TV series
2021 · 3 seasons · 30 ep · Sci-Fi & Fantasy · Drama
TMDB 7.7/10 (1,772 votes)
Follow a band of exiles on their monumental journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire.
Created by David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman
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Foundation is an American science fiction television series created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman for Apple TV+, 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. The second and third seasons were released in July 2023 and July 2025, respectively. In September 2025, the series was renewed for a fourth season.
In the far future, most of the known galaxy is despotically ruled by a triumvirate of leaders collectively known as Empire: the "genetic dynasty" of clones of the long-deceased Emperor Cleon, which include 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. Unknown beyond the walls of Empire's keep is that the dynasty has been surreptitiously administered for 400 years by the regal Lady Demerzel, Empire's majordomo, secretly a unique, ageless humanoid robot, thought to be the last remnant of an army of robots defeated 6,000 years prior.
Young prodigy Gaal Dornick solves a complex mathematical proof and wins a galaxy-wide contest, devised by famed mathematician and psychology professor Hari Seldon to find another mind capable of understanding his work. Arriving on the capital planet Trantor, Gaal is thrust into the center of a conflict between the Cleonic dynasty and Seldon’s schools regarding the merits of psychohistory, which was created by Seldon to predict the events and actions of large masses of people across vast timelines. With Gaal to verify his findings, Seldon explains and publicly forecasts the decay and imminent fall of the empire, which cannot be averted, but the consequences of which may be mitigated by the creation of a Foundation to preserve the collective knowledge and innovations of humanity. The Cleons are initially dismissive of Seldon, but following the first of a series of predicted catastrophic events leading to the fall, tentatively 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 flowering Foundation and its allies over the course of the passing centuries, the characters and stories that bridge the divide between them, and how the galaxy's future is imperiled by the one event Seldon's psychohistory fails to predict.
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, XVI, XVII, XXIV), 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 (seasons 1–2), 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, the majordomo to the Emperors and one of the last surviving gynoids from the ancient Robot Wars.
Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk (Cleon I, XI, XII, XVI, XXIII), 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, XVIII, XXV), the youngest member of a series of genetic clones of Cleon I and the successor-in-training of Brother Day.
Cherry Jones as Felice Quent (season 3), the Foundation's ambassador to the Empire, and an old friend of Brother Dusk.
Brandon P. Bell as Han Pritcher (season 3), the Foundation's captain of information.
Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing as Song (season 3), Brother Day's consort, who hails from the Mycogen sector of Trantor.
Alexander Siddig as Dr. Ebling Mis (season 3), a self-taught psychohistorian and diehard fan of Hari Seldon. Siddig also portrays Advocate Xylas, the prosecutor in Seldon's trial, in the first season.
Pilou Asbæk as the Mule (season 3), a powerful Mentalic seeking conquest over both the Empire and the Foundation. Mikael Persbrandt portrays the Mule during Gaal's visions of the future in the second season.
Synnøve Karlsen as Bayta Mallow (season 3), a renowned socialite and Toran's wife.
Cody Fern as Toran Mallow (season 3), a descendant of trader Hober Mallow, and Bayta's husband.
Troy Kotsur as Preem Palver (season 3), the leader of a colony of Mentalics on the planet Ignis who have evolved into the Second Foundation.
Tómas Lemarquis as Magnifico Giganticus (season 3), a skilled balladeer and devotee of the Mule.
Alfred Enoch as Raych Foss (season 1; guest season 2), the adopted son of Hari Seldon
Jairaj Varsani (season 1; guest season 2) and Kulvinder Ghir (season 2) as High Claric Poly Verisof, Brother Constant's superior and companion, who was a child at the dawn of the Foundation
Chloe Lea as Gia (season 1), a child on Terminus and friends with Poly, Keir, and Laylo
Buddy Skelton as Keir Fulham (season 1), a child on Terminus and Laylo's brother
Joni Morris as Laylo Fulham (season 1), a child on Terminus and Keir's sister
Mido Hamada as Shadow Master Obrecht (season 1), the Imperial spymaster during Cleon XIII's reign
Elliot Cowan as Lewis Pirenne (season 1), the Director of the Foundation and first successor of Hari Seldon
Sasha Behar as Mari Hardin (season 1), a Seldon follower and surrogate mother of Salvor Hardin
Clarke Peters as Abbas Hardin (season 1), a Seldon follower, the first Warden and first Mayor of Terminus, and surrogate father of Salvor Hardin
Daniel MacPherson as Hugo Crast (season 1; guest season 2), an interplanetary trader from Thespis who became Salvor Hardin's lover
Kubbra Sait as Grand Huntress Phara Keaen (season 1), the top military officer of Anacreon who personally leads a raid on Terminus
Pravessh Rana as Rowan (season 1), Phara's second-in-command
Christian Contreras as Commander Kray Dorwin (season 1), an Imperial soldier sent to investigate the loss of contact with Terminus
Amy Tyger as Azura Odili (season 1), an Imperial Palace gardener and love interest of Brother Dawn/Cleon XIV
Ella-Rae Smith as Queen Sareth (season 2), the 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
Oliver Chris as Director Sef Sermak (season 2), a leader of the Foundation and Brother Constant's father
