Murderbot Review – Apple TV+ Builds a Killer Sci-Fi Hit

Apple TV+ has a huge problem. While the streaming service is quietly becoming the best place for high-quality sci-fi TV, no one seems to be watching. While Netflix keeps throwing money at content like it’s playing Monopoly on speed, Apple TV+ is over here crafting thoughtful, sharp, and visually jaw-dropping shows like Silo, Foundation, and now Murderbot.

Murderbot, adapted from Martha Wells’ All Systems Red (part of The Murderbot Diaries series), is not your typical “pew-pew, kaboom” sci-fi series. It’s a ten-episode mix of dry humour, sleek visuals, and deep, awkward feelings—all told through the lens of a security android who’d rather binge TV than serve and protect stupid humans. “Humans, well, they’re a–holes,” he tells us.

His journey begins after he hacks his own governor module and decides to secretly go rogue. But instead of spending his new freedom conquering the galaxy, Murderbot is forced to babysit a team of idealistic scientists who are woefully unprepared for the danger-filled planet they’re exploring. If that plot just spoke to your soul, you’re going to love this show.

Alexander Skarsgård, who’s made a career of playing Nordic gods and heroic figures like Tarzan, plays Murderbot – physically stiff and emotionally flat but also somehow charming.

Created by Chris and Paul Weitz (yes, the About a Boy guys), the show leans into Murderbot’s discomfort with humans and milks it for all the cringe-comedy gold it’s worth. He hates eye contact. He hates small talk. He hates speeches. He hates being perceived. Essentially, Murderbot is all of us.

Like every other AppleTV+ show before it, Murderbot is visually impressive. Giant creatures. Explosions. Landscapes that look like someone dropped Dune into Star Wars. Apple TV+ spares no expense, and it shows. The CGI doesn’t just work—it feels part of the world, not a filter slapped on during post. But it’s more than just a pretty show. Guided by the sarcastic internal thoughts of its title character, the writing’s sharp, the character arc is layered, and the themes are surprisingly deep.

Is the pacing a little slow at times? Sure. It takes a while to take off. But the payoff comes in character moments, world-building, and the kind of dry, sci-fi humor that makes you question if Murderbot is secretly the most emotionally intelligent thing you’ve watched all year. A bit like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in a way.

Don’t sleep on this one. Stream Murderbot. Then talk to your friends about it. Audiences need to start waking up to how good AppleTV+’s sci-fi shows are. Murderbot might be one of their most fun (and most relatable) sci-fi releases yet.

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