Murderbot (TV series)

Murderbot
Genre
Created by
Based onThe Murderbot Diaries
by Martha Wells
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Chris Weitz
  • Paul Weitz
  • Alexander Skarsgård
  • Andrew Miano
  • David S. Goyer
  • Keith Levine
Running time22–34 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkApple TV+
ReleaseMay 16, 2025 (2025-05-16) –
present
NetworkApple TV

Murderbot is an American science fiction action comedy television series created by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz for Apple TV+. It is based on All Systems Red, the first book of the series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, who serves as a consulting producer. The series stars Alexander Skarsgård as the titular character. The first season premiered on May 16, 2025 and received positive reviews. In July 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.[1]

Premise

A media-obsessed private security construct (manufactured from cloned human tissue and mechanical parts) calling itself Murderbot must hide its newly acquired autonomy while completing dangerous assignments and being simultaneously drawn to humans, and appalled by their weakness.[2]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Cast of show-within-a-show The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon[3]
  • John Cho as Eknie Jef Chem (playing Captain Hossein)
  • Jack McBrayer as Breiller MocJac (playing Navigation Officer Hordööp-Sklanch)
  • Clark Gregg as Arletty (playing Lieutenant Kullervv)
  • DeWanda Wise as Pordron Bretney III Roche (playing NawBot 337 Alt 66)[a]

Guest

  • Anna Konkle as Leebeebee, a member of another survey team on the planet. The character does not appear in the novella.
  • Amanda Brugel as GrayCris Blue Leader
  • David Reale as GrayCris Yellow