Isabella Laughland as Brother Constant (season 2), a novice claric and traveling "magician" spreading the gospel of Hari Seldon
Dimitri Leonidas as Hober Mallow (season 2), a roguish trader and con man who plays an important role in Seldon's plan
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
Judi Shekoni as She-Bends-Light (season 2), a Spacer navigator in Riose's flagship
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 chief enforcer
Sandra Guldberg Kampp as Thalis (season 2; guest season 3), a young Mentalic and member of Tellem's community
Rebecca Ineson as Zephyr Vorellis (season 3), Demerzel's new confessor and representative of the Luminist faith on Trantor
Leo Bill as Mayor Trenton Indbur (season 3), the leader of New Terminus
Darren Pettie as Randu Mallow (season 3), a member of the rebellious Trader faction of the Foundation and uncle of Toran
Iðunn Ösp Hlynsdóttir as Sephone (season 3), Han Pritcher's colleague and fellow intelligence agent
Ahir Shah as Zagreus (season 3), a personal aide to Empire
Miltos Yerolemou as Presider Kinn (season 3), the leader of the Galactic Council
Ibraheem Toure as Mavon (season 3), a high-ranking Claviger in service to Brother Day
Isla Gie as Skirlet (season 3), the daughter of the ruler of Kalgan, who is taken prisoner by the Mule
Krista Kosonen as Fallon Greer (season 3), the Warden of New Terminus
Laura Berlin as Oceanglass-49 (season 3), Song's partner and a member of the robot-worshipping Inheritance cult
Jade Harrison as Bayla (season 1), Gaal Dornick's mother
Chris Jarman as Jarko (seasons 1–2), Gaal Dornick's father
Reece Shearsmith as Jerril (seasons 1–2), an Imperial agent during Cleon XII's reign
Cooper Carter (season 1) and Cobhan O'Brien (seasons 2–3) as the child Brother Dawn/Cleon I, XIII, XXIV
Chipo Chung as Reth Linn (season 1), an environment engineer and the voice of the Raven operating system
Ian McNeice as Master Statistician Tivole (season 1), the head of Empire's team of mathematicians
T'Nia Miller as Zephyr Halima Ifa (season 1), a senior priestess of the Luminist faith vying to become its next leader
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 (seasons 2–3), a mathematician whose work helped Hari Seldon create his Prime Radiant
Noah Taylor as Hetman (season 2), a bandit on the planet Siwenna
Jesper Christensen as Ducem Barr (season 2), an Imperial loyalist on Siwenna
Philip Glenister as Commdor Argo (season 2), the ruler of Korell
Ed Birch as Keeper Yartell (season 2), the guardian of the Empire's memory archives
Fiona O'Shaughnessy as Dr. Tadj (season 2), the provost of the University of Helicon
Ralph Ineson as Archduke Bellarion (season 3), the ruler of Kalgan
Fisayo Akinade as Eely Karvis (season 3), the chief engineer in charge of creating the Novacula for Brother Dusk
Vibeke Hastrup as Nee Tellamarus (season 3), a librarian at the Imperial Library on Trantor
Blake Ritson as Sunmaster-18 (season 3), the spiritual leader of the Inheritance cult
Ritakahn Chen as Enjoiner Beryl (season 3), the representative of Cloud Dominion on Trantor
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, Apple, through their Worldwide Video Unit, bought the series and put it into development with the potential for a straight-to-series order. Goyer and Friedman were also expected to serve as executive producers and showrunners. Other executive producers included David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross.
On August 23, 2018, Apple ordered the production of a first season consisting of ten episodes, with Asimov's daughter, Robyn Asimov, serving as an executive producer. On April 18, 2019, Josh Friedman left as co-writer and co-showrunner. Troy Studios in Limerick, Ireland, hosted 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."
In October 2021, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a second season In December 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, In September 2025, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a fourth season with Ian B. Goldberg and David Kob replacing Goyer as showrunners, though Goyer is still involved as part of the executive production team.
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.
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 gynoid 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 joined 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.
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, 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. Production resumed in March 2024 in Prague and Poland.
The fourth season began filming in January 2026 in Prague, and is expected to wrap in July 2026.
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 review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 72% approval rating based on 89 reviews for the first season. The website's critical consensus reads, "Foundation's 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."
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.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 100% approval rating 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".
On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a 91% approval rating based on 22 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Foundation's narratively knotty third season doesn't quite measure up to its superb predecessor, but this sci-fi epic endures as a faithful and well-acted adaptation of Isaac Asimov's masterpiece." On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 83 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
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. The third season premiered on July 11, 2025.
A mobile game based on the series titled, Foundation: Galactic Frontier, is in development from FunPlus and Skydance Interactive.
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