New sci-fi thriller-comedy Murderbot lands on Apple TV+ on May 16 and has critics hailing it as one of the streamer’s ‘best sci-fi shows’ ever
Alexander Skarsgård’s new Apple TV+ series has achieved a staggering Rotten Tomatoes score ahead of its premiere. The Emmy-winning actor – known for roles in True Blood, The Northman and Succession – stars in Murderbot, a genre-bending sci-fi thriller-comedy based on Martha Wells’ best-selling and award-winning book series.
The 10-part series centres around a self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients. Murderbot (Skarsgård) 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.
Alongside Skarsgård, the series boasts an ensemble cast including Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, Tamara Podemski and Jack McBrayer. Murderbot will premiere with the first two episodes on Friday, May 16, exclusively on Apple TV+, and can be streamed for free with Apple’s seven-day free trial.
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The series has debuted with a staggering Rotten Tomatoes score of 97%, with only one negative – or rotten – review from 36 critics. The rating – equalling Disney+’s Andor and beating Sky’s The Last of Us (95%) and – has seen Murderbot earning the site’s Certified Fresh label.
Awarding the series an 8/10, Collider said: “Murderbot will arguably go down as one of the strongest so far this year, as well as one of Apple TV+’s best sci-fi shows yet, thanks to a delightfully layered lead performance from Skarsgård, a terrific ensemble and a perfect blend of laugh-out-loud comedy and high-stakes drama.”
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In its 9/10 review, Screen Rant said: “Skarsgård’s portrayal of Murderbot is perfect. From the cadence of his sardonic tone to his carefully constructed facial expressions, Skarsgård is undeniably the best and greatest element of this adaptation.”
With an 8.5/10, Looper said: “Each key ingredient falls in line relatively seamlessly, but the key to it all is without question Alexander Skarsgård’s performance as the title character. Apart from the occasional pacing hiccup, this is a remarkable series packed with humor, heart and big ideas that are both constantly present and never in the way of a thumping good sci-fi story.”
The show’s only negative review so far comes from Slant, which rated Murderbot 2/4 and said: “Murderbot eventually finds tension and intrigue in its home stretch, though you need to wade through some graceless filmmaking to get there.”
Murderbot premieres May 16 on Apple TV+.