Foundation season 2: release date, trailer, cast, and more
Foundation season 2 arrives tomorrow – here’s everything you need to know before the Apple TV Plus show returns
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
- Launches on Apple TV Plus on July 14- New trailers and TV spots feature never-seen-before footage- Main cast all set to return- New cast members announced in February 2022- Plot synopsis released- Season 2 focusing on Isaac Asimov’s first and second novels- Show not attempting to be Apple’s version of Star Wars- Filming on season 3 has reportedly begun
Foundationseason 2 is almost here. The underrated sci-fi TV series finally makes the space jump back ontoAppleTV Plus on Friday, July 14, so there’s not much time left to learn everything about its next installment before it returns.
In our view,Foundationis one of thebest Apple TV Plus showsaround – and its second season confirms as much. Be sure to read ourspoiler-light thoughts onFoundationseason 2’s premiere episodebefore it makes landfall to see why we’re so excited for the prestige drama’s return. Then, read ourextensive, exclusive chat withFoundation’s showrunner and its cast on season 2’s main theme: inner and outer conflict.
There’s plenty moreFoundation’s news – exclusive to TechRadar and otherwise – where that came from, too. Below, we’ve rounded up everything worth knowing about its next 10-episode entry, including its cast list, trailers, plot details, the series' future, and more.
Full spoilers followforFoundationseason 1.Potential spoilersfor Isaac Asmiov’s book series, which the TV show is based on, andFoundation’s second season are also incoming. Proceed with caution if you’re not caught up.
Foundation season 2 release date
Foundationseason 2 will debut on Apple TV Plus onFriday, July 14. Its release date was revealed alongside the series' first official trailer, and came four months after Appleconfirmed a Q2 2023 release forFoundation’s next outing.
The series will return with a one-episode premiere in mid-July, with subsequent episodes released every Friday until the season 2 finale on September 15. Read on for a full rundown on the season 2 release schedule:
Foundation season 2 trailer
After an almost 15-month wait for someFoundationseason 2 footage to be released, fans have been treated to three official trailers, a teaser trailer, and a first clip over the last six months.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
The latest trailer, which you can watch above, contains snippets of new footage that viewers will want to pour over and speculate upon. Well, until the series returns in less than 24 hours (at the time of writing), anyway.
After you’re done watching that multiple times, check out the other teasers and trailers, starting with one that arrived in mid-June thatteases the huge interstellar war between Empire and Hari Seldon’s rebellious colonieswe’ve been waiting for:
Next, watch the first official trailer that debuted in May andteased a colossal,Star Trek-inspired showdown alongside the season’s heavenly launch date:
If youstillhaven’t watched the first teaser that arrived in January, you can do so below:
Last but not least, Apple released an extended first clip from season 2 episode 1 on July 11, too, to further whet your appetite for its next installment:
Foundation season 2 plot
Full spoilers follow for Foundation season 1. Proceed with caution if you haven’t seen all 10 episodes.
Here’s the official plot synopsis forFoundationseason 2: “More than a century after the season one finale, tension mounts throughout the galaxy inFoundationseason two. As the Cleons unravel, a vengeful queen plots to destroy Empire from within.
“Hari, Gaal, and Salvor discover a colony of Mentalics with psionic abilities that threaten to alter psychohistory itself. The Foundation has entered its religious phase, promulgating the Church of Seldon throughout the Outer Reach and inciting the Second Crisis: war with Empire.
“The monumental adaptation ofFoundationchronicles 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.”
Fans who have read Isaac Asimov’s books might think we know the direction ofFoundationseason 2’s story, but the source material can’t be relied on anymore. The novels have been used as a base for the TV adaptation but, by the end of last season, it had diverged from the story in those books.
Still, there are plenty of unresolved plot threads and new material to explore in the series' next outing. Thanks to its cast and showrunner David S Goyer, we know more about how they might be examined in greater detail.
For starters, Goyer exclusively told TechRadar thatFoundationisn’t trying to be Apple TV Plus' version ofStar Wars. His response comes amid claims that the series is taking its cues from Lucasfilm’s legendary franchise heading into a more action-packed season 2. That despite Asmiov’s works, which were released in the 1950s actually influencingStar Wars' creation two decades later.
In a chat withIGN, Goyer also explained why expanding the scope ofFoundation’s story was one of his primary objectives for season 2: “Broadly speaking, I wanted to showcase the scope, the grand sense of adventure, and that it was an epic with a capital E. And to also show that there are humans at the heart of it. That’s why the trailer very deliberately starts off in a darker place.”
A return to the Foundation galaxy is impending. What are your theories for Season 2?June 14, 2023
Meanwhile, speaking toColliderin 2021, Goyer confirmed that answers to some of season 1’s open-ended questions will be resolved in future seasons. “If there’s a question that we haven’t answered, there’s a reason why we haven’t answered it,” he teased. “It’s not because we forgot about it. It’s ‘watch this space.'”
