Don’t let the title of Murderbot fool you. The titular cyborg Security Unit, or “SecUnit,” who narrates the series is hardly a murder machine. Instead, the moniker “Murderbot” is a nickname this cyborg gives itself after it secretly deactivates the one aspect of its programming, its governor module, that makes it a slave. If back-talking R2-D2 ditched its restraining bolt, looked like Alexander Skarsgård, and presented us with a hilarious inner monologue, the result might be something a bit like the new Apple TV+ series.
Murderbot is both a familiar-ish science fiction series but also something utterly brand new. It’s a workplace comedy, a space opera, and a robot show all rolled into one. Apple TV+ almost certainly has a sleeper hit on its hands, assuming sci-fi fans pay attention.
