TV Review: ‘Foundation’ Season 2

The adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s weighty tomes feels a little more human this time around, as the likes of a returning Lee Pace and series newcomer Kulvinder Ghir are allowed to shine.

Leah Harvey, Jared Harris and Lou Llobell in 'Foundation,' premiering July 14, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Returning to Apple TV+ on July 14th , the second season of ‘Foundation’ builds on the first, stretching even further forward through time and visiting some new places while checking in on familiar faces.

Those who enjoyed the first season will find more of the ambitious, weighty science fiction they enjoyed, but newcomers who were daunted by the colder tone will latch on to some more humorous, human characters this time out.

What’s the story of ‘Foundation’s second season?

Cassian Bilton, Lee Pace and Terrence Mann in 'Foundation,' premiering July 14, 2023 on Apple TV+.

More than a century after the season one finale, tension mounts throughout the galaxy.

As the cloned emperor Cleons (Led by Lee Pace’s Brother Day) unravel, a vengeful queen plots to destroy Empire from within. Hari (Jared Harris), Gaal (Lou Llobell) and Salvor (Leah Harvey) discover a colony of “Mentalics” with psionic abilities that threaten to alter psychohistory itself. The Foundation has entered its religious phase, spreading the Church of Seldon throughout the Outer Reach and inciting the Second Crisis: war with Empire.

The new season chronicles the stories of four crucial individuals transcending space and time as they overcome deadly crises, shifting loyalties and complicated relationships that will ultimately determine the fate of humanity.

Who else appears in ‘Foundation’?

Ella-Rae Smith in 'Foundation,' premiering July 14, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Season two also stars returning cast members Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton and Terrence Mann and introduces new characters and stars, including Isabella Laughland (Brother Constant), Kulvinder Ghir (Poly Verisof), Ella-Rae Smith (Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion), Holt McCallany (Warden Jaegger Fount), Rachel House (Tellem Bond), Nimrat Kaur (Yanna Seldon), Ben Daniels (Bel Riose) and Dimitri Leonidas (Hober Mallow).

Is ‘Foundation’ worth watching?

Lee Pace in 'Foundation,' premiering July 14, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Whether you enjoy this adaptation of the ‘Foundation’ stories, which re-define the term “sprawling” might depend on your tolerance for high-minded science fiction and treatises about the human condition, war, ethics and more.

But don’t let that turn you away: because the series also manages to be very entertaining and, in this latest season, has struck more of a balance between the complex and down to Earth (even if Earth is just a memory at this point).

It still has the big clashes between the Empire and Seldon’s prediction that the galaxy-spanning authority will fall, but it also finds time for quieter moments between characters and developments on their journey.

Big highlights this time come from three new characters. Ghir plays the grown version of Poly Verisof, who we first met as a child on the planet Terminus (settled by the followers of Hari decades ago after he and they were exiled from the Empire). The adult Poly, a holy man who preaches Seldon’s wisdom, is a delight, introduced lying in a messy, hungover heap on his bunk. And through the season, he’s a constant source of laughs, whether he’s overindulging or finding his faith enough to be a hero.

Playing perfectly off of Poly is fellow monk Brother Constant (Laughland), a devout follower of the Church of Seldon, who is witty and eager for adventure beyond her home. She gets far more than she ever imagined, including a flirtatious relationship with swaggering scoundrel Hober Mallow (Leonidas).

Hober is effectively ‘Foundation’s Han Solo, a thief who pulls scams, but who is eventually dragooned into the effort against Empire. He’s crafty, vulnerable and relatable.

Of course, the returning cast wouldn’t be complete without Lee Pace as the imperious Brother Day. The current ruler of Empire (who in his line’s tradition, all clones of the original Cleon, has a younger Variant named Dawn, played by Bilton and the older Dusk, brought to life by Mann) is a pouty, feather-puffing pleasure who is re-introduced to us during a bout of particularly passionate lovemaking with female robo-servant Demerzel (Birn) before assassins arrive to try and take him out. A fight scene featuring a totally nude Pace is quite the way to ensure that this isn’t all stuffy sci-fi.

His storyline as Brother Day this year revolves around his decision to change the lineage from the endless cycle of clones to finding a wife who can give him children. And the choice found for him, Smith’s Queen Sareth, is a great counterpoint to his energy. She’s burning with vengeful fury following the murder of her family and has no truck with his pompous, childish ways.

Elsewhere, as the synopsis suggests, the story builds to a conflict, so if you’d been hoping that things would kick off more this season, you certainly get your wish towards the end. And this is still a show that looks like the team spent every dollar of the considerable budget bringing it to life –– beautiful landscapes merge with artfully designed palaces and spaceships.

‘Foundation’ fumbles

Leah Harvey and Lou Llobell in 'Foundation,' premiering July 14, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Not everything works as well. The storyline between Seldon, Gaal and Salvor is frequently over-serious, carrying over its weight from the first season. Which is not to say it doesn’t function, since Harris, Llobell and Harvey are all convincing enough in their roles, it’s just that their story –– at least, until it intersects with the likes of Brother Day –– doesn’t quite hold your attention in the same way.

And there will certainly be those who feel like they need an encyclopedia handy to keep track of everyone, the timelines and the arcane terms used by the various characters. But turning to Issac Asimov’s books is likely to be no help in this case, since show developer David S. Goyer and his team have made considerable changes in order to have the story be digestible for this different medium.

Plenty of potential viewers will be turned off by the feeling that the show is stuffy, worthy and slow, but our advice is to stick with it –– ‘Foundation’ builds in this season to something satisfying. Though we would definitely advise starting with the first season if this is your initial watch of the show.

‘Foundation’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.