Murderbot TV Review: Alexander Skarsgård leads the Apple TV+ sci-fi series based on the best-selling novels

Plot: Based on Martha Wells’ bestselling Hugo and Nebula Award-winning book series, “Murderbot” is a sci-fi thriller/comedy about a self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients. Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe.

Review: A series called Murderbot seems like it would be focused on buckets of blood and bodies strewn every which way, but it is a surprisingly balanced blend of comedy and drama based on the book series by Martha Wells. With Alexander Skarsgard in the title role as the humanoid machine who hates humans as much as he dislikes working when his favorite television series is on, Murderbot faithfully interprets the source material. With impressive production values courtesy of the deep pockets at Apple Studios, Murderbot is a distinct foray into science fiction that we have not seen much of on the small screen. Buoyed by a solid ensemble cast, this is one of the most fun series of the year and another winning performance from Skarsgard that deviates from the roles he is usually associated with. With short episodes and a propulsive first season, Murderbot is a contender for series of the summer.

Murderbot centers on the titular Security Unit (Alexander Skarsgard), who works for an intergalactic corporation backing a mission undertaken by the members of a party from the Preservation Alliance. This hippie-esque group believes in inclusion and fairness. The crew, led by Doctor Mensah (Noma Dumezweni), selects the cheaper, refurbished SecUnit, who they do not know has hacked his governor module and does not technically need to protect humans at any cost. Most crew accept the SecUnit while scientist Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) is wary of the odd robot’s quirky behavior. As they settle on the distant planet for their mission, it quickly becomes evident that others have their missions on the planet, and alien creatures threaten the team. While Murderbot does not want to reveal his hacked nature, his actions soon show the team that he is not quite who or what they think he is. This leads to forged friendships and more suspicion from Gurathin as Murderbot becomes a team member, albeit a begrudging one. Tackling subjects as varied as free will, panic attacks, throuples, and corporate espionage, there are some hefty moments in Murderbot balanced against downright funny ones.

While Skarsgard’s performance has drawn comparisons to people on the autism spectrum, he never comes across as condescending or mocking of real people. Playing robots has been a challenge on screen, with Skarsgard portraying his character as a physically ripped take on Brent Spiner’s Lt. Commander Data from Star Trek. Skarsgard’s interactions with his crewmates are awkward and rigid. At the same time, his internal monologue is rife with judgment and sarcasm, giving the series a unique dichotomy when Murderbot says one thing and then brushes it off in narration. But, the series also hinges on the ensemble around him and this cast all present a lot of personalities that butt up against the robotic protagonist. Many of these performances are funny, led by Noma Dumezweni and David Dastmalchian, who are highlights of the series. Both have experience with comedy in their past, but they make their characters intriguing, likeable, and above all, realistic. Sabrina Wu, Tattiawna Jones, Akshay Khanna, and Tamara Podemski round out a great and varied group who take elements of contemporary people we all have met who embrace 21st-century values and norms and, while playing some things for laughs, never push the material into satire or mockery.

For the most part, Murderbot plays for laughs organically within the personalities and situations of the characters. While there are some broadly funny elements baked into the main plot, a lot of humor is derived from the series within the series, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. This soap opera show features over-the-top characters portrayed by John Cho, Clark Gregg, DeWanda Wise, and Jack McBrayer. That series may be the silliest part of Murderbot, which takes its world-building fairly seriously. While there are glimpses into Murderbot’s past involving a massacre he may have perpetrated, much of the focus on the current storyline is a heartfelt story of his growing appreciation for humans as their fondness for him increases. The characters have some pairings that happen over the season. Still, the interactions between the ensemble’s seven primary members are often interchanged and give them all a balanced amount of screen time. I loved how the finale wraps up the arcs for many characters, notably Murderbot himself and David Dastmalchian’s Gurathin.

Each entry in Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries, comprised of four novellas and three full-length novels, has connections to prior entries, with the first four serving as an overarching narrative. Showrunners Chris and Paul Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy) are very faithful to the source material, with the plot keeping almost entirely to the books with some adjustments for the visual medium. The Weitz’s have a good grasp of the CGI-heavy universe this story takes place in, with the siblings writing the entire ten-episode series and helming four episodes between them. The remaining chapters are directed by Roseanne Liang, Aurora Guerrero, and Toa Fraser, helming two apiece. The half-hour format keeps the pace moving, and the series never gets bogged down in side-quests or subplots as it moves briskly through the narrative. Having read the books, I found myself enjoying this adaptation far more, thanks to the performances of the cast who bring the silliness to life in a way that does not feel like a comedy but a drama with comedic elements. Nevertheless, Murderbot is very funny.

Murderbot initially felt like it would be a throwaway series with a fun but silly concept and no real depth. Knowing the novels could sometimes read as lightweight, I was very pleased to invest in this world and these characters. Alexander Skarsgard nails the challenge of giving an emotionless automaton enough feeling and layers that you care about what he does and where he ends up. With memorable turns from Noma Dumezweni and the always great David Dastmalchian, along with the entire ensemble cast, Murderbot may be the best science fiction project on Apple TV+, and that is saying something with their deep roster of genre programming. I had a lot of fun watching this and look forward to seeing Skarsgard continue exploring this character for seasons.

Murderbot premieres with two episodes on May 16th on Apple TV+.

Murderbot

GREAT

8

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