Anybody boasting an Apple TV+ subscription can communicate to the streaming service’s seemingly countless provide of sci-fi choices like Severance and Darkish Matter, with the bulk being extraordinarily sensible and well-crafted. So it’s maybe no shock that Alexander Skarsgård’s new collection Murderbot rapidly grew to become on of the most effective Apple TV+ unique collection and is an absolute must-watch, even if you happen to’re like me and have subsequent to zero data of the supply materials.
Primarily based on Martha Wells’ seemingly easy-to-digest ebook collection The Murderbot Diaries, the genre-mashing present hails from co-creator siblings Chris and Paul Weitz, who’re maybe greatest recognized each collectively and individually for various initiatives reminiscent of American Pie, A few Boy and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The brothers have confirmed themselves able to leaping from comedy to drama to science fiction with ease, and Murderbot could also be their magnum opus as a slice of excellent tv, it doesn’t matter what SecUnit is mumbling beneath his breath.
Murderbot’s Solid Is A Excellent Blen
A TV collection’ greatness can usually come right down to the standard of its forged, and Murderbot is certainly spectacular in that respect, beginning with the main actor himself, Alexander Skarsgård. The Succession and Huge Little Lies vet delivers a splendid efficiency as a complicated (however not too superior) safety droid that hacks its system in a method that makes it extra perceptible to human feelings and conduct. The position is comparatively subdued position and skews extra analytical than charismatic, however that is exactly why it really works so nicely.
Let’s run by means of everybody proper fast:
- Alexander Skarsgård offers a hilariously non-comedic efficiency because the overly analytical SecUnit/Murderbot
- Noma Dumezweni’s Mensah is a respect-worthy workforce chief whose scientific ardour is not upended by her strict practicality.
- David Dastmalchian delivers a nuanced efficiency as Gurathin, a human with augmented know-how in his physique.
- Sabrina Wu’s legally minded scientist Pin-Lee, Akshay’s maturity-lite wormhole skilled Ratthi and Tattiawna Jones’ biologist Arada are strong individually, however work on all cylinders in growing their shared relationship as a throuple.
- Tamara Podemski’s geochemist Bharadwaj has arguably much less story factors than everybody else, however continues to be a genial voice of purpose amidst the youthful crew members.
The collection does function different co-stars that we’ll get into under, with the largest shock look going to PEN15 co-creator and star Anna Konkle because the erxpertly named Leebeebee.
Murderbot’s Motion-Packed Story Is Excellent
Regardless of happening on a distinct planet the place a workforce of scientists is conducting analysis whereas aided by a safety droid who’s hacked his gornering module to change into extra like a human, Murderbot is surprisingly simple to leap into for anybody who thinks that plotline sounds horrifying. It could have science-fiction window dressing, however that is virtually extra of a philosophical action-comedy.
The hook of the collection is SecUnit primarily studying find out how to change into extra human whereas preventing in opposition to his inherent instincts and command prompts. As he grasps the ideas of compassion, empathy, loyalty and friendship, SecUnit can be attempting to maintain the workforce secure from outdoors threats that crop up, and the bot’s personal previous performs into the action-oriented thriller.
Maybe the present’s largest benefit, no less than by way of all of its style inspirations working in tandem, is the truth that practically the entire episode runtimes are 25 minutes or shorter, so there’s actually no fluff or wasted moments. Audiences go from hilarious character beats to tense gunfights, and nearly each installment wraps on a banger of a cliffhanger that simply begs to be adopted by one other episode.
Murderbot Itself Is A Weirdly Excellent Predominant Character
Whereas I can not communicate as to whether this can be a factor within the supply materials, Murderbot‘s live-action collection feels so much like a parable about being on the autism spectrum. SecUnit experiences a number of conditions that may be likened to neurodivergence, from taking others’ responses too actually to missing an understanding of sarcasm and irony to being centered on private wishes as an alternative of the mission at hand.
As a chunk of equipment, SecUnit additionally does not have an inherently sturdy humorousness, which in flip makes Alexander Skarsgård’s internal monologues so damned humorous, with so lots of the character’s early reactions being snippy, judgmental and dismissive. The actor has by no means taken on a task fairly like this, and I truthfully would not have anticipated it to be such a worthwhile match. Completely satisfied to be misguided there.
Like too few shorter-form TV collection lately, Murderbot really places its titular character by means of narrative progress and evolution in a method the place the SecUnit current within the finale is totally totally different from the bot we meet within the premiere. And never in a method the place any of SecUnit’s neurodivergent tendencies had been eliminated or worn out, however in a method the place he is change into extra acclimated to his human crew, even when the plot itself threatens to destroy every part.
The Present-Inside-A-Present Sanctuary Moon? Yep, Excellent
Regardless that Murderbot‘s in-universe spacey cleaning soap opera The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon solely will get round 10 minutes of on-screen footage all through your complete season (and that is likely to be overstating it), these heightened and objectively ridiculous sequences are an enormous stepping stone for SecUnit’s perceive human feelings and behaviors, which is kinda like solely utilizing the quilt of Cosmo as courting recommendation. However man oh man, it is superb.
Star Trek vet John Cho, Brokers of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Clark Gregg, 30 Rock‘s Jack McBrayer and Jurassic World Dominion‘s DeWanda Clever are all pushing their performances to a ten, making Sanctuary Moon one of many hammiest issues on the 2025 TV schedule. If solely the present really existed as an actual factor folks may watch, even when I in all probability haven’t got time to take a look at ALL 397 episodes.
I’m so extraordinarily hopeful that sufficient persons are watching Murderbot that Apple TV+ orders one other 3 seasons proper out the gate. If the one reveals I watch in 2026 are Murderbot Seaosn 2 and Severance Season 3, I will nonetheless be a cheerful viewer.