Foundation Season 3 premieres on Friday, July 11th, and the first round of reviews dropped this week. Critics who got an early look at the season are loving it — at the time of this writing, Foundation Season 3 has a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. In fairness, there are only seven reviews for the season accounted for so far, so the score may drop as the series goes on. Still, expectations for Foundation are high, and considering how beloved the show has been so far, many fans won’t be surprised to see a score like this on Season 3.
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Foundation is a loose adaptation of the sci-fi novel series by the same name by author Isaac Asimov, created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman for Apple TV+. The show stars Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, a mathematician who has developed an algorithmic method for predicting the future based on probable human behavior, and Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, his protégée. Having foreseen the fall of the galactic empire, they form a “foundation” to preserve as much civilization as possible through the inevitable dark ages, while Lee Pace plays Emperor Cleon, the leader of that empire trying desperately to cling to power.
The foundation predicts a dark age lasting about 30,000 years, and Seldon’s plan aims to reduce that “interregnum” down to just 1,000 years. That means the story takes place over the course of hundreds of years, and in the books, that leaves few recurring characters. Most of the show’s changes are meant to tackle this problem, contriving ways to keep characters alive or bring them back to life. Even for fans who have read the books, this keeps the suspense alive for the adaptation.
Season 3 jumps ahead 152 years and tackles the biggest threat to the foundation’s plans yet — a human who has developed psychic powers through mutation named “The Mule.” Played by Pilou Asbæk, this character uses compulsion on others to become a powerful warlord in the crumbling remains of the empire, amassing power that threatens both the foundation and what remains of the old system. This set-up makes for some of the most exciting trailers the show has seen yet, with battles in space and on the ground as well as a grudging team-up between Cleon and the foundation.
Hopefully, the new episodes can live up to those previews, and to the high praise from critics. Foundation Season 3 begins on Friday, July 11th on Apple TV+. Previous seasons are streaming there now, and Asimov’s novels are available in print, digital, and audiobook formats.
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