Lee Pace is TV’s harbinger of doom

Pictured: Lee Pace in Foundation

// Don't sleep on Foundation's second season

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By Adam Smith

Aug 23, 2023

2 min read

Published on August 22, 2023

You could be forgiven for sleeping on the first season of Apple TV Plus' Foundation. The sweeping sci-fi epic barely made a ripple when it launched last year. But, now is the time to wake up. The show's second season, which premiered on July 14, outshines its first in every way. It’s been greenlit for a third season, but I doubt we’ll get much beyond that. Why? Two words: Lee Pace.

Lee Pace is a phenomenal actor whose electrifying charisma makes him the best part of any show he's in. He's also developing a track record for starring in shows that burn bright and die young.

Just look at Pushing Daisies, where Pace charmed as a quirky pastry chef whose touch could temporarily resurrect the dead. Critics loved it, and so did its miniscule audience. But that niche following ensured that it was dead and buried after 22 episodes. Or, consider Halt and Catch Fire, easily one of the best shows of the last decade. "Wait, what's Halt and Catch Fire?" you say? Exactly.

Is any of this Lee Pace's fault? Of course not. He simply has a knack for choosing projects that are as critically revered as they are commercially unsuccessful. But it's a good reminder not to make the same mistake a third time. Get onboard with Foundation now, because if it's anything like Pace's other TV projects, it's doomed to be brilliant, brief, and only appreciated in retrospect.

Stream Foundation on Apple TV Plus

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Written by

Adam Smith

Adam Smith has been a journalist for the past 18 years, writing on subjects as varied as music, entertainment, finance and technology. Since moving to Australia from Kentucky (before you ask, yes, he knows the secret recipe) by way of New Zealand, Adam has led an editorial team at Finder, launched editorial operations at Freelancer.com and hosted podcasts about personal finance, streaming, emo music, the crypto craze and the award-nominated We Review Stuff podcast. These days, Adam spends most of his time behind the scenes managing the team of reviewers on Reviews.org but he will occasionally pop in to spin wild conspiracy theories about Chris Messina being a glitch in the simulation in The Watchlist newsletter.