One of the biggest story points we need more details on is the revelation that Brothers Dawn, Day, and Dusk are not identical clones of Cleon I. After Eto Demerzel (Laura Birn) killed Dawn’s current (or, rather, previous) incarnation due to the genetic differences that made him an impure clone, it’s revealed all of Cleon’s clones are genetically unique. An anti-Empire resistance group, which included Dawn’s ex-lover Azura, had tampered with the DNA of Cleon I’s host body decades earlier, meaning none of the Empire’s current rulers are identical clones of Cleon I.
Speaking toNewsweek, Goyer teased what this shock reveal may mean for this triumvirate inFoundationseason 2.
“Part of the fun of the show moving forward [is] we’ll be seeing how different the various Cleons are,” Goyer said. “It’s part of the jazz that we’re playing with Terrence [Mann], Cassian [Bilton], and Lee [Pace] because, even though they’re the same actors, some of the characters are going to be very different. One of the things that’s exciting about this monkey wrench, that’s thrown into the Genetic Empire, is what does that do when you introduce chaos into that system?”
For Pace, the Great Spiral pilgrimage Day undertook in episode 8 foreshadowed the season 1 finale’s big reveal. Speaking toThe Wrap, Pace said: “He [Day] looks at his brothers and especially his younger brother [Dawn], who is now shown to be different in all of these ways, and is basically screaming ‘Me too’. I feel the same way you feel. I know we are living under this fantasy that we are all the same man, and I know better now. I can’t un-see what I’ve seen. I can’t forget. I can’t believe that I am Cleon. I have to now believe that I am this person after what I’ve experienced. I think it forever changes the culture inside the dynasty.”
But Day and company will have more problems to contend with than the fact they’re not genetically linked to one another. As Goyer told IGN: “This [season] is more about the people that are in opposition to Empire, and the people that are trying to stop the darkness that’s going to happen once Empire falls.”
The other major plot point from the season 1 finale confirmed a series-long fan theory: Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey) is the daughter of Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell). Its final scene is reserved for their overdue meeting – albeit 138 years into the future. Gaal froze her embryo in episode 2, and that fertilized egg went on to become Salvor, who lives on Terminus over a century later. The only reason Gaal and Salvor eventually meet is because of the show’s time travel elements, as well as Gaal occasionally entering cryostasis for decades at a time.
-Foundationepisode 1 recap-Foundationepisode 2 recap-Foundationepisode 3 recap-Foundationepisode 4 recap-Foundationepisode 5 recap-Foundationepisode 6 recap-Foundationepisode 7 recap-Foundationepisode 8 recap-Foundationepisode 9 recap-Foundationepisode 10 recap
Goyer has been coy about whether the duo’s relationship will potentially grow – the season 2 trailers tease they’ll team up for a time before potentially embarking on separate missions. However, he’s also provided some context about how Gaal may react to Salvor’s declaration. And, given their respective time travel adventures, how Gaal is strangely younger than her daughter when they’re reunited.
“The story of Gaal and Salvor… I would say the closest analogy would be if someone gave up a child at birth and didn’t even know what happened to them,” Goyer told Newsweek. “And then one day that adult child knocks on their door and says, ‘Hey, mom’. What’s a little different is that, at least biologically, Salvor’s a few years older than Gaal, which is one of the fun things that you can only do in science fiction. I think Salvor’s about 26 or 27 years old, and Gaal is only about 23 years old, 22 years old.”
Pleasingly, Gaal will get a bigger character arc inFoundationseason 2, with Goyer telling IGN: “Gaal’s story was kind of siloed in season 1 after episode 2, and now it’s no longer. She’s reunited with Salvor. And I can’t tell people just exactly how she’s reunited with Hari, but she is…” Oh, David, you tease.
Despite the first two trailers teasing that Gaal and Salvor wouldn’t spend too much time together, the two latest teasers suggests that won’t be the case. Goyer confirmed that the duo will join forces in early episodes, especially on a voyage to a desert planet – that a mysterious character in episode 1 sends them on – that might offer more insight into tackling the Empire.
“I can’t say who that [individual] is yet,” Goyer told IGN. “But they [Gaal and Salvor] are drawn there for a very specific reason. Audiences will understand what happens on this world by the end of episode 3. There is a very big surprise in store for them.”
Hardin additionally toldTVLine: “These two characters are complete strangers and we’ll get to dive into how they navigate this new relationship, as well as the world around them bringing new challenges [in season 2]. They both have traveled years into the future, and for all they know, everything they knew has been left behind. They, potentially, only have each other left. It’s a profound emotion to contemplate, but it is something that requires time to process. Whether or not they have the luxury of time is another question entirely.”
