressive with its grandeur that's both practical and also created with IMAX-worthy special effects". He also praised Bear McCreary's score as "essential and so effective in making certain story developments seem larger than life". Allen highlighted Lee Pace's performance as "magnetic". He concludes that the show has a potential to "become another landmark series for Apple TV+", and that its best feature actually is that "it's not for everyone" because "it's fairly set in its pacing that favors heady, dense character building" that will favor subscribers "hungry to enter new sci-fi worlds not just for the action".

Film reviewer Rob Bricken of Gizmodo was less impressed with the series, suggesting that it could be much better, and stating "Honestly, after most of the second episode, the show and the books are pretty much unrecognizable", as well as that the original source material of Foundation may not be filmable after all. Judy Berman of Time called the series "gorgeous, expensive, potential-packed but initially quite confusing" and noted "how beautiful every single frame is."

The Verge's Chaim Gartenberg and Andrew Webster weighed in at the end of Season 1, with Gartenberg opining "the 'genetic dynasty' of a succession of Lee Pace's ruling the crumbling empire with an iron fist is the show's highlight, thanks in no small part to Pace's dynamic performances as the cloned Brother Day. And Salvor Hardin's cat-and-mouse game on Terminus with the Anacreons is enjoyable sci-fi fare, too. Meanwhile, the third leg of the story, the prolonged drama of Gaal's shuttling in cryo from place to place as the show hints at her mysterious powers, is... less compelling" and Webster stating that "once all of the initial worldbuilding and discussion of future-predicting math was out of the way in the first few episodes, Foundation really picked up in a lot of ways. The worldbuilding remains incredible throughout. All of the many cultures and planets have a depth to them that is quite frankly astounding."

Season 2
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10, based on 26 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "With its complicated bedrock now established, Foundation spreads its wings in an improved sophomore season that rewards viewers' patience with a brainy sci-fi epic of genuine grandeur." On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 79 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Release
On June 22, 2020, as part of its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple released a teaser trailer for the series. In February 2021, it was reported that the series would premiere in late 2021. In June 2021, Apple announced that Foundation would premiere in September 2021. Later that month, Apple released a second official trailer and confirmed the premiere date as September 24, 2021. The series premiered with a two-episode release, with the remaining eight episodes scheduled to be released weekly.

The second season premiered on July 14, 2023.

Media
A mobile game based on the series titled, Foundation: Galactic Frontier, is in development from FunPlus and Skydance Interactive.