TV Obsessive
Foundation
Brien: We finally got a release date for the upcoming Foundation series from Apple TV+. Well, sort of.
In case you do not know, Foundation is based on the series of novels by the grandmaster of science fiction, Isaac Asimov. The original trilogy was written in the 1940s and 1950s and then expanded in the 1980s and 1990s with four additional prequels/sequels. Set 50,000 years in the future, the story begins with mathematician Hari Seldon, who uses his new science of “psychohistory” to predict the impending downfall of the Galactic Empire. The series spans the next 1,000 years, as a pair of Foundations, created by Seldon, use psychohistory to guide the formation of a second Galactic Empire in a fraction of the predicted time.
The production ran into the pandemic wall last year and had to suspend filming in March 2020. When things were able to restart six months later, filming shifted from Ireland to the Mediterranean island of Malta, which was already being used as the location for a water world featured in the series. Filming in Malta just wrapped up this month, and now Apple has changed the official release date from a vague “2021” to the less vague “autumn of 2021.” I’ll take it.
More excitingly though, in an interview with Lovin’ Malta magazine, showrunner David Goyer also revealed the long-term plans for Foundation. In a passing comment during the interview, he said that they hope to give the series a treatment that will span 80 episodes. At ten episodes per season (the plan for Season 1), that’s eight seasons of content that they apparently have sketched out. Apple showed their commitment to that plan by preemptively announcing that Foundation has already been renewed for Season 2.
Foundation was my selection for “Most Hotly Anticipated TV Show of 2021” in our annual 2020 TV Awards, and several other 25YL writers are likewise looking forward to it. Apple TV+ has been searching for their Game of Thrones type breakout hit. Given the level of money and commitment they are throwing at Foundation, it looks like they believe this is the one.
Those are our recommendations this week! What are yours? Let us know in the comments!
