Latest news with #MarthaWells'
India Today
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Murderbot review: Alexander Skarsgard elevates show with deadpan delivery
At a mining station far, far away in a hyper-capitalistic society, we are introduced to a cyborg security unit that has hacked its Governor Module and, for lack of a better description, gone rogue. It names itself Murderbot after rejecting alternatives like Freedom Unit or Rogue Bot, as SecUnit 238776431 simply 'doesn't have the right ring to it.'Thus begins Apple TV's sci-fi action comedy based on Martha Wells' Hugo Award-winning series, 'The Murderbot Diaries'. The first two episodes debuted on May 16, with the remaining instalments releasing every Friday from May 23 a replicant from 'Blade Runner' equipped with bone-dry wit and an evolving personality. That's Murderbot, portrayed by Alexander Skarsgard — a sentient being which, now that it's no longer governed by the Governor Module, would rather watch entertainment programmes in the Company's time than embark on a killing spree or flee to a remote Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics, the governor module — a built-in obedience device — concerns itself less with ethics and more with liability control, forcing SecUnits to follow orders and only kill when authorised by the Company. Murderbot's decision to hack this module early on, enabling it to skip tedious meetings and choose not to murder humans purely out of personal disinterest, creates the show's machine, part organic human material, Murderbot conceals its autonomous status rather than announcing its freedom, pretending to remain under control to avoid being dumped in an acid bath by Corporation Rim, its owner. 'Stupid f**king humans' becomes its constant inner refrain when it's assigned to protect 'a bunch of hippie scientists from some tiny non-aligned planet out in the middle of nowhere.'advertisementThis eclectic crew from the Preservation Alliance, led by Dr Ayda Mensah (Noma Dumezweni of 'The Little Mermaid' and Hugh Grant-starrer 'The Undoing'), includes geologist Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski), Arada (Tattiawna Jones) and her wife Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu), Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) and the augmented human Gurathin (David Dastmalchian). Most treat Murderbot with basic decency, some even attempt conversation as if it were one of them, unexpectedly changing everything for the stands apart, being the first to suspect something is 'wrong' with their security companion. Called Gura by teammates, he represents the suspicion Murderbot perpetually the trailer of Murderbot here: At its core, 'Murderbot' follows an android who detests humans, abhors small talk, and would prefer binge-watching favourite programmes to social interaction. It eavesdrops constantly, is slightly paranoid, and it believes its favourite soap opera scenarios would work in reality; Murderbot embodies social awkwardness in mechanical show's brilliance emerges from its impassive first-person perspective, giving viewers direct access to Murderbot's inner monologue. Constantly balancing fear of exposure against protective instincts toward the crew, Murderbot navigates tense situations with quiet works when instead of seeing a robot, the viewer sees someone who is awkward, reluctant, profoundly introverted and is merely trying to survive each performance is the backbone. He voices Murderbot with such dry precision that every moment of discomfort resonates. His stumbling through human social customs feels oddly relatable, while his internal commentary — equally cynical and honest — provides perfect comedic timing. Dumezweni delivers excellence as Dr Mensah, treating everyone, including Murderbot, as family. Dastmalchian's portrayal of the suspicious Gurathin also demands viewers' enjoyment may depend on their expectations. 'Murderbot' isn't a snazzy sci-fi series: it's muted, slightly off-centre and somewhat goofy. Despite being designed to kill, Murderbot simply wishes to be left alone, though circumstances never permit this luxury. Significant screen time goes to 'The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon' — essentially a soap opera version of 'Star Trek' featuring John Cho and Clark Gregg as apparent counterparts to Kirk and AI, aliens and androids, 'Murderbot' explores identity, loneliness, and existing between programmed purpose and potential evolution. This thoughtful dimension, wrapped in dan humour and genuine character development, makes it worth watching.3.5 out of 5 stars. The review is based on the first two episodes.
WIRED
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- WIRED
The Reason Murderbot's Tone Feels Off
May 14, 2025 2:00 PM Martha Wells' book series uses wry humor to tell a story about artificial intelligence, humanity, and free will. The Apple TV+ adaptation tries to do the same—with mixed results. Still from Murderbot. Courtesy of Apple TV+ All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. A confession: This dispatch will not be coming to you from one of the long-devout Martha Wells faithful. I'm a convert, a curious reader who turned to Wells' The Murderbot Diaries series after reading my colleague Meghan Herbst's fantastic 2024 profile of the author, which left me questioning who would be challenged with taking on the series' title character in Apple TV+'s adaptation and why it was Alexander Skarsgård. Put differently, I wanted to know if the actor known for playing blood-sucker Eric Northman in True Blood and a berserker prince The Northman would be the right fit to play a security robot, or SecUnit, struggling with social awkwardness after hacking his own 'governor module' to give himself the freedom to not obey human orders. If the weird affection he forms for the scientists he's charged with protecting, and the stunted way he goes about showing it, would translate to Murderbot . After watching the first episodes of the show, which debuts Friday on Apple TV+, I got my answers—and found myself asking a lot more questions. Namely: Why is Skarsgård both so wrong and so right for this role? Why is Mensah (Noma Dumezweni), a cool and confident extraterrestrial expedition leader in the books, anxious and unsure onscreen? Why is her PreservationAux crew portrayed as hippies who seem to have personality quirks instead of personalities? Why does the tone of this thing feel so off? The rejoinder to any of these boils down to 'because TV,' reasoning that's likely to be Murderbot 's doom and salvation. Readers love Wells' books. They've won Hugos and Nebulas, the highest praise bestowed on science fiction writing. Read the comments on almost any review of Murderbot 's first season, which closely follows the original Murderbot novella All Systems Red , and you'll find hand-wringing from loyal fans; they're hoping the show gets it right. Wells resembles George R.R. Martin or Hugh Howey in that regard. The thing about sci-fi fans is they have opinions—and they're hard to please. Not that Murderbot 's flaws lie in pandering. Murderbot (the character) narrates All Systems Red , and also the series, and its tone is very specific. (Yes, Murderbot's pronouns are 'it.') Not to spoil anything—and this piece will remain largely spoiler-free—but it's a security robot, and interacting with people isn't its forte. When it finds itself wanting good things for the people who, for once, don't treat it like a servant, it struggles. It wants to hide that it's jailbroken itself to gain free will while also acting normal , and in the process either acts very flatly or just repeats dialogue from the hours of streaming content it binge-watches with its newfound freedom (that Murderbot has turned The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon into a show-within-a-show is a plus here). Murderbot's narration, both in All Systems Red and its adaptation, gives the story its voice. It's what people, even though they're human, identify with. Murderbot does alright with this, but fumbles all the other stuff. Characters, like Mensah, like Gurathin (David Dastmalchian), are given tacked-on traits like anxiety or creepiness in an effort to make them well-rounded but often feel disjointed. Polyamory, a matter-of-fact part of life in Wells' books, gets turned into an unnecessary B-plot, attempting to add drama by pointing out that throuples exist. Tone, then, becomes the issue. Anyone who read All Systems Red , or any of Wells' subsequent stories or novels, read Murderbot's acerbic wit and deadpan observations in their own way and Skarsgård's delivery, no matter how good, may not be what they imagined. Every adaptation risks running afoul of reader expectations, but the show's straightforward plot runs thin at times and when Murderbot's narration doesn't land it just feels flat. Not that this is Skarsgård's fault. While some may be asking Why is this unit being played by such an absolute unit? , having a handsome weirdo in the lead was the right move. Ever since his vampire days, Skarsgård has perfected playing bloodless skinjobs. But as Murderbot 's plot ping-pong's around no one seems to be sure if they're on a workplace comedy or a sci-fi thriller, making the stakes confused or nonexistent. Ostensibly, Murderbot is a mystery on two levels. On the first, there's the PreservationAux crew and their scientific fact-finding mission on a world thought to be relatively innocuous. PreservationAux had to take a SecUnit to get insurance for their mission and while they don't trust the corporation from which they got their equipment, including Murderbot, they do need it. It's only when they get there and discover very bad things that they realize how much. Something has gone wrong on this planet and Mensah and her crew need to find out why. Second mystery: Murderbot's true nature. While it may be struggling to play it cool and not give away the fact that it has hacked its control systems, the crew doesn't really see it as a threat. Only Gurathin, an augmented human, suspects something is amiss. If anything, they worry about how humanely they should treat it. Slowly, as Murderbot becomes more fascinated with their lives and realizes they're not the 'assholes' it might have thought, they learn to be a team. Perhaps this is where Murderbot struggles most to find its footing. Each of Wells' characters was fleshed out, even though they are only observed from Murderbot's perspective. In Murderbot , they are just as well-rounded, but the show seems preoccupied with their quirkiness—the polycules (cool!), the neuroses. Murderbot never dwelled too much on those parts of their humanity. Murderbot wants, then, to be a quirky sci-fi dramedy with hints of a deeper anti-corporate message—a welcome reprieve on the streaming network most known for big downers like Silo, Foundation , and Severance —but it struggles to be all those things at once. Midway through the season, Murderbot does shake off some of its clunkiness. As a viewer, you can get used to its wild tonal unevenness. But given the release schedule for the show—two episodes Friday, then one every week until early June—some would-be fans may never get there. In All Systems Red , Murderbot, illustrating its harm-reduction-seeking nature using one of its favorite TV shows, frets 'I hate having emotions about reality; I'd much rather have them about Sanctuary Moon .' Viewers may never get there with this show. Murderbot does, if it's permitted to, have room to grow. Wells' story, like all good sci-fi, imagines futures that parallel the present in an attempt to find solutions. At a time when the threat of an artificially intelligent bot taking one's job feels very real, All Systems Red asks whether creating humanoids to do dirty work is any different from slavery. It questions whether corporations really should be the ones investigating other planets. Topical, but Murderbot 's first season only scratches that surface. Maybe it could find its voice in season two.
Newsweek
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Murderbot Review Roundup: Apple TV+ Sci-Fi Series Early Reactions Are Telling
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Murderbot is a hit with critics. The reviews for Apple TV+'s new sci-fi action comedy are out, and according to the consensus, it's another smash for the streamer. In fact, it's managed to get among the highest score for any series in 2025. Based on author Martha Wells' series of novels called The Murderbot Diaries, which was first published in 2017, Murderbot stars Alexander Skarsgard as a cyborg who's developed sentience. However, in order to not raise unwanted attention and panic, the titular Murderbot has to play dumb and avoid detection. Alexander Skarsgard stars in Murderbot Alexander Skarsgard stars in Murderbot Apple TV+ Read on for the full Murderbot Rotten Tomatoes score, and see what reviewers are saying about it. Murderbot Reviews Murderbot is currently sitting at a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes after 20 reviews. Compared with other 2025 releases, that's better than Disney+'s Andor (97%), HBO's The Last Of Us Season 2 (95%) and Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale (84%). Here's what critics said. IGN: "Like its title character, Murderbot plays at being darker and more serious than it really is. And while plot momentum sometimes suffers from an over-dependance on a formulaic structure, the show is refreshingly light and life-affirming – especially for viewers who may see some of themselves in Murderbot's cold detachment from humanity. It's a wryly funny sci-fi comedy with a robot trying to understand humans, even if it would be easier to just kill them all instead." Entertainment Weekly: "Viewers who stick with Murderbot will be rewarded with a moving finale, one that solidifies the characters' relationship with SecUnit and seems to set up the story from Wells' second book, 2018's Artificial that Murderbot finally found its voice, it deserves a chance to use it." The Hollywood Reporter: "The show, though, isn't called Murderbot & Friends, and given how the next few seasons should go if Apple sticks to the books, the most important thing in the first season is developing affection for its title character and not a deep ensemble or rich sci-fi universe. In that respect, Skarsgard makes Murderbot a success, even if some readers will lament that he isn't the Murderbot they extrapolated from the page." Radio Times: "With a unique premise, interesting world, and clever humour, the dedicated performances by all of its cast members are endearing enough to make you want to see more adaptations of Wells's universe being brought to life." Murderbot Release Date The first two episodes of Murderbot release on Apple TV+ on May 16, 2025. After that, each episode releases weekly. Murderbot Cast 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 Clark Gregg as a Lieutenant John Cho as a Captain DeWanda Wise as a navigation unit. Anna Konkle as Leebeebee Murderbot Episode Schedule There are ten episodes in Murderbot. The first two episodes premier on Apple TV+ on May 16, 2025, with new episodes coming out every Friday. The season finale airs on July 11, 2025. Episode 1, 2 - May 16 Episode 3 - May 23 Episode 4 - May 30 Episode 5 - June 6 Episode 6 - June 13 Episode 7 - June 20 Episode 8 June 27 Episode 9 - July 4 Episode 10 - July 11 What is Murderbot about? Here's Apple TV+'s official synopsis: "In a high-tech future, a rogue security robot (Alexander Skarsgard) secretly gains free will. To stay hidden, it reluctantly joins a new mission protecting scientists on a dangerous though it just wants to binge soap operas." Murderbot Trailer Check out the Murderbot trailer below to see Alexander Skarsgard in action as a cyborg with a soul.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Murderbot TV show trailer is here
We finally have the trailer for Murderbot, the Apple TV+ show based on Martha Wells' seven book series, The Murderbot Diaries. It features Alexander Skarsgård as a security unit that is less interested in protecting humans and more excited about catching up on its favorite soap operas. As Sarsgaard says in the trailer, "I was built to protect and obey humans. And humans are idiots. But now that I've hacked my programming, I can do whatever I want. As long as they don't find out." But, things take a turn when it gets chosen for a dangerous assignment. The security unit privately refers to itself as Murderbot, a fact that becomes more than awkward once the humans learn about the name. Apple first announced the sci-fi adaptation, from About a Boy creators Chris and Paul Weitz, in late 2023. The first two of ten Murderbot episodes will come to Apple TV+ on May 16. The next eight episodes will debut every Friday.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alexander Skarsgård Is Murderbot: Get First Look at Apple TV+ Adaptation, Find Out When It Premieres
Murderbot will activate this spring on Apple TV+. The streaming service announced Thursday that the comedic thriller, based on Martha Wells' best-selling book series 'The Murderbot Diaries,' will premiere May 16 with its first two episodes, followed by one new episode every Friday through July 11. More from TVLine Every New Scripted Show Confirmed to Premiere in 2025 — Save the Dates! When Is Your Favorite TV Show Back? An A-to-Z List of 300+ Scripted Series Ellen Pompeo Grapples With a Dark Adoption Mystery in Hulu's Good American Family Trailer Adapted by Oscar nominees Chris and Paul Weitz (About a Boy, Mozart in the Jungle) and starring/executive-produced by Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgård (Succession, Big Little Lies), Murderbot follows a 'self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients,' according to the official logline. 'Played by Skarsgård, Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe.' Rounding out the ensemble are Noma Dumezweni (Presumed Innocent), David Dastmalchian (Oppenheimer), Sabrina Wu (Joy Ride), Akshay Khanna (Critical Incident), Tattiawna Jones (The Handmaid's Tale) and Tamara Podemski (Outer Range). Scroll down to see a pair of first-look photos — TVLine will update this page once a trailer is made available, so be sure to bookmark it! — then hit the comments and tell us if you'll add to your Apple TV+ watchlist. Best of TVLine Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Showtime Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others
