Based on the bestselling book of the same name, Murderbot is a sci-fi-thriller about a security robot that’s more interested in streaming entertainment than actual securing. After destroying the system that keeps him restricted and obedient, he continues on contracted missions to both hide his free will and buy time to decide his future. Problems come about on his latest mission when his disgust for humans is challenged by the humane treatment from his new clients. With a group on a mission of discovery and a rogue bot with a distaste for humans, what could possibly go wrong?
This particular security unit or “sec-unit” (Alexander Skarsgård) truly just wants to exist. His true desire is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out his place in the universe. While streaming shows push the stereotype of bots going rogue and destroying everything, he’d prefer to sit back and watch thousands of hours of his favorite show, “Sanctuary Moon”.
The series is narrated by the sec-unit, who also lets us in on a secret: he has recurring visions of mass violence and chaos, and is clueless about where they came from. One thing he knows for sure is that humans are subpar and invest too much time and emotion into the wrong things. There were countless situations where he would direct his clients one way, and they would state their case about going another, rejecting wise counsel during emotional flux.
The clients in question were from Preservation Alliance, a planetary commune outside of the Corporation Rim, an area in space under corporate control. Since they’re outside of corporate control and they are a commune, they’re essentially a band of space hippies set out on a Corporation Rim expedition. The agreement between their planet and the Corporation is that they’re allowed to stay free and unbothered as long as they conduct these explorations (which have a reputation for being dangerous) and surrender a percentage of their discoveries. They’re also contractually obligated to bring a Corporation-assigned security unit, which they have to pay for separately. So the Preservation Alliance has to risk their life on expeditions, pay for added security, and hand over a percentage of what they find. Even in space, corporate greed wins.
Mensah (Noma Dumezweni), the leader of the group, sided with the sec-unit when the others were skeptical of its intentions. Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) was apprehensive of the unit based on its habits and decision-making. Since he was half bot, he could analyze data and access computers to a degree that far exceeded the rest of them, so when he brought attention to the sec-unit, the group was keen to hear him. Ratthi (Akshay Kanna) was gnarly and carefree, and made futile attempts to engage the sec-unit. Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu) and Arada (Tattiawna Jones) were partners and, like the rest of the group, didn’t believe in “social constructs” (so things like polyamory were fair game). Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski) was the most focused of the group and had various talents that came in handy. They voted, they agreed via snapping fingers, and were determined to converse their way through any of life’s problems. The sec-unit couldn’t care less.
The series is both wildly absurd and oddly hilarious, as both comedy and suspense rear their heads around every corner. Whether it’s a three-person massage to talk through a problem or watching John Cho hide his attraction to a robot on “Sanctuary Moon” (a hilariously divisive show), the writing in this series was fantastic. Chris and Paul Weitz were responsible for bringing Martha Wells’ award-winning book series to life and gave direction along with Toa Fraser, Aurora Guerrero, and Roseanne Liang.
The shorter episodes (around 24 minutes) make for an easy binge. After every watch, you’ll feel satisfied knowing that you’re all-in on a creative new show and that less than an hour of your day was spent watching TV (the first two episodes combined). The entire series is amazing, and I implore you to stick with it.
In the broad scheme of things, this dystopian thriller isn’t anything new. We’ve seen Apple TV+ do the robot thing with Sunny and run sci-fi with Silo, but Murderbot works in a way that its finer details separate it from the bunch.
Murderbot gets a 9 out of 10. Aside from becoming a new fan of Akshay Kanna and Tattiawna Jones, this upped my liking of Alexander Skarsgård, who was a killer, a cynic, and an advocate of good TV. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out why he’s called “Murderbot” because that would be a big spoiler. It won’t take long before you land on a favorite character. In the beginning, almost everyone is embraceable and arrives with quirks and “icks” you’ll notice immediately. This one isn’t for kids, thanks to language, violence, and sexual discussions. While the series overall isn’t gruesome, a handful of episodes shared moments of the extreme (that weren’t necessary), but then again, the show is called “Murderbot”.
Murderbot premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 16, with new episodes airing weekly.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Apple TV+
Genre: Comedy/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 10 Episodes | 24 mins.
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: May 16, 2025