Tomorrow, May 16th, Apple TV+ will release a brand new Sci-Fi series called Murderbot starring Alexander Skarsgard and David Dastmalchian. This series is based on Martha Wells‘s books The Murderbot Diaries. 

It also features repeating cameos from other stars like John Cho, Jack McBrayer, and Clark Gregg. 

The basis of this amazing series is that the Murderbot, voiced and played by Alexander Skarsgard, has figured out a way to override its programming. Its programming prevents it from disobeying humans or doing things that would put humans in danger. Episode one begins with it talking about how it would like to remove that programming and how it hates humans and their stupid emotions. 

But does Murderbot, as it calls itself, or SecUnit (Security Unit) as the others call it, use this newfound freedom to kill all the humans around it that it deems stupid? No. It does, however, fantasize about it repeatedly, and there are several cutscenes about this, where it shoots everyone under its care. So, if not to kill every human it meets, what does it want? It just wants to watch its shows and be left alone to figure out who it is and where it fits in the galaxy. One of those shows, in particular, the one with the cameos from John Cho, Jack McBrayer, and Clark Gregg, is called “The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon”. 

Talk about a space opera! Ok, space soap opera. Honestly, this show is enough to make you want to watch Murderbot, just to see what happens next on the moon. 

You can watch the trailer for the show here while you wait – https://youtu.be/vEioDeOiqEs 

There are a lot of reasons why you should be watching this show, but in this review, we will talk about three. 

The Casting 

Outside of the stars mentioned earlier, like Alexander Skarsgard and David Dastmalchian, there are stellar performances put on film by Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, and Noma Dumezweni. Each of these actors plays their roles so perfectly. 

Other than Skarsgard and Dastmalchian, my two standouts are folks I was unfamiliar with, but both have stellar acting backgrounds. Noma Dumezweni, who plays Mensah, and Akshay Khanna, who plays Ratthi,  steal their scenes repeatedly. That’s not to mean that the other actors can’t hold their water, but Noma and Akshay stand out to me repeatedly. 

This ensemble cast meshes together so very well, and the onscreen chemistry between their characters as friends, colleagues, and even lovers is very believable. The characters who are married, but long for a throuple, are believable in both their relationship and the awkwardness of introducing someone new to their naughty times. 

We see the hesitation of trusting the SecUnit, and the fears that come with that. But conversely, we also see them perfectly display the “I’m feeling awkward about you, but don’t want you to know it” attitude. Each member of the main cast does their job very well. 

Now, there is also the secondary cast for the Santcuray Moon show within the show. It’s over the top and outlandish, but Clark Gregg, John Cho, and Jack McBrayer all nail it. Honestly, as I said before, I kinda think Sanctuary Moon could be its own entity. Steer into the over the top and just have fun with it. Clearly, that’s what this cameo cast has done.  

Seriously, no notes. Stellar casting. 

The Writing

This show has been brought to the screen and written by two Hollywood heavyweights. Chris and Paul Weitz have an amazing track record of solid writing and great work in the Movie and TV industry. You have seen their previous work on movies and TV shows like American Pie, Golden Compass, New Moon, Rogue One, About A Boy, Little Fockers, and many others. 

Also part of this creative team are other heavyweights like David S. Goyer, who you may best know through his work on the Blade trilogy, Batman Begins, and Man of Steel.

This crew has done a great job adapting the story from the book series by Martha Wells and turning it into something enjoyable and recognizable from the books. Now, to be fair, I have only listened to the first book on Audible, and yes, there are some changes from book to screen (there always are), but this is a fairly faithful adaptation from what I can tell. 

There is comedy, depth of feel, and solid world-building almost immediately. Right off the bat, we are introduced to the Murderbot and begin to see the world through its eyes. We begin to understand its longing for a different life and a different story to be told about it. 

SecUnit, played by Alexander Skarsgard, questions its existence and why it is doing what it is doing. It wants freedom to make its own choices without being disintegrated in an acid bath for disobeying a human order. Honestly, SecUnit quickly becomes a very relatable character in a short time. 

As I mentioned, there is humor, and plenty of it, but it’s not so much that it distracts from the science fiction story being told or that it takes away from the character development that we see on screen. Sharp, snappy, witty, and humorous are all words that I would use to describe the writing you will find in this show. 

And that’s just the first two episodes of this dual episode release. 

Set design and cinematography

Lately, or at least it seems, many shows have gone a more digital route when it comes to set design and backgrounds. For instance, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett were filmed on the Volume for Disney+  and Lucasfilm. Although those series were enjoyable, they, at times, felt lacking due to how they were filmed, particularly in large outdoor scenes. 

Now I am not saying that Apple TV+ and the show runners didn’t employ digital filming means, but I am saying it is far more believable to be a real set and location if they did. 

Sets are designed how I think a futuristic bubble-style commune colony might look. Think Bio-Dome, but in the far distant future, and instead of Pauly Shore, there is a Sentient SecUnit with murderous ideations. 

The alien creatures and lifeforms shown in the first two episodes that you can watch tomorrow are, again, very believable and appropriate for the scenes that they are in. Clearly CGI, but it’s CGI that is done well. 

I love that I can watch a futuristic SciFi-themed show and not feel the urge to pick apart what they are doing, or the setting that they are doing it in. This show just looks and feels right. 

Just watch it already!  

Honestly, this show should do VERY well for Apple TV+, and frankly, I will be extremely disappointed if it doesn’t. Nerd circles are routinely clamoring for a good SciFi show that ISN’T Star Wars or Star Trek. Well, kids, here it is. 

This IS the one to watch. Honestly, 9 out of 10 on my rating scale. I like to think that I am a pretty picky fella when it comes to my SciFi shows, although I do have an admitted weakness for all things Star Wars, but that’s another topic for another time. 

These first two episodes are so very good, and the season only gets better from there.