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"FreeCommerce"Paul WeitzTeleplay by : Paul Weitz & Chris WeitzMay 16, 2025 (2025-05-16)
A private security construct, annoyed by humans, hacks the governor module that forces it to obey their commands. Hiding its new autonomy to avoid being destroyed, the SecUnit renames itself Murderbot on a whim. A team of researchers is compelled to accept Murderbot on their mission to meet their insurance requirements but hesitate as it seems akin to slavery. On the planet, Murderbot enjoys watching reruns of television, especially a soap opera The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. Two researchers, Bharadwaj and Arada, come under attack from a massive centipede-like creature, but are saved by Murderbot. Bharadwaj is seriously injured, and Arada goes into shock. While bringing them back to the habitat, Murderbot lowers its mask to reveal a human face, and comforts Arada. After returning to the habitat, the augmented human Gurathin is suspicious of this behavior, as well as other clues that Murderbot is not acting as a SecUnit should. The team realizes there are unexplained gaps in the planetary maps and data provided to them and Murderbot reassures the crew it has no knowledge of why.
2"Eye Contact"Chris WeitzChris Weitz & Paul WeitzMay 16, 2025 (2025-05-16)
Suspicious of Murderbot, Gurathin convinces Mensah not to bring the SecUnit along when she investigates a distant, unmapped location. Mensah becomes disoriented while out in the field, as another of the same species of creatures that attacked the others bears down on her. It moves past her drawn to a spot full of dead creatures, killed by ancient alien remnants. Back at the habitat, Murderbot, uncomfortable with conversation and eye contact, is asked by Gurathin to explain if it is acting outside the boundaries of its programme. Gurathin becomes concerned that it has some deleted memories.
3"Risk Assessment"Toa FraserPaul Weitz & Chris WeitzMay 23, 2025 (2025-05-23)
Looking for answers about the missing maps and the ancient, alien technology the crew attempt to call the other research crew on the opposite side of the planet, but get no response and decide to go and investigate. Gurathin and Bharadwaj remain behind while the rest of the crew travels. At the other habitat, Murderbot distributes weapons and takes the lead into the investigation. Murderbot walks in alone, and finds its inhabitants dead and other SecUnits destroyed. It lies to its crew and says that everything is fine. Murderbot is attacked by another SecUnit and defeats it, before another SecUnit comes up behind it.
4"Escape Velocity Protocol"Toa FraserChris Weitz & Paul WeitzMay 30, 2025 (2025-05-30)
Murderbot discovers itself helpless and hallucinating about Sanctuary Moon while being dragged by a hostile SecUnit. After a fight, the hostile SecUnit installs a combat override module into Murderbot. Mensah comes to rescue it, and the other members of the team come to rescue Mensah. Although the hostile SecUnit is defeated by the crew using the hopper as a weapon, Murderbot tells the crew that it has been subverted by the combat override module and will kill them unless they kill it first. When they fail to act, Murderbot takes a gun from Mensah and shoots itself.
5"Rogue War Tracker Infinite"Paul WeitzPaul Weitz & Chris WeitzJune 6, 2025 (2025-06-06)
Mensah decides to take Murderbot back to their habitat, when Leebeebee, a surviving member of the DeltFall expedition, appears. She confirms that her teammates were killed by seemingly rogue SecUnits. The Preservation team brings her back to their base camp, where they repair and reboot Murderbot. Gurathin, who is still suspicious of the SecUnit, discovers that it has hacked its governor module even before they contracted it, but Mensah decides to trust Murderbot because of its actions to protect the team. After all that happened, they conclude that there must be an unknown hostile third party on the planet. They agree to activate the emergency beacon, which fails. When Mensah and Murderbot fly to the beacon to start it manually, it explodes.
6"Command Feed"Aurora GuerreroChris Weitz & Paul WeitzJune 13, 2025 (2025-06-13)
Murderbot and Mensah survive the explosion, but the hopper is damaged and Murderbot had deleted the repair manual to make space for a season of Sanctuary Moon. When Mensah has a panic attack due to this, Murderbot calms her down by showing her an episode of the show. They manage to repair the hopper using neural fibers from Murderbot's spinal cord. At the habitat, Leebeebee tries to get more information about the results of the Preservation survey. When Gurathin refuses to show her the data, she produces a gun, shoots him in the knee and threatens the rest of the team. She admits that she is not a member of DeltFall, but of the third party. Murderbot returns and kills Leebeebee immediately, which leaves the Preservation team in shock. While it gets repaired, Murderbot muses that the others had assumed that it was becoming like them, and that it actually felt good to execute Leebeebee.
7"Complementary Species"Roseanne LiangPaul Weitz & Chris WeitzJune 20, 2025 (2025-06-20)
In a flashback, it is revealed that Gurathin used to be a spy working for the Corporation Rim and was suicidal before he met Mensah. The PresAux team prepares to evacuate the habitat, before the hostile third party arrives. Murderbot observes that Gurathin's body temperature is rising. They still take the hopper and try to hide. While the team discusses their situation, two of the centipede-like creatures appear and mate, leaving their eggs attached to the hopper. Shortly after that, a SecUnit of superior make attacks. The team unavailingly tries to help Murderbot fight the aggressor. When it accidentally destroys some of the alien eggs, the creature returns, bites the SecUnit's head off, collects the remaining egg sacks, and disappears. Gurathin collapses due to his infected wound. Against Murderbot's advice, Mensah orders to take him back to the medical bay of the habitat.
8"Foreign Object"Aurora GuerreroChris Weitz & Paul WeitzJune 27, 2025 (2025-06-27)
Murderbot accompanies the PresAux team back to the habitat. The recording of the security cameras shows that in their absence, more superior SecUnits and a representative of the hostile third party—now identified as GrayCris—visited the habitat and left an invitation to meet at a rendezvous point to negotiate terms for their survival. After a security check, the PresAux team take Gurathin to the medical bay. While Bharadwaj performs surgery on Gurathin's leg, Murderbot plugs into his data port to turn off his sense of pain. The connection allows Gurathin to find out what Murderbot calls itself and that it was involved in the deaths of 57 clients, which Gurathin reveals to the group and condemns Murderbot for. Murderbot admits it is not sure if it killed the clients or not and agrees with Gurathin's assessment that it could be defective and dangerous, then it leaves the group to go out on its own. The PresAux team concludes that GrayCris is illegally after the alien remnants and that they will liquidate them once they find out their location. After mulling over whether to abandon or betray its clients, Murderbot comes back and announces that it has a plan.
9"All Systems Red"Roseanne LiangPaul Weitz & Chris WeitzJuly 4, 2025 (2025-07-04)
Murderbot puts a dangerous plan into motion, pretending to betray the PresAux team to leave the planet. While the team expresses doubts and tension rises, Murderbot keeps the true plan hidden, which is to have Gurathin hack into GrayCris's HubSystem using a drone as a transponder and launch their emergency beacon. The ruse includes offering to help GrayCris capture the Preservation team in exchange for being listed as destroyed inventory. Murderbot stalls the enemy using awkward small talk and quotes from Sanctuary Moon, while the PresAux team manages the remote connection. As the plan begins to succeed, GrayCris prepares to torture Murderbot for the information they seek. Mensah intervenes and is caught in the crossfire. In the end, Murderbot shields her from the beacon's launch blast, which kills the GrayCris team, nearly sacrificing itself. Before Murderbot's systems fail, it quietly admits to itself that these humans have become its clients not just by contract but by choice.
10"The Perimeter"Paul WeitzChris Weitz & Paul WeitzJuly 11, 2025 (2025-07-11)
As Murderbot's systems reboot, company technicians delete its memory and install a new governor module. The PresAux team negotiates with company representatives to find the SecUnit. They offer to buy it and threaten a lawsuit, but the company refuses, telling them that its memory has been wiped anyway. Pin-Lee files an injunction to seize Murderbot for evidentiary reasons, while Gurathin manages to retrieve the data that was downloaded during the memory wipe. He locates Murderbot's personality files by searching for Sanctuary Moon episodes. The team saves Murderbot from being destroyed, and Gurathin uploads its personality back. Murderbot recognizes that without its armor it looks like an augmented human. The team invites Murderbot to live as a free agent on their home planet. That night, Murderbot attempts to sneak away, but is intercepted by Gurathin, who tries to make it feel welcome. Murderbot insists, and when Gurathin relents, Murderbot thanks him; posing as a servant bot, it boards a transport ship that departs, as Mensah awakens and realizes that it has left.

