Apple TV's 4-Part Masterpiece Crowned A New King Of Sci-Fi Shows
By Published Apr 8, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT Zach Moser has been writing for ScreenRant since 2026, covering movies, classic TV, and streaming TV. His areas of expertise cover a wide range of genres with a particular interest in horror and drama, and the conversations around the TV and film industry. When he's not covering the latest film releases or chronicling the latest season of a new show, he's writing humor pieces for McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Slackjaw, and Points In Case or working on short stories and his second novel. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
An ongoing sci-fi series on Apple TV stars an actor who we can officially say is one of our great sci-fi actors after a career of incredible roles in the genre. original TV. A streamer that felt like it was long struggling to find its footing has found an admirable niche.
From Severance to All Mankind to Pluribus, Apple TV appears to be willing to take chances on an array of sci-fi ideas, no matter how out there. Take , a sci-fi series based on the Isaac Asimov stories set in a distant future where the galaxy is ruled by a tyrannical triumvirate.
This triumvirate is comprised of three clones of a once great Emperor who rule over centuries in the show and come into uneasy conflict and alliance with Hariton "Hari" Seldon, whose mathematical genius has predicted the collapse of the empire. His efforts to prepare for this eventuality result in an initiative known as the "Foundation".
, led by Jared Haris as Hari. The developer of "psychohistory", which portends the end of the empire, Hari is a brilliant, concerned, and ultimately heroic character. It's a role perfectly suited to Harris, who can officially be crowned as one of the staples of sci-fi with this role in his repertoire.
Jared Harris' Sci-Fi TV Roles Explained
Foundation is far from Jared Harris' first television role. Harris has had several notable roles in beloved science fiction television productions. In 2015, Harris appeared in The Expanse as Anderson Dawes, a recurring character in season 1 and a guest in season 2. Anderson is a Cera liaison of the OPA and a fierce defender of his people.
Harris also appears in Fringe as Dr. David Robert Jones, a recurring character. Dr. Jones is a former biochemist and former employee of William Bell and Massive Dynamic, who is revealed to be behind many of the cases the Fringe Division investigates. A brilliant scientist, Jones is single-minded in his search for approval.
Foundation Finally Gave Jared Harris A Starring Role
As great as those roles in Fringe and The Expanse are, they are very much supporting roles. Foundation is where we finally get to see Harris in the lead role of a sci-fi series, and it's where he belongs. Hari Seldon is the keystone of Foundation, and his predictive models power the story through the centuries.
As the mind behind psychohistory, Seldon is begrudgingly accepted by the ruling elites, even as he secretly curates the Foundation as an opposing force against the Empire. It's a role that requires the actor to be highly competent and persuasive without being too sinister, and Harris is perfect for it.
Jared Harris Has Been An Underrated Presence In Great TV Shows
Jared Harris is one of those stalwart actors who is always a welcome presence in whatever he appears in. The son of the late great Richard Harris, Jared Harris has been acting in films and TV shows since the 1980s. An impressive library of film roles has been superseded by his TV roles in recent years.
Lane Pryce in Mad Men, King George VI in The Crown, Francis Crozier in The Terror, and Valery Legasov in Chernobyl are all roles he has performed in the last 15 years and are roles that couldn't be further apart. He has incredible range, and Harris' role in Foundation expands that range.
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Jared Harris Hari Seldon -
Laura Birn Demerzel
David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman Expand Collapse
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