Foundation's very premise means huge leaps forward through the story's sprawling timeline are necessary for any kind of real progress to take place, but season 4 is the perfect opportunity for this quirk to take a breather. Unlike Isaac Asimov's literary source material, Apple TV's live-action adaptation has found creative ways to keep pivotal characters involved throughout the show's run. The show's creator has revealed that these narrative backflips won't be required when Foundation season 4 returns.
Apple TV's epic space opera is set to take on 1953's Second Foundation, Asimov's third book in the series. So far, the show has honored the author's timeframe and pulled the audience out of the story before dumping them back into the action up to (and over) a century later. What separates Second Foundation from its two predecessors is that Asimov decided it was best to stick with one era for longer than had become tradition. Foundation season 4's decision to mirror that choice is great for more reasons than one.
Foundation season 4's lack of time jump lets the show's best original concept exist for longer
Speaking with The Wrap, Foundation creator and former showrunner David S. Goyer has confirmed that "season 4 [will] be a direct continuation of season 3." Expected to stay on as a producer, Goyer's roadmap is also likely to be adhered to by the show's new leaders. The Foundation writers have made several changes and additions to the source material so far. For example, characters like Lou Llobell's Gaal Dornick have been gender-swapped, and Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) dies quite soon into the first book and isn't revived as he is in the show.
However, perhaps the most substantial change is the introduction of the Clone Dynasty. While Asimov does reference characters called Cleon I and Cleon II, no more namesakes take the Imperial throne after that, and the two literary characters aren't genetic copies — although they are related. So, Goyer and company had the idea to flesh out this part of Asimov's lore to create a string of Emperors who are all copies of Cleon I, and they're all immensely more involved in the story than either of the Cleons were in the books.
Not only does the Cleon Dynasty allow three actors to remain part of the cast throughout the show's run so far — albeit playing different versions of Cleon each time there's a time jump — but their presence in the space opera has opened up many compelling avenues for Foundation's writers' room to explore. Still, this newfound freedom within Asimov's already vast sandbox could have come to an end after the explosive season 3 finale.
With Terrence Mann's Brother Dusk/Night destroying all the backup clones as well as the means to make more, the remaining trio are the last vestiges of the Cleonic Dynasty that has ruled over Empire for centuries. If another time jump were imminent, then even those three clones that survived the purge would also likely be wiped from the storyline due to their regular human lifespans. So, Asimov's decision to avoid a time jump at the start of Second Foundation has inadvertently extended this particular storyline, which spun off from his own core ideas.
No time jump also extends another Foundation storyline from the show (and the book, sort of)
The presence of characters like Gaal in Foundation season 3 already separates it from the source material, as does the inflated role of Cleons I and II. That said, the Mule's storyline is a major part of Asimov's Foundation books, as it's one of the most significant pieces of connective tissue between the second and third installments. Although Apple TV decided to drastically alter the Mule's true identity, season 4 can still directly continue the villain's arc just as book 3 did.
However, Foundation season 4 could still feature a time jump at some point, even though it's not happening straight away. It largely depends on how much of Second Foundation the fourth season intends to adapt. The book does contain a 60-year time jump that deals with the fallout of the Mule's actions — who, in the show, is Bayta Mallow, rather than Magnifico Giganticus.
Foundation season 5 hasn't yet been ordered at Apple TV, and the likelihood of such a renewal probably depends on how season 4 performs. Still, the possibility remains that season 4 will end with the time jump that happens mid-way through Second Foundation. The other possibility is that Foundation season 4 will leap forward six decades roughly halfway through its run, which would presumably take the audience into the era of Asimov's two Foundation sequels from the 1980s.
Foundation season 4 currently has no release date, but is confirmed. Seasons 1-3 are streaming now on Apple TV.