Production

The book series was optioned in the late 2010s, and its film adaptation was considered.[5][6] In 2021, book series author Martha Wells said that a potential TV series adaptation was in development and that she had read the script and was "really excited about it".[7][8] The series was green lit by Apple TV+ in 2022, with Wells serving as a consulting producer.[9] The production design team, led by Sue Chan, started work in the autumn.[10] Tommy Arnold, the Murderbot Diaries special edition illustrator, created the concept art for the show.[11][12][13]

After the casting was delayed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike,[9] in December 2023 it was announced that Alexander Skarsgård would produce and star in the series.[14] He developed the character and the world of Murderbot with the showrunners.[15][16] In February 2024, David Dastmalchian and Noma Dumezweni joined the cast.[17][18] In March, Sabrina Wu, Tattiawna Jones, Akshay Khanna, and Tamara Podemski joined the cast.[19]

On July 10, 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.[1] Showrunners Chris and Paul Weitz suggested the second season would combine the next three books of the series.[20][21]

Filming

Filming took place in March–June 2024,[22] in Toronto and parts of Ontario, Canada.[23] Most of the filming was done in locations,[16] with the Sanctuary Moon content filmed on the virtual production stage.[16][24]

Release

The first two episodes of Murderbot premiered on Apple TV+ on May 16, 2025, with subsequent episodes released weekly.[25][26] The first season consists of ten episodes.[27]

Reception

Even before the release of the show, numerous media sources had commented on the titular character as being coded as autistic and agender.[28][29]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Murderbot has an approval rating of 96% with an average score of 7.5/10, based on 76 critics' reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "Alexander Skarsgård's superbly dry wit brings a lot of heart to Murderbot, making for a refreshingly jaunty sci-fi saga about finally coming out of one's shell".[30] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 70 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[31]

Some reviewers have criticized Murderbot's changes to Wells' original books. Angela Watercutter of Wired noted that the series has significant tonal differences from the books and noted the show's changes to characters, particularly Murderbot and Dr. Mensah, and Wells' social commentary.[32]

Accolades

Murderbot was a finalist for the 2025 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series.[33]

Tommy Arnold won the 2025 Concept Art Association Award in the category of Live-Action Series Character Art for his work on Murderbot.[34]

Alexander Skarsgård was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.[35]

Carrie Grace and Laura Jean Shannon were nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award in the category of Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Television for their work on FreeCommerce.[36]

Amanda Jones was nominated for a Composers & Lyricists Award for Outstanding Original Title Sequence for a Television Production.[37]

Notes

  1. ^ Spelling as displayed in the work.[4][3] The character is referred to as a "Navigation Unit" and a "Nav Bot".

