Saucycarpdog

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,645
(Quinton's note: Reviewers were given the first eight episodes out of ten.)

RT: 67%

SF Chronicle
Season one comes off as a 10-episode pilot for later seasons - one just good enough for us to want to stick with the show. But the sluggish storytelling suggests there were good reasons Asimov's books did not make it to screen before.

Variety
Remixing Asimov's characters, settings and themes into something more timely and fitting for television versus the page, this iteration of "Foundation" thrives most when becoming something all its own.

Observer
The show's starry-eyed ambitions are dulled by its execution. Its scattered focus stalls momentum by introducing and discarding characters like a wad of receipts found in your back pocket after a night on the town.

Hollywood Reporter
Foundation has no evident limitations of any kind, yet no real visceral impact for the most part, because it's almost stultifyingly dull, especially in its middle episodes.

NYT
Beneath the gunplay and C.G.I., there's a much weirder show struggling to get out, about statistics and space popes, decadent clone emperors and millennia-old robots.

Detroit News
"Foundation" jumps back and forth in time and from one world to another as it breaks into myriad storylines. It does initially seem a bit too enthralled with bloated world-building but things pick up as they splinter.

Empire Magazine
While it delivers in both scope and spectacle, Foundation is not for the faint-hearted. This is a slice of rock-hard sci-fi that tickles the intellect with concepts both philosophical and profound.

Guardian
As a new sci-fi show, it would be fine. As a big-budget, flagship production for Apple it looks like a fine opportunity wasted.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

makonero

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,718
Well these are disappointing. I'm going to watch the first episodes this weekend. Any other impressions from people here?
 
Oct 25, 2017
5,680
These reviews seem bad on the surface, but all those criticism seems like things that would apply to the actual books as well. So I'm actually not too worried.
 
Last edited:

chefbags

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,332
I love scifi like this so I'm good with these reviews. Gonna watch both episodes tonight.
 

BarcaTheGreat

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
4,084
Wait is it for the whole season or just the two episodes released is far. I was really excited for a sci fi show... Hope the full season so better unless this are the full season's reviews.
 

Dalek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,232
I watched the first episode and it's freaking great. It's worth seeing for the sheer spectacle and production value alone. I'm hooked.

These reviews remind me of the early middling reviews for The Morning Show-which ended up being spectacular.
 

uncleniccius

Member
Nov 3, 2017
1,082
I watched the first episode and it's freaking great. It's worth seeing for the sheer spectacle and production value alone. I'm hooked.

These reviews remind me of the early middling reviews for The Morning Show-which ended up being spectacular.
You know what, your point on the morning show is interesting. Will definitely give this a try, but have consistently found apple tv content to be excellent.
 

Saifu

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,946
I really enjoyed the first episode despite overwhelming amount of technobabble.
I really hopes that this won't fall of a cliff in quality as it progresses.
 

Deleted member 8166

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
4,075
I watched the first episode and it's freaking great. It's worth seeing for the sheer spectacle and production value alone. I'm hooked.

These reviews remind me of the early middling reviews for The Morning Show-which ended up being spectacular.
this. My wife and I just watched the first episodes and it was spectacular.
 

Tobor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
28,975
Richmond, VA
In my mind it could still be done. But as a miniseries with a definite end. Each episode a story, almost an anthology.

I don't know why there's any action though. It is a series consisting almost entirely of dialogue and yes about statistics and space popes.

You'd never get anyone to greenlight it without any action. It's a Catch - 22.

EDIT: Hopefully the reviewers are just being too harsh.
 

Mcfrank

Member
Oct 28, 2017
15,300
I watched the first episode and it's freaking great. It's worth seeing for the sheer spectacle and production value alone. I'm hooked.

These reviews remind me of the early middling reviews for The Morning Show-which ended up being spectacular.
Yep. Reviewers continue to whiff on Apple TV shows
 

bastardly

Member
Nov 8, 2017
10,624
just finished the first ep, and it's pretty solid, if anything it visually outstanding. and i dont know about later on, but there's no real action in the first ep.
 

Soap

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,477
I can't say I agree with these reviews two episodes in. As I said in another thread this kind of gives me early expanse vibes I'm that it needs to set a lot up for things to start happening later on.
 
Oct 27, 2017
5,461
Wait...one of the reviews mentions robots. But robots don't exist in the Foundation universe (well, they do...but are secret, and not mentioned in the original trilogy).
 

Dalek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,232
Wait...one of the reviews mentions robots. But robots don't exist in the Foundation universe (well, they do...but are secret, and not mentioned in the original trilogy).
I don't know the books but there is definetly a minor character that SEEMS somewhat robot-y. With like unnatural blue eyes. I don't want to spoil anything. Maybe the reviewer just assumed like I did.
 
Oct 27, 2017
5,461
Also, has anyone confirmed if the events even follow the first book roughly? From the trailers it seems like it's really like Prelude to Foundation (a prequel about Seldon and Psychohistory), and not the actual Foundation itself.
 

rezuth

Member
Nov 5, 2017
302
I really loved it. I think that these people are either hating on Apple, streaming services or just not understanding slower paced material. Can't wait for the rest of the episodes.
 

Lemony1984

Member
Jul 7, 2020
6,801
Who could have forseen that the man behind Blade 3 would be unable to make a Foundation tv show compelling?
 
Mar 21, 2018
2,300
Watched the first episode. Aside from the gender diversity I'm not happy with the changes they've made from the book. I'm deeply worried the going to mess up Salvor, a delightfully wry and witty character who is a thinker not a fighter.
 

Fisty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,429
Are they reviewing the full season? If so, these scores aren't really that bad imo. Most highly-rated shows would be around this score if the reviewers had more to judge than the first few episodes
 

Joe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,701
Hmm. Disappointing, but from what I've seen, and having read some of the books, not surprising, really. Like, if it was gonna be disappointing, this sounds like exactly how it would be.
 

Dalek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,232
It's funny. In this thread the people that actually watched the show are saying "That doesn't make sense. I watched the show and it was great."

And people who didn't watch the show are saying "I figured it wouldn't be good!"