MURDERBOT: Skarsgård Shines in Powerful Sci-Fi [REVIEW]

On May 16, the Apple TV+ library will welcome the premiere episodes of a new science fiction production — this time, an adaptation of the book series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. The literary source material has been adapted by brothers Chris and Paul Weitz. Is the final result a success?

Murderbot tells the story of a self-aware security unit that has hacked its own control module. Murderbot is assigned to protect a group of scientists — it is both intrigued and disgusted by the humans around it. It hides the fact that it has free will, and the members of the research team react to the robot’s behavior in various ways. In its free time, Murderbot loves watching the space soap opera Sanctuary Moon, and it’s safe to say that it’s the show’s biggest fan — others don’t share the same enthusiasm for the series.

While the Weitz brothers’ work is at its core a science fiction production with plenty of action and alien exploration, its greatest strength lies in the characters. Murderbot is played by Alexander Skarsgård (who also serves as a producer on the series), and he perfectly portrays the protagonist’s inner turmoil. His voice acting is excellent — a key element, since we often hear Murderbot’s thoughts about its companions in voiceover. Its relationships with the scientific team (complicated by the fact that not everyone trusts it equally) are engaging and prompt reflection on our own attitudes toward artificial intelligence and how it’s used. Would we fully trust an armed robot if we were locked in a room with it?

Aside from Skarsgård, the standout cast members include Noma Dumezweni and David Dastmalchian, who play Mensah and Gurathin, respectively. Dumezweni (who previously portrayed Hermione Granger in the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) plays the team leader, a character with many maternal traits who feels responsible for her crew — the actress radiates warmth and kindness on screen, providing a great contrast to the withdrawn and emotionally conflicted Murderbot. Gurathin, played by Dastmalchian, is the character who trusts Murderbot the least — though he has much of his own to work through. Dastmalchian, experienced in portraying characters burdened by the past (as in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad), once again shows his talent for such roles — his character’s arc is among the most emotionally compelling in the series.

Visually, the series is intriguing — interiors are clean and sterile, dominated by white and orange tones. They’re simple yet eye-catching. Murderbot has relatively few locations (most of the action takes place indoors and on a single planet), so the creators didn’t have much room for visual extravagance, but they managed to craft a distinctive atmosphere — I’d even call it slightly retro. There are hints of Star Trek, Blade Runner, and Dune, but despite these associations, Murderbot feels fresh. The plot offers surprises and twists, but it’s primarily an engaging journey of the title character, culminating in a moving and contemplative season finale. The episodes are short — sitcom length, about 30 minutes max — so there’s little room for filler. Naturally, there’s humor as well, which likely attracted the Weitz brothers to the project (let’s not forget their first feature film was American Pie). The humor shines in Murderbot’s disarming inner monologues and in sequences from the Sanctuary Moon series-within-a-series — a brilliant concept that adds variety to the episodes and helps expand the story world.

If you appreciate the human element and emotional depth in science fiction, give the premiere episodes a try — it’s worth it for Skarsgård’s performance alone, which lets him show a different side compared to some of his recent roles. It’s genuinely entertaining.

The ten-episode series Murderbot will debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 16, 2025, with the first two episodes. New episodes will be released every Friday through July 11, 2025.