The “Murderbot” Series Reviews Are In

The first reviews are out for the anticipated new Apple TV+ darkly comedic sci-fi series “Murderbot” starring Alexander Skarsgard and based on Martha Wells’ “The Murderbot Diaries” book series.

Set in a high-tech future, the show follows a rogue security robot who secretly gains free will. To stay hidden, it reluctantly joins a new mission protecting scientists on a dangerous planet, even as it just wants to binge soap operas.

David Dastmalchian, Noma Dumezweni, Sabrina Wu, Tattiawna Jones, Akshay Khanna and Tamara Podemski co-star in the half-hour series which hails from Chris and Paul Weitz.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series is pulling in a 100% rating from 14 critics’ reviews while on Metacritic it’s a 76/100 at the moment. Here’s a sampling of the reviews so far:

“Guided by the dry, not-quite-human tone of its protagonist, this sly and sometimes subversive series feels like a mix of Robocop and an old adventure serial, complete with cliffhangers and 25-minute episodes.” – Craig Mathieson, The Age

“The funny irony is that the things that make Murderbot a nice watch would probably make Murderbot dislike its own TV show. It’s about people, and a robot, caring about and deciding to value each other even when it’s inconvenient.” – Sam Barsanti, IGN

“Those who only know him from HBO’s True Blood or the Viking film The Northman may be surprised to discover how genuinely funny Skarsgård is, with a real gift for deadpan line delivery and comedic timing.” – Lacy Baugher, Paste

“Anchored by a wonderfully awkward turn from Skarsgård and an instantly likable ensemble, Murderbot is pure sci-fi fun, even if its slight story occasionally stretches too thin.” – Belen Edwards, Mashable

“Murderbot is both a familiar-ish science fiction series but also something utterly brand new. It’s a workplace comedy, a space opera, and a robot show all rolled into one. Apple TV+ almost certainly has a sleeper hit on its hands.” – Ryan Britt, Inverse

“It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s entertaining enough, a mostly light and breezy glimpse into a fictional universe that certainly feels like it has a lot more potential.” – Erik Kain, Forbes

“The first half of Murderbot’s 10-episode season is puzzlingly light on plot momentum and laughs. While the action, characters, and comedy do gel by the end, viewers will likely have to wait for a season 2 to see Murderbot reach its killer potential.” – Kristen Baldwin, EW

“I like Skarsgard more than I dislike the bland overall approach, and there’s a lot to be said for a show that just charges forward with most of its episodes coming in at under 25 minutes apiece.” – Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter

The ten-episode season launches with two episodes this Friday May 16th, with new single episodes airing weekly until July 11th.

The post The “Murderbot” Series Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.