Will There Be A Foundation Season 3 On Apple TV+?
If Lee Pace's slightly too-perfect smile in the picture above didn't give it away, then the news currently making its way around social media will. David S. Goyer's "Foundation" series, which recently wrapped up its second critically-acclaimed season this past September on Apple TV+ (you can read /Film's review by Joshua Meyer here), has officially been renewed for season 3. That means plenty more timeline-twisting, philosophical, and downright nerdy storytelling to come.
In no time at all, Apple TV+ has made itself a prime destination for well-received, original shows — especially when it comes to the kind of sci-fi stories that, to put it frankly, likely wouldn't have struck most studio executives as "audience-friendly." Luckily, the streaming service has apparently crunched enough numbers to justify another go-around with "Foundation," which is based on influential sci-fi author Isaac Asimov's original novels and tells the epic tale of the vast Empire warring against the rebellious Foundation faction.
Led by Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, who has foreseen the disastrous end of the galactic dynasty and the centuries-spanning reign of the clones of original Emperor Cleon I (portrayed at different ages by Lee Pace, Terrence Mann, and Cassian Bilton), "Foundation" throws ... a lot of heady concepts at viewers, to say the least. But sci-fi fans will be thrilled to know that even the difficulty of adapting such source material for the small screen hasn't dissuaded Apple TV+ from continuing to throw their support behind the series.
Goyer had this to say about the news, which was announced by Apple:
"I'm thrilled Apple has given us the opportunity to continue chronicling Asimov's pioneering galactic saga. This time, the stakes for Foundation and Empire are even higher as the Mule takes center stage, along with fan-favorites Bayta, Toran, Ebling, and Magnifico Giganticus."
Foundation will return for a third season
In the current streaming era, where even some of the biggest shows struggle to make it past a second season, it simply has to be considered a win that a series as thoughtful and oftentimes existential as "Foundation" will now air for at least three total seasons. Not only do audiences have to keep track of literally hundreds of years of in-universe history, but the story typically takes an approach similar to "Game of Thrones" by challenging audiences to follow an ever-expanding ensemble cast through various subplots — and that's before you start factoring in gloriously sci-fi concepts like the dynastic reign of a trio of clones, interstellar space travel, holograms, interdimensional tesseracts, and cryo-sleep allowing our main characters to "travel" into the far future.
Against all odds, fans will now get to enjoy watching the sprawling cast that includes Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Lou Llobell, Laura Birn, Isabella Laughland, Leah Harvey, and more through yet another galactic-spanning epic. Apple TV+ head of programming Matt Cherniss echoed showrunner and creator David S. Goyer's praise for the series in a statement released to the press, saying:
"We have all been incredibly impressed with the ambitious, action-packed and imaginative adaptation that David and the rest of this gifted creative team and cast have brought to life with this premium sci-fi series from day one. To watch 'Foundation' become such a global hit has been beyond exciting with audiences around the world continuing to be captivated week after week by this dramatic and compelling journey to save humanity. We can't wait for everyone to experience what is in store for characters old and new in season three."
No premiere date has yet been announced, but fans can watch "Foundation" seasons 1 and 2 on Apple TV+.