Star Wars’ Best Streaming Rival Is Apple TV’s 3-Part Space Opera
Published Jun 8, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.
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Star Wars might have plenty of successful streaming shows, but the franchise's biggest rival is still Apple TV's enthralling three-part space opera. There have been a plethora of highly-regarded Star Wars TV shows that have been produced for Disney+ since November 2019, when the streaming service first launched. This includes everything from the highly-regarded Andor to newer critical darlings like Maul — Shadow Lord.
But Star Wars has some competition in the realm of sci-fi streaming shows, most notably because of Apple TV. Having also launched in November 2019, the streamer has become home to many acclaimed shows in the genre. From the historical fiction of For All Mankind and its Star City spinoff, to the post-apocalyptic world of Silo, Apple TV has various approaches that keep its sci-fi ideas fresh and exciting.
One such approach is with Foundation. Loosely adapted from Isaac Asimov's book series of the same name, Foundation tells the story of an intergalactic Empire who are told by professor Hari Seldon that the Cleon dynasty who rules the galaxy will fall in 500 years according to his predictive psychohistory. Despite branding him a traitor, they allow him resources to create the Foundation, a preservation project for human knowledge. Thus begins a tense conflict between Empire and Foundation over the span of hundreds of years.
Apple TV's Foundation Continues To Be One Of The Best Sci-Fi Shows On TV
Foundation's premise makes it one of the most unique sci-fi TV shows airing right now. Taking place across a vast distance of planets, each season takes place in a different time period, typically separated by over a century, as it navigates an array of characters and conflicts that set a course for the Empire's dark destiny, as well as the Foundation's eventual flourishing.
As the show progresses, it emphasizes the technological advancements of the Foundation while also focusing on the Empire's slow degradation, with a special emphasis on its genetic dynasty of clones. Foundation's characters are the biggest highlight for the show, too, with everyone from Hari, to his protégé, Gaal Dornick, to the brother-like clones who rule over the galaxy. Everyone has a part to play.
The show has also maintained critical success over the course of its run. For instance, Foundation season 3 reviews were extremely positive, the show earning a Certified Fresh 91% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It's an achievement that can be extended to the other critically praised installments of the bi-yearly series.
The lore of its complex galaxy coupled with a streamlined story about underdogs against tyranny reflects Star Wars in many keen ways, especially the journey of Luke Skywalker. Where Foundation differs, however, it its focus on history across centuries and willingness to introduce new characters to showcase that progress. This makes it unique, yet also a fantastic rival to the Star Wars franchise.
Foundation Is Already Renewed For Season 4
Just like Star Wars, Foundation has a bright future ahead of it, with Apple TV continually renewing the series for new seasons that come out once every two years. Foundation season 4 was confirmed in September 2025, with Ian B. Goldberg and David Cob replacing series co-creator David S. Goyer as showrunner.
The upcoming episodes will pick up where Foundation season 3 ended, featuring the resolution for a massive cliffhanger that may put all of humanity in danger. As the series has continued with its numerous, unpredictable storylines, it's also managed to deliver some powerful character moments and arcs that will likely continue into the next season.
It may be more streamlined than the sprawling Star Wars galaxy, but Foundation is still a worthwhile competitor bolstered by its grand scale and historical approach to its overarching narrative structure. Since the show is set to continue, and with plenty of story left for it to explore, it seems like it'll be a continued competitor to the galaxy far, far away for quite some time to come.
Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Release Date September 23, 2021
Network Apple TV+
Showrunner David S. Goyer
Directors Alex Graves, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Phang, Mark Tonderai, Andrew Bernstein
Writers Jane Espenson, Leigh Dana Jackson, Liz Phang, Eric Carrasco, David Kob, Addie Manis, Marcus Gardley, Lauren Bello, Olivia Purnell
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