My Favorite Apple TV+ Sci-Fi Show Has A Massive Adaptation Challenge That Makes Me Worried For Its Future

While I’m enjoying Apple TV+’s Foundation, there’s a big problem with the source material that I hope the live-action adaptation can adequately address before it’s over. Foundation season 3’s story will hopefully continue the creatively fast-paced approach to the generational war between Empire and Hari Seldon’s Foundation, but as the time jumps keep coming, that’s when my concerns start to grow. Foundation has already made many changes to Isaac Asimov’s book series, but there’s a huge obstacle waiting for Apple TV+ in the coming pages of the author’s novels.

There’s no denying that Apple TV+ has thoroughly reworked the Foundation books to create the show. However, I think such a drastic overhaul was required not just to bring the space opera up to date, but also to make the immensely long story a little more accessible for a visual medium. That being said, the adaptation has had no shortage of source material to turn to when trying to tell the new version of the story. Worryingly, there’s a huge part of the original saga that Apple TV+ will need to create from scratch.

The Foundation Book Series Doesn’t Really Have An Ending

Isaac Asimov never got to follow through on his desire to end the Foundation novels

Of course, by definition, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation books series does have an ending. However, the fact there is a last book doesn’t mean the overall story has a satisfying ending. The author never penned an official conclusion to Foundation, so the saga is left unintentionally open-ended. When the time comes for Apple TV+ to wrap up its adaptation, it can’t leave the story as unresolved as the source material. I’d find that very frustrating, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one to hold that opinion. On the other hand, the story being concluded by someone else feels weird.

2002’s It’s Been a Good Life is a book that serves as a condensed version of Asimov’s previous three autobiographies, but it also contains new material like letters and diary entries from the author. The book was edited by Janet Jeppson Asimov – the late writer’s wife. She confirms in the book that Asimov did want to add to his Foundation series but ultimately did not. If he’d managed to write an ending, then Apple TV+ would at least have a starting point. As it stands, it’s up to the show’s writers to essentially predict where Asimov’s story would have concluded.

Apple TV+’s Foundation Hasn’t Been Covering The Books In Order

This creative choice could either help or hinder Foundation’s eventual ending

The adaptation hasn’t followed the same trajectory as Asimov’s source material. Granted, this would have been difficult, as the Foundation books weren’t released linearly. Although the Foundation trilogy was relatively traditional in its approach to the franchise’s timeline, the final four books were a mix of prequels and sequels to the original three. While Foundation season 1 begins at the same point as the first book, Apple TV+ has dipped into various other books as the story has progressed.

This hasn’t really been an issue so far, as the adaptation’s story isn’t exactly the same as that of the source material. Apple TV+ has taken many creative liberties that I feel have improved the overall project, so the decision not to adapt each book in the original order is vindicated in my eyes. This freedom the show has successfully gained by only loosely following the book’s timeline makes me feel a little better about its eventual finale.

The Foundation Show Must Have A Clear Endgame In Mind

Apple TV+ needs to decide how Foundation will end well in advance

One of my biggest concerns regarding Asimov’s lack of a proper ending to his books is the possibility of Apple TV+’s adaptation feeling as though it ends too suddenly. What I’m desperately hoping doesn’t happen is that the show completely exhausts the source material and only then begins to consider how they’ll wrap up the story. While it could work, I doubt it’ll be of the same quality as the rest of the show.

Once the Foundation writers have decided how the live-action version will end, it would make sense for them to start planting narrative seeds that will eventually bloom into a rewarding conclusion to what is sure to be an epic journey. Granted, many of the elements required to form such an ending are already in Asimov’s books, but they still need to be capitalized upon and used appropriately.

Foundation’s Creator Has An Eight-Season Plan, But Will It Happen?

Foundation season 8 sounds the most likely to receive a proper ending to the space opera (if the show gets that far)

Foundation showrunner David S. Goyer has confirmed he has an eight-season story to tell and is hopeful he’ll get the chance to carry out his plan. However, nothing beyond Foundation season 3 has been confirmed, and it remains to be seen if the reported budget cuts for the coming episodes will negatively impact their quality. The harsh reality of the situation is that Foundation will likely need to perform consistently well for each subsequent season to be ordered.

Thankfully, Goyer also confirmed he can adjust each Foundation character’s ending depending on how many seasons the show runs. For example, if Foundation season 4 is announced but is also declared to be the final run of episodes, Goyer likely has a way of ending the show in a way that feels more satisfying than simply just coming to a stop. I don’t know if this would make it more or less difficult to overcome Asimov’s lack of a proper ending for Foundation, but it would certainly be interesting to see how Goyer would cut short his own plan.