Foundation is an American science fiction television series created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman for Apple TV+, based on the Foundation series of stories by Isaac Asimov. It features an ensemble cast led by Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey. The series premiered on September 24, 2021. In October 2021, Foundation was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 14, 2023. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on July 11, 2025. In September 2025, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

In the far future, most of the known galaxy is despotically ruled by a triumvirate of leaders collectively known as Empire: the "genetic dynasty" of clones of the long-deceased Emperor Cleon, which include Brother Day, a Cleon in his prime; Brother Dusk, a retired and aging Cleon who serves in an advisory role; and Brother Dawn, a young Cleon being trained to succeed Brother Day. Unknown beyond the walls of Empire's keep is that the dynasty has been surreptitiously administered for 400 years by the regal Lady Demerzel, Empire's majordomo, secretly a unique, ageless humanoid robot, thought to be the last remnant of an army of robots defeated 6,000 years prior.

Young prodigy Gaal Dornick solves a complex mathematical proof and wins a galaxy-wide contest, devised by famed mathematician and psychology professor Hari Seldon to find another mind capable of understanding his work. Arriving on the capital planet Trantor, Gaal is thrust into the center of a conflict between the Cleonic dynasty and Seldon’s schools surrounding the merits of psychohistory, which was created by Seldon to predict the events and actions of large masses of people across vast timelines. With Gaal to verify his findings, Seldon explains and publicly forecasts the decay and imminent fall of the empire, which cannot be averted, but the consequences of which may be mitigated by the creation of a Foundation to preserve the collective knowledge and innovations of humanity. The Cleons are initially dismissive of Seldon, but following the first of a series of predicted catastrophic events leading to the fall, tentatively allow him and his followers to establish the Foundation in exile on the remote planet Terminus. The series chronicles Empire's subsequent conflicts with the flowering Foundation and its allies over the course of the passing centuries, the characters and stories that bridge the divide between them, and how the galaxy's future is imperiled by the one event Seldon's psychohistory fails to predict.

On June 27, 2017, it was reported that Skydance Television was developing a television series adaptation of Isaac Asimov's science fiction book series Foundation with David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman serving as the production's writers. At the time of the report, the production company was in the midst of closing a deal with Asimov's estate for the rights to the book series. On April 10, 2018, Apple, through their Worldwide Video Unit, bought the series and put it into development with the potential for a straight-to-series order. Goyer and Friedman were also expected to serve as executive producers and showrunners. Other executive producers included David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross.

On August 23, 2018, Apple ordered the production of a first season consisting of ten episodes, with Asimov's daughter, Robyn Asimov, serving as an executive producer. On April 18, 2019, Josh Friedman left as co-writer and co-showrunner. Troy Studios in Limerick, Ireland, hosted production of the show. According to Screen Ireland the series would create more than 500 production jobs at the studio. Asimov's daughter, Robyn Asimov, provides familial assistance to the series. Goyer pitched the series in one sentence: "It's a 1,000-year chess game between Hari Seldon and the Empire, and all the characters in between are the pawns, but some of the pawns over the course of this saga end up becoming kings and queens."

In October 2021, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a second season In December 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, In September 2025, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a fourth season with Ian B. Goldberg and David Kob replacing Goyer as showrunners though Goyer is still involved as part of the executive production team.

In January 2021, Goyer stated "with Foundation we can tell the story, hopefully, over the course of eighty episodes; eighty hours, as opposed to trying to condense it all into two or three hours for a single film". Goyer said that this format might not succeed, but if it did it would be unique. David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman were set as the production's writers; however, Friedman left as co-writer in April 2019. Goyer also noted that telling a story that took place over 1,000 years was something a film could not accomplish and would have been a harder story to tell in that format.

Lee Pace and Jared Harris play Brother Day and Hari Seldon, respectively. Lou Llobell stars as Gaal Dornick, a mathematical genius from a rural, repressed aquatic planet. Leah Harvey plays Salvor Hardin, the protective and intuitive warden of a remote outer planet. Laura Birn stars as Demerzel, the enigmatic gynoid aide to the Emperor of the Galaxy. Terrence Mann stars as Brother Dusk, the eldest living member of the ruling family. Cassian Bilton plays Brother Dawn, the youngest living member of the ruling family and next in line to be Brother Day. New characters Brother Day, Brother Dusk, and Brother Dawn are original characters created for the series. Each is a different-aged clone in the "genetic dynasty" of the Emperor Cleon I: the youngest clone is called Dawn, the middle clone and reigning emperor is called Day, and the emperor emeritus is called Dusk. In a June 2021 trailer, Alfred Enoch joined the cast.