‘Murderbot’ Energized by Alexander Skarsgård’s Sardonic Central Sentry

‘Murderbot’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

Arriving on Alexander Skarsgård playing a socially awkward security cyborg that has broken free of its programming, only to end up having to protect a new group of humans it can barely understand, much less tolerate… All the while wishing it could just be binge-watching awful TV shows.

The new sci-fi satire series comes from filmmakers Tamara Podemski.

Related Article: 'Murderbot' Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Featurette

Initial Thoughts

Adapted from Martha Wells’ 2017 novella ‘All Systems Red,’ ‘Murderbot’ marks the latest attempt by Apple TV+ to turn a much-praised sci-fi story into a series, following the likes of ‘Silo.’

Unlike those two more serious chunks of speculative fiction however, ‘Murderbot’ takes a much lighter tone, pitched more along the lines of Douglas Adams’ work, focusing as it does on a creation that comments on the follies of humanity even as it is forced to serve it.

Script and Direction

With the Weitz brothers in overall charge of the show (they developed the story for television and run the series as a whole, writing every episode), this was never going to be a straightforward science fiction series.

They’ve certainly found a rich vein of humor, with the title character an endless avenue of sarcastic, socially maladapted (think more Sheldon Cooper than RoboCop) droid who has somehow managed to break his own programming and, following a violent incident at a mining colony, is memory-wiped and rented to a group of free-thinking scientists and explorers charting a distant planet.

Primarily, this is a character study (partly because Wells’ source material books are themselves more focused in that direction) and the plot engine running underneath is a slim one, largely reliant on some expected conspiracy tropes and political commentary.

But that is less of an issue here, because the main character is so memorable and adaptable, and has more of a story arc than any of the fleshier people he spends time with.

Part of that has to do with the Weitz’ brothers scripts, which offer plenty of chances for our anti-hero to bemoan his existence (one or two moments do feel like the voice-over becomes repetitive) and when action does break out, it’s decently handled.

One other problem is that book readers will have their own version of Murderbot sitting in their head, and the show’s interpretation may not always mesh with that. Yet the character still works.

The showrunners also direct a couple of episodes, with Toa Fraser and Roseanne Liang taking the others. On a purely visual level, ‘Murderbot’ is decent, with a clearly decent budget if not perhaps that on the level of its Apple brethren.

It can be a little washed out and bland at times, but the performances make up for that, even if half of the show appears to be shot in the sort of quarry or local landscape that people used to make fun of genre institution ‘Doctor Who’ for. Better realized (and very silly) are the fictional, often melodramatic TV series that Murderbot loves to watch.

And there’s the distinct impression that the original intent might have been a movie, the story then split into episodes of mostly less than 30 minutes, meaning some episodes tell their part of it in satisfying fashion while others feel like offcuts expanded into whole shows.

Cast and Performances

The clear MVP of ‘Murderbot’ is the title character himself, brought memorably and never mechanically (except when the part calls for it) by Alexander Skarsgård. Like his fellow acting family , he certainly throws himself into different sorts of roles, and the offbeat droid here certainly plays to his strengths.

Whether he’s unnerved by the idea of having to maintain eye or bemoaning that an invasive command gadget is trying to overwrite his programming, Skarsgård commits, and manages both the witty voice-over and unwilling interactions with the humans around him perfectly.

Of those humans, David Dastmalchian (as augmented specialist Gurathin) and Noma Dumezweni (as the group’s empathetic and skilled nominal leader Mensah) make the most impact, Dastmalchian deploying a nice line in sarcasm himself as he worries that the “SecUnit” (Murderbot’s official designation) might just get them all killed.

Dumezweni, meanwhile, bonds with her new security droid, and the dynamic is a warm, welcome one (at least on her end).

Among the rest of the cast, Sabrina Wu shines as conflicted fellow scientist Pin-Lee, and the TV shows that Murderbot has in his memory allow for funny cameos from the likes of Jack McBrayer.

Final Thoughts

‘Murderbot’ finds its own gear, but can still stand happily alongside the other sci-fi shows that have found a home on Apple’s streaming service. And there’s some measure of amused irony about a show where the gadget people rely on could end up doing them more harm than good being produced by the company behind the iPhone…

What is the plot of ‘Murderbot’?

A partly biological security cyborg that privately calls itself Murderbot must hide its ability for free thought whilst completing dangerous assignments and is simultaneously drawn to humans and appalled at their weakness.

Who is in the cast of ‘Murderbot’?

• Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot
• David Dastmalchian as Gurathin
• Noma Dumezweni as Mensah
• Sabrina Wu as Pin-Lee
• Tattiawna Jones as Arada
• Akshay Khanna as Ratthi
• Tamara Podemski as Bharadwaj

List of Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz Movies and TV Shows:

• 'American Pie' (1999)
• 'Down to Earth' (2001)
• 'About a Boy' (2002)
• 'Cracking Up' (2004)
• 'In Good Company' (2004)
• 'American Dreamz' (2006)
• 'The Golden Com' (2007)
• 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' (2009)
• 'Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant' (2009)
• 'Little Fockers' (2010)
• 'A Better Life' (2011)
• 'Being Flynn' (2012)
• 'ission' (2013)
• 'Mozart in the Jungle' (2014 - 2018)
• 'Grandma' (2015)
• 'Operation Finale' (2018)
• 'Bel Canto' (2018)
• 'Fatherhood' (2021)
• 'Moving On' (2023)
• 'Afraid' (2024)
• 'Murderbot' (2025)

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