Meanwhile, what about the Second Foundation, which fans of Asimov’s book series already know about? As Hari Seldon teased in season 1’s final episode, he set up two Foundations at opposite ends of the galaxy – one which the Empire knows about and one it doesn’t.Foundationseason 2, then, should take us to this Second Foundation, which is teased in the first trailer.
“It’s definitely something we’re going to explore,” Goyer told Newsweek. “I didn’t bring it up just to not mention it again. One of the other things about the Second Foundation in the books is that the Second Foundation also largely develops off-screen, at least in the original trilogy. It appears almost as a deus ex machina. And I thought, for viewers of the show, that wouldn’t be playing fair, that we had to see the Second Foundation develop.”
Elaborating further in his talk with IGN, Goyer said: “By the time season 2 has come around, the Foundation has actually spread to seven or eight worlds. They’re not just a single enclave on a single planet, so now they’re not just up against a few so-called barbarian planets. [The Foundation is] up against the entire might of Empire and the superluminal fleet. So the question is, how in Seldon’s name is the Foundation going to survive a direct threat from Empire itself?”
The second Seldon Crisis will form a large part of the second season, too. The alliance that eventually formed between Terminus, Thespis, and Anacreon in season 1 allowed the trio of outer-rim planets to navigate the First Crisis. But, as Hari’s AI construct told their populations in episode 10, more challenges will be on the way. The books give some indication about what the second crisis is, but it’s unclear if Goyer and company will use it ad verbatim or make some creative alterations.
As for other big plot points, the season 2 synopsis reveals that Empire will have to deal with a whole host of other threats. From Queen Sareth’s quest for vengeance to the emergence of the Church of Seldon, and the political infighting to even being attacked by galactic monsters (things don’t look good for Day in that final shot of the second trailer), the Cleons have their work cut out. That said, Hari and company do, too, with the Mentalics, the Empire’s oppressive nature, and the Second Crisis sure to have a big say in Terminus' (and the wider galaxy’s) future. Color us excited.
Foundation season 2 cast
Here’s who’s returning forFoundationseason 2 from its first installment:
The second season also introduces new characters, including some from Asimov’s works as well as original characters specific to the show. First, in October 2021, Goyer confirmed more live-action incarnations of individuals from Asimov’s novels will show up.
“With season two, our audience will get to visit more of Asimov’s indelible characters and worlds, including Hober Mallow, General Bel Riose, and all the Outer Suns,” Goyer explained. “We’re playing the long game withFoundationand I’m grateful to my partners at Apple and Skydance for entrusting me with this epic. Buckle up. We’re about to fold some serious space.”
In a separate announcement, Apple confirmed the identities of 10 new individuals, including those mentioned by Goyer, and actors who will portray them:
Poly Verisof, The Warlord of Kalgan, Bel Riose, and Hober Mallow are the only four characters who appear in the books. The other six, Yanna Seldon included, are entirely new creations forFoundationseason 2. Little is known about these individuals, but we don’t have much longer to wait to find out how they factor into season 2’s, and that of the wider TV series', story.
Will Foundation return after its second season?
Apple has only publicly renewedFoundationfor another season, but we’d be shocked if more aren’t forthcoming. Speaking toLovin Maltain January 2021, Goyer revealed his ambitions to tellFoundation’s vast and epic tale, which spans one thousand years of fictional human history. Goyer also confirmed (viaCollider) that he initially pitched an 80-episode story before Apple greenlit the show’s first season. And, curiously, Goyer already has the its ending in mind.
If each season comprises 10 episodes,Foundationmight run for eight seasons. However, its continual renewal will depend on whether audiences continue to tune in. Apple is notoriously guarded about releasing viewing figures for its in-house movies and TV shows – so much so that no data forFoundationseason 1’s episodes, or any of its movies and TV shows, is publicly available.
Is a third season in the offing, then? Apple hasn’t said as much and, speaking exclusively to TechRadar,Goyer and Foundation’s cast weren’t willing to confirm if filming had secretly begun. That’s in spite of reports fromThe Midgard TimesandThe Prague Reportersuggesting principal photography was underway onFoundationseason 2.
So the show’s future (the above reports notwithstanding) is unknown past that point. Its first season found its feet with each episode and, providing its successor can improve on the series’ first outing, it’ll surely be renewed (if it hasn’t already) for another season.
For more Apple TV Plus content, check out ourApple TV Plus review, everything we know aboutSeveranceseason 2, or get the lowdown on thebest Apple TV Plus movies.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.
I’m canceling Prime Video for Apple TV Plus this month – here are 5 reasons why
4 new Apple TV Plus movies and shows I’m excited to stream in November
Owl Labs Meeting Owl 4+ review
