Apple TV+'s Foundation

I first heard about Apple TV+'s intention to make a series based on Isaac Asimov's Foundation series some time ago...and once a release date was confirmed, I put it on my calendar. So yes, I was anxious. I can't remember if I started re-reading the Foundation series because I'd heard about the upcoming series or if that was just a happy coincidence, but I finished what I consider to be the entire series * before the show hit the airwaves. (So to speak.)

Oh, right...it's the 21st Century, wherein even those with poor memories can, if they are reasonably motivated, find things out. Turns out my reading of the Foundation series was independent of the release of the news of the tv adaptation. In fact, when I looked back through my blog entries, I found one on Prelude to Foundation --which I consider to be the first book in the Foundation series--dated March 20, 2019, in which I say, "I wonder why no one has ever tried to make a movie out of this series. Or, better yet, a big budget tv series. I mean, shit...there's fifteen years' worth of stuff at the minimum. Let's GO, HBO. Enough of this incest, torture, and dragon bullshit...let's get some real story going on." 

Whoomp! there it is.

ANYway...September 24th arrived. I had a busy morning. And a busy afternoon. And a busy evening. So it was around 9:30 pm before I finally had a chance to sit down in front of the tv. And I have to admit that I was pretty tired. The kind of tired where you have to watch yourself or else you'll keep phasing out. But as I watched the opening scenes, I felt quite confused. I didn't have any recollection of what was going on. I didn't recognize the characters being depicted. And was there a space elevator on Trantor? Didn't remember that, either. At around the 30 minute mark Hari Seldon finally made his appearance...and I perked up, but not enough. I gave up and went to bed.

The next day I decided that I'd been too tired to absorb much from the first go at it, so I started episode over again. It was interesting, for sure, and I thought that Jared Harris did a great job as Hari...but very little of the plot seemed familiar to me. Since Apple TV+ had been kind enough to put up two episodes for this first week, I watched the second one as well. There were a few things that were familiar...but again, most of this seemed like a new thing. And btw, there were a couple of shockers at the end.

So...if you're looking for a straightforward adaptation of Asimov's series, then this is not the program you are looking for. But you know, I truly loved the series...except for the last part of Foundation and Earth, which I thought undermined the entire thing for the sake of forging a connection with other Asimov universes...but I liked this show, too. In fact, I'm pretty anxious to tune in tomorrow morning for the third episode, and I've already told my son that if he wants to watch with me, I'm willing to re-start with episode one anytime. So yeah, if you're not hung up on absolute fidelity, this show is worth a shot.

And yes, they have added in some sex and violence, but hey, you can't really have tv without that, can you?

BTW, after you've watched the first two episodes (NOT before, mind you), you should check out Foundation: The Official Podcast. Episode 1 covers the first two episodes of the TV series, “The Emperor’s Peace” and “Preparing to Live,” and there's some pretty fascinating information. Such as that David S. Goyer has plotted out six season's worth of show already. And confirmation that there was no Space Elevator in the Asimov books. 

* Prelude to Foundation, Forward the Foundation, Foundation's Fear, Foundation and Chaos, Foundation's Triumph, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, Foundation's Edge, Foundation and Earth.