References

  1. ^ a b Campione, Katie (July 10, 2025). "Murderbot Renewed For Season 2 At Apple TV+ Ahead Of Season 1 Finale". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  2. ^ Bell, BreAnna (December 14, 2023). "Murderbot Series from About A Boy Filmmakers Set at Apple, Alexander Skarsgård to Star and EP". Variety. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Murderbot — The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon Opening Title Sequence. Apple TV. May 29, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Escape Velocity Protocol". Murderbot. Season 1. Episode 4. May 30, 2025. 5 minutes in. Apple TV+.
  5. ^ Lammers, Tim (May 22, 2025). "Murderbot EP David S. Goyer On Alexander Skarsgård And Staying True To Martha Wells' Books". Forbes. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  6. ^ Martha Wells Reflects on Murderbot S:01. Seattle Worldcon 2025: Ink to Film. August 29, 2025 [August 15, 2025]. Retrieved August 29, 2025 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. ^ Spry, Jeff (June 22, 2021). "Exclusive Q&A: Sci-fi author Martha Wells talks about her latest Murderbot novella, Fugitive Telemetry". Space.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Pedersen, Erik (April 25, 2021). "How Murderbot Diaries author Martha Wells overcame a career in crisis to create the killer series". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (December 14, 2023). "Alexander Skarsgård Stars in Murderbot Sci-Fi Series Ordered By Apple From Chris & Paul Weitz". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Skid (August 3, 2025). "S24 - Ep 7 - Murderbot - Production Design". Below the Line (Podcast). 24. No. 7. Sue Chan. Retrieved August 15, 2025 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ Wells, Martha. "The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells". Martha Wells -- Worlds of Fantasy. Archived from the original on July 29, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  12. ^ "Tommy Arnold Concept Art". Tommy Arnold. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  13. ^ Arnold, Tommy [@tommyarnoldart]; (June 20, 2025). "Stoked to finally share some of my #murderbot concepts!" – via Instagram.
  14. ^ Mishra, Shristy (December 14, 2023). "Alexander Skarsgård to Star in Long-Awaited Murderbot Series". Collider. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  15. ^ Murderbot Cast & Creators Break Down Alexander Skarsgård's Exciting New Sci-Fi Show. Screen Rant Plus. March 6, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2025 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ a b c Jones, Tamera; Weintraub, Steven (June 10, 2025). ""I Haven't Done It Since 'True Blood'": Alexander Skarsgård Broke His Own Rules for Apple TV+'s Critically Acclaimed 'Murderbot'". Collider. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  17. ^ Grobar, Matt (February 28, 2024). "David Dastmalchian Joins Alexander Skarsgård In Apple Sci-Fi Series Murderbot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  18. ^ Petski, Denise (March 1, 2024). "Noma Dumezweni Joins Alexander Skarsgård In Apple Sci-Fi Series Murderbot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Cordero, Rosy (March 7, 2024). "Apple TV+'s Murderbot Rounds Out Cast with Sabrina Wu, Tattiawna Jones, Akshay Khanna & Tamara Podemski". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  20. ^ Cavanaugh, Patrick (May 12, 2025). "Murderbot's Cast and Crew Talk Bringing the Fan-Favorite Books to Life for Apple TV+". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  21. ^ Koc, Demet (May 17, 2025). "Interview: Murderbot Showrunners Paul And Chris Weitz Discuss The Making Of The Series And Potential Future Seasons". Nexus Point News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2025. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  22. ^ Gittins, Susan (February 20, 2025). "Toronto-Filmed MURDERBOT With Alexander Skarsgård Premieres This May". Hollywood North Buzz. Archived from the original on June 29, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  23. ^ Yeo, Debra (May 8, 2025). "For Alexander Skarsgard, making 'Murderbot' in Toronto was 'a special experience'". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on May 12, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  24. ^ "Following the Data Stream of a Sentient Android for Murderbot". June 3, 2025. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  25. ^ "Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for Murderbot, Premiering May 16". Apple TV+ Press. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  26. ^ Webster, Andrew (February 20, 2025). "Apple's Murderbot series starts streaming in May". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 22, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  27. ^ Webster, Andrew (December 14, 2023). "Apple is making a Murderbot series starring Alexander Skarsgård". The Verge. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  28. ^ Breznican, Anthony (April 7, 2025). "Murderbot Would Hate You—But That's Why You'll Love It". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  29. ^ De Oliveira, Weronika (April 14, 2025). "Alexander Skarsgård is Murderbot in the first trailer for Apple TV+ sci-fi series". Tech Advisor. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  30. ^ "Murderbot: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  31. ^ "Murderbot: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  32. ^ Watercutter, Angela. "The Reason Murderbot's Tone Feels Off". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  33. ^ "2025 Dragon Awards Winners". Locus Online. September 2, 2025. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  34. ^ Salkowitz, Rob (October 27, 2025). "'KPop Demon Hunters' Slays At CAA Awards, Marvel Studios Also Scores Big". Forbes. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  35. ^ Schwartz, Missy; McGovern, Joe (December 5, 2025). "'Sinners,' 'One Battle After Another' Top Critics Choice Film Awards Nominees (Full List)". TheWrap. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  36. ^ Sharpe, Josh (December 15, 2025). "Paul Tazewell & More Nominated for Costume Designers Guild Awards - Full List of Nominees". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  37. ^ Grein, Paul (December 17, 2025). "Ludwig Göransson, Stephen Schwartz Lead 2026 Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards Nods: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2025.

Further reading

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