The new Murderbot series from Apple TV Plus arrives Friday, delivering a tongue-in-cheek look at the far future, where humans have colonized dozens of planets, cyborgs called security, or sec, units protect them, and late-stage capitalism is booming. Murderbot is an on-screen adaptation of the wildly popular Murderbot Diaries book series from author Martha Wells.
Its titular narrator is a sec unit who’s gained sentience from the governor module that controls it, and who now spends its time helping the humans it’s been assigned to… while watching hundreds upon hundreds of hours of TV shows.
The narrator calls itself Murderbot. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? It’s not entirely clear.
I discovered the Murderbot books in 2020 and quickly inhaled everything that’d been published at that point. I was delighted by the ironic narration of Murderbot and the vast universe Wells created.
The earlier Murderbot books are all novellas and very short. We’re talking less than 200 pages — the first novella, All Systems Red, is just 140. The books are smart, sharp, funny and full of heart, even when Murderbot doesn’t entirely understand the humans it’s been tasked with guarding.
So when I found out the series had been picked up for adaptation by Apple TV Plus, I was elated. My excitement only ratcheted up when it was announced that Alexander Skarsgård wasn’t just starring in the show, but acting as an executive producer as well. The cherry on top was that Wells herself would be on set. The show hasn’t arrived quite yet, but I’m already stoked, thanks to the previews Apple TV Plus has released.
Though I’m super excited for this adaptation, I’m tempering my enthusiasm because I’ve been personally victimized by bad adaptations in the past. Right now I’m cautiously optimistic because, although the previews do look great, I’ve learned my lesson.
Murderbot has a specific tone and voice throughout the books, one that’s crucial to capturing the entire vibe of the series. On that note, I’m already in love. Skarsgård has the awkward, stilted conversational tone I always imagined, and he’s got the way Murderbot relates to humans down to an art form. We even get to see limited clips from Murderbot’s favorite TV show, The Rise and Fall of Serenity Moon.
However, there are a few things I’m worried about. The previews I’ve seen thus far lean hard into the humor of the Murderbot Diaries, making me worry that the deeper themes of the book might be brushed to the side. Likewise, in the books, Murderbot doesn’t have hair, and seeing the narrator with a full head of it makes me wonder what other aspects have been ignored in favor of a television adaptation.
Under the armor, Murderbot looks like a person. It’s just another example of how appearances can be deceiving.
Here’s the thing though: A TV adaptation is just that, an adaptation. I’ve seen them done well, and I’ve seen them done poorly, but no adaptation is ever 100% faithful to the source material. As far as I’m concerned, that’s OK, so long as the themes and the heart of the story I’m watching are faithful. Ultimately, I’m not going to nitpick over a particular character not behaving exactly as they did on the page. I’m more concerned about the vibe than sticking strictly to the books.
Murderbot can have hair, so long as the cyborg is still the socially awkward one I came to know and love.
Murderbot premieres on Apple TV Plus on Friday, May 16.
