Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violence, language in sci-fi comedy about sentient robot.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Murderbot
What's the Story?
When an aging security robot overrides his government programming and begins to have feelings, it becomes Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård). Hired to protect a ragtag group of scientists in outer space, Murderbot would simply rather watch intergalactic television than reveal its true self to the group.
Is It Any Good?
It's a winning premise—the violently programmed robot who develops feelings and chooses to chill. With an offbeat central performance by Alexander Skarsgård, Murderbot should be off and running. Unfortunately, some typical streaming-era flaws keep it from reaching its potential early on. The show's weirdly paced, and the comedy is often spread out or undercut by the actual plot that's less exciting. Like Murderbot itself, the series has some interesting ideas but early on hasn't found the best way to communicate them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Murderbot's origin. How does its life change when it overrides his programming? How do its feelings evolve over time?
Why does Murderbot hide the fact that it's overridden its programming? How does this affect its job? Its relationships?
What role does media play in Murderbot? How is media depicted? How does it affect Murderbot? What does the series seem to be saying about media?
TV Details
- Premiere date : May 16, 2025
- Cast : Alexander Skarsgard , David Dastmalchian , Noma Dumewenzi
- Network : Apple TV
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Book Characters , STEM
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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