bjack wrote on Feb 26, 2024, 13:16:
I don't watch Foundation, but I've heard comments of fans of the books check out early on the show because it was such a departure and introducing fantastical elements.

They had to change it and anyone saying they should have followed the books closely either a) knows absolutely nothing about entertainment or b) has forgotten too much about the books.

When I heard Foundation was going to be made, my initial reaction was "it can't be done". But then I thought about it for a bit and realized how long it had been since I read it. So, I re-read the first six novels. It only really took the first to realize it would be a horrid tv show if they followed the books closely. Asimov leaves a lot of the things to your imagination. Which when you first read it, if you have a good imagination makes the books fantastic. However, from an entertainment point of view, much less so. Do you know what the solutions are to the first two Seldon Crises in the book? To wait. Basically in both cases the characters in charge of the Foundation come to realize Seldon has foreseen what will happen and all they have to do is sit back, not interfere with it, and wait for the situation to resolve itself. While it fits the story, it doesn't make for good television.