US EditionToo many great sci-fi shows go unnoticed. I hope 'Murderbot' won't be the next
- Apple TV+ will debut the 10-episode sci-fi comedy series Murderbot on May 16, 2025, about a security cyborg protecting scientists on an alien planet.
- The show adapts Martha Wells' 2017 novella All Systems Red, featuring a hacked SecUnit named Murderbot who hides its sentience from a skeptical research team.
- Murderbot narrates the story with a sarcastic voice, explores free will, struggles through awkward social interactions, and gradually earns warmth from the PreservationAux surveyors.
- Episodes run mostly under 25 minutes, end on cliffhangers, and highlight murderbot's mix of deadpan humor and action against corporate threats and alien dangers.
- Despite its high production quality and strong central character, Murderbot may face limited broad viewership but contributes a relatable voice to Apple’s niche sci-fi lineup.
13 Articles
13 Articles
'Murderbot' Is The Most Hilariously Relatable Sci-Fi Show In Years
Apple TV+Don’t let the title of Murderbot fool you. The titular cyborg Security Unit, or “SecUnit,” who narrates the series is hardly a murder machine. Instead, the moniker “Murderbot” is a nickname this cyborg gives itself after it secretly deactivates the one aspect of its programming, its governor module, that makes it a slave. If back-talking R2-D2 ditched its restraining bolt, looked like Alexander Skarsgård, and presented us with a hilario…
‘Murderbot’ Review: Alexander Skarsgard Is a Droll Delight as a Lethal Cyborg Who’d Rather Be Watching TV in Uneven Apple Series
Chris and Paul Weitz have adapted the first of Martha Wells' 'Murderbot Diaries' books as a 10-episode Apple TV+ comedy starring Alexander Skarsgard.
Apple’s Murderbot series is goofy sci-fi with a side of existential crisis
I did not expect a TV show called Murderbot to be quite so relatable. On the surface, the Apple TV Plus sci-fi comedy is a somewhat generic futuristic story about a group of humans exploring a dangerous planet with the help of a security bot that's designed to protect them. The key is the perspective: the story is told from the bot's point of view, and that bot is really going through it. It's experiencing free will for the first time and strugg…
Using an outsider like an alien or a robot to look at ourselves from the outside is not a new technique. Nevertheless, Apple TV Plus' "Murderbot" manages to be very relevant, smart without taking itself seriously, fun, funny and with an outstanding performance from its lead star.
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