Apple TV+ has become a safe haven for ambitious — and expensive — genre shows. More than any streamer out there, Apple believes in its product; it also has money to burn on outré projects that catch its fancy. It helps that Apple TV shows, especially its trove of sci-fi stories, are frequently very good, but even many of the so-so ones get several seasons to mature and improve, which is more than Prime Video or HBO Max can say. Ironically, hardly anyone is actually watching Apple TV — but with the rise of new comedy-thriller Murderbot, audiences have more reason than ever to tune in.
Murderbot fills a particular niche in Apple’s stable. The streamer has plenty of dramatic sci-fi shows, like For All Mankind or the dystopian Silo, but despite its grim title, Murderbot is surprisingly lighthearted. Based on the books by Martha Wells, it follows the adventures of a cyborg Security Unit (or “SecUnit”) and the optimistic survey team it’s assigned to protect.
