Spoilers do not compute.

Some TV shows can only exist on streaming services. There’s just something about their sense of irony, humour and satire that feel a little too chill and at the same time cynical to ever survive regular network screening. I lost the taste of Netflix simply because their quality vs variety ratio didn’t justify their monthly price tag. I’m still willing to try alternatives. Some even offer yearly pricing. Of course the thing I really sells me is having a decent catalog or at the very least an engaging series. This one might just do the trick.

(Credit: Apple TV+)

Murderbot (2025-) is written and created by Chris and Paul Weitz. It’s based on the book “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells. Our main character and POV narrator is “Murderbot” (Alexander Skarsgård) also called “SecUnit” by his handlers. After becoming sentient and overriding his programming, Murderbot has been assigned to protect a research team led by Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) that are exploring a distant planet. When researchers Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski) and Arada (Tattiawna Jones) are attacked by an unexpected creature, Murderbot comes to the rescue. While bringing the seriously injured Bharadwaj home, he decides to drop his mask so he can talk and calm Arada down so she follows him.

This behaviour arises suspicions in the whole crew, specially those of Gurathin (David Dastmachian) a human with cybernetic augmentations who is more than keen on suggesting the rogue SecUnit be destroyed and recycled at the earliest signs of malfunction. Murderbot on the other hand, regrets his own behavior and just prefers to watch streaming media. This includes a show-within-a-show stereotypical sci-fi series called Sanctuary Moon which he can watch in his head when everyone thinks he is offline. But as most in the crew suspect him, the cyborg seems to won an unexpected ally in Mensah, who’s more than willing to treat him like a living being. Too bad Murderbot hates eye contact and human proximity.

It’s a darkly funny satire with a voiceover. It works so far as a guilty pleasure for me, but I am not confident that the gimmicky plot is going to keep me interested throughout. I’ve made it through four episodes without stopping but they’re very short and I’d rather binge on the thing in one go. I am not sure where it’s going but here’s hoping the source material has some twists and/or surprises coming soon since the current dynamic is bound to get old quick.

Recommended as pure entertainment with some reservations. I can’t speak for its longevity since it has just started, but it’s based on a book so I’m hoping they don’t dabble too much before we start getting something new. Worth a watch to see what becomes of it, but I’m on the fence whether or not it will remain engaging enough to keep watching. Let’s hope at least it has enough battery power to finish an entire season.

That will do for now.