Foundation (TV series)

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.

Plot

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.