‘Murderbot,’ Apple TV+’s New Sci-Fi Series, Has a Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

Murderbot has yet to even drop its first episode, yet it already has critics talking.

The new Apple TV+ sci-fi series—based on Martha Wells’ Hugo and Nebula Award-winning book series, The Murderbot Diaries—is set to premiere on Friday, May 16. But already boasts a near-perfect 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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The series stars Alexander Skarsgård as the eponymous security robot who has gained free will, but understands the implications that could come if anyone were to realize that. So the bot, who has christened itself “Murderbot,” keeps its autonomy to itself.

As viewers, we get to hear Murderbot’s thoughts on the world around it, which largely amount to: Human beings are idiots. “But now that I’ve hacked my program,” Skarsgård explains in the series’ trailer, “I can do whatever I want.” As long as none of the humans surrounding Murderbot discover its secret. 

When the security bot is enlisted to accompany a group of scientists to a dangerous planet in order to protect them, it instead spends most of its time binge-watching the many soap operas streaming through its operating system. Relatable.

Unfortunately, one scientist stumbles upon Murderbot’s secret—and the fact that it calls itself Murderbot—setting off panic amongst the team.

While Murderbot explores big ideas, its success really rests on Skarsgård’s ability to deliver his lines in a way that is both semi-robotic, but also dripping in sarcasm, which is a sweet spot for the acclaimed actor.

As The Independent’s Nick Hilton writes, “Skarsgård’s ability to pair his chiselled, leading man good looks with a very goofy sense of humour (recently utilized to good effect in Succession) makes Murderbot an enjoyable, lightweight watch.”

The Washington Post’s Lili Loofbourow echoed this sentiment in her review, noting that Murderbot is “a decidedly silly show, but one in which Skarsgard, who so brilliantly plays sociopathic men, portrays a disdainful but soft-eyed killing machine with a lot of anxious ‘humanity.’”

The first two episode of Murderbot arrive on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 16. From there, a new episode will arrive each Friday until the 10th and final episode arrives on July 11.