10-Part Robot Series On Apple TV Is Peak Sci-Fi Comedy

In today’s streaming landscape, Apple TV boasts some of the best sci-fi shows on television,from Severance to Silo to Pluribus. As excellent as these science-fiction series are, they’re incredibly heavy on drama and light on humor. One exception, however, delivers plenty of laughs over 10 episodes.

Before he donned a woven prosthetic suit to star opposite Olivia Colman in Wicker, Alexander Skarsgård wore an elaborate robotic costume as SecUnit in Murderbot, a robot/human construct who accidentally gains awareness and the ability to control its own actions. The comedy isn’t exactly slapstick, and there’s no laugh track to go along with SecUnit’s internal monologues while stuck in the company of oblivious humans.

While the release date for Murderbot season 2 is still nearly a year away, the 10 episodes of season 1 are worth watching and rewatching for the masterful combination of sci-fi and comedy. Not only was Murderbot one of the funniest releases of 2025 despite centering on a humorless construct, but season 2 is sure to be one of the best comedies of 2027.

Murderbot Cleverly Balances Its Comedy & Sci-Fi Elements

©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

Based on All Systems Red, the first novel in author Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries series, Murderbot had to build a futuristic world that not only made sense but could also be explored through the eyes of an increasingly obsolete security unit that named itself “Murderbot