Finally, we’re back with AppleTV+’s Foundation. Based on the Foundation series of stories by Isaac Asimov. Foundation Season 3 officially premieres on July 11, 2025, via Apple TV+. Thanks to the AppleTV+ team, Nerdgazm were able to get an early view of the third season. Here are our first impressions of the impressive new series. Jared Harris is back as Harri Seldon, alongside Lee Pace as Brother Day, Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick and more. No spoilers!
Foundation Season 3 jumps an impressive 152 years after the events of the second season. The Foundation has become increasingly established far beyond its humble beginnings, while the Cleonic Dynasty’s Empire has dwindled. As both of these galactic powers forge an uneasy alliance, a threat to the entire galaxy emerges in the fearsome form of a warlord known as “The Mule,” whose sights are set on ruling the universe through physical and military force, as well as mind control.
Introducing The Mule
Foundation Season 3 wastes no time in introducing The Mule, portrayed by Game of Thrones star Pilou Asbæk. This is the villain of the third season. Initially portrayed by actor Mikael Persbrandt in the second season, the role was recast for the third season. I do enjoy how the first episode of the third season wastes no time in introducing this pivotal character and establishing why they mean business. This is a villain you don’t want to mess with.
Sci-Fi villains can be challenging to craft. We’ve seen some flat ones in recent times from other series. However, Foundation Season 3 wastes no time in introducing The Mule and letting them run amok. You’re left with the realisation that this villain means business. Pilou Asbæk is really channelling some of his Game of Thrones acting experience here. This character is frightening at times.
Throughout the season, Asbæk demonstrates why he is an expert at playing slightly unhinged villainous characters. Every time The Mule appears on our screens, you’ll be wondering what he does next. For example, the scenes are creepy and keep you on edge. However, the season does take some time actually to reveal The Mule’s backstory to viewers.
I struggled to understand his motivations, apart from simply wanting to create chaos, until the season delved into his backstory. Regardless, it was fulfilling, and I think the character might be one of my all-time favourite Sci-Fi villains.
New Characters for Foundation Season 3
As we have grown accustomed to, each new season of Foundation introduces new characters that unfold throughout the season. With a show that features complex time jumps that move back and forth, it is challenging to understand some of these characters and their origins. Still, the series has done an impressive job of introducing people who will become central to the plot of the season. Sadly, it does mean we typically lose these recurring cast members by the end of the season. However, the third season has added some great names to the cast list.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine legend Alexander Siddig returns to Foundation after a brief guest appearance in Season One as the new character of Doctor Ebling Mis. He’s introduced in the first episode and stands out with his work for The Foundation. Additionally, Cherry Jones plays the role of the Foundation Ambassador, Quent. She’s stationed on the Empire Capital world of Trantor and expands how we see the Foundation changing since we left them in the second season.
Synnøve Karlsen as Bayta Mallow and Cody Fern as Toran Mallow continue the legacy of Dimitri Leonidas’s Hober Mallow from the second season. Initially, I was unsure about these characters, given they appear as Influencers in space, but by the later episodes, I had grown to enjoy the scenes they appeared in. Fern’s character is one of conflict, while Karlsen is very much along for the ride. They both play their characters well, and the writing aids them in this.
Foundation’s Han Solo
One character who works well with Lou Llobell’s Gaal Dornick is the Han Solo-type character of Han Pritcher, played by Brandon P Bell. Pritcher is an intelligence officer for The Foundation and has some fantastic scenes. His character placement and the way he is written work a bit like Hober Mallow from the second season. Who doesn’t like a loveable rogueish character? Speaking of Llobell’s Gaal Dornick, she is super strong this season. Her character has essentially grown into a leader now, after stepping out of Seldon’s shadow.
We see Gaal wrestle the spotlight from Jared Harris’s Hari Seldon, well, one of the versions of the character. The other version gets some fantastic moments with new and old characters. I’m a big fan of Harris in the shows he appears in, looking at The Expanse especially. So, I wish we had got more time with him in Foundation, but every scene he’s in is a delight.
Revelations & The Decline
While the third season introduces new characters, such as The Mule, we also continue to follow our established characters from the past two seasons. For example, Laura Birn’s character of Lady Demerzel continues to be one of my favourite characters in the Foundation series. Demerzel has always been here and will always be, but this season brings new revelations that connect to some of the very first scenes of season one. However, we’re also contending with her having Seldon’s Prime Radiant. You need to watch her scenes closely.
While watching the third season, I think it’s a shame that more sci-fi diehard fans aren’t into the series. They’re missing out on some fantastic drama. I’ll admit I have not read the books, but I think I might have to while I wait for more episodes of the series. While space battles, mutans and mysterious factions are intriguing, perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the Foundation series is the strange and wonderful relationship between the Cleons.
As Seldon predicted, Empire is in decline. While that is a battle, it’s also a battle for the actors. For example, each season, Lee Pace, Terrence Mann, and Cassian Bilton have to reinvent their characters of Brother Day, Brother Dusk, and Brother Dawn. It’s a challenging thing as an actor. Especially as each character has the same face, regardless, these new versions are vastly different from the ones we saw in the second season. Some might think the clones are boring, but Foundation always finds new ways to portray them. Foundation Season 3 is no different.
Foundation Season 3 is Explosive & Action Packed!
We knew going into this third season that it would not be messing around. The Mule meant business. Based on how the second season left us, and the time jump, it was only a matter of time before things started coming undone for both Empire and The Foundation. Even though many of the moments are explosive, nail-biting and some edge-of-your-seat stuff, I still found Brother Day’s (Lee Pace) story dragging in certain areas. Over the last two seasons, we’ve come to expect a lot of tense and epic moments with this character, but this time it didn’t feel that way.
However, with that said, we must remember one crucial detail about Foundation. It is not the same character. Due to the way Foundation’s “Empire” faction works, they are all clones. So each Brother Day, Brother Dawn and Brother Dusk are different from the previous ones. That is evident in this season. While Terrance Mann and Cassian Bilton steal their scenes and work well off each other, I felt that the season struggled to utilise Pace effectively until the later episodes. The wider plot explains this, but I don’t think it helps that much.
Meanwhile, the scenes with the Foundation and the Second Foundation are some of my favourites. Of the episodes we have seen so far, it is safe to say that Foundation Season 3 is one hell of an epic sci-fi adventure. Of course, certain moments do detract from the overall story. Still, The Mule, Hari Seldon and other favourites, combined with our new characters, really keep the story interesting and moving forward. Hopefully, Apple TV+ continues with Foundation, and we can expect a Foundation Season 4 sometime in the future.
Foundation Season 3 ups the stakes with the introduction of Pilou Asbæk’s The Mule villain and does not mess around with explosive scenarios. Intense, nail-biting and on edge is the way I would describe the third season. What was once a show about the preservation and study of the future is now about surviving in the here and now. As viewers, we’re left on edge wondering who out of our cast is going to make it out of the third season alive. It’s intense.
Set Course for Foundation Season 3 on AppleTV+
Season three of “Foundation” introduces new characters and stars, including Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones, Brandon P. Bell, Synnøve Karlsen, Cody Fern, Tómas Lemarquis, Alexander Siddig, Academy Award winner Troy Kotsur and Pilou Asbæk. The series also stars returning cast Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton, Terrence Mann and Rowena King.
Foundation is created for AppleTV+ by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman. Goyer serves as executive producer, with Bill Bost, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Matt Thunell, Robyn Asimov, David Kob, Christopher J. Byrne, Leigh Dana Jackson, Jane Espenson and Roxann Dawson also serving as executive producers.
The complete first and second seasons of “Foundation” are now streaming globally on Apple TV+. The 10-episode season will debut globally with one episode on Friday, July 11, on Apple TV+, followed by new episodes weekly, every Friday, through September 12. The Apple Original drama is produced for Apple TV+ by Skydance Media, not Skydance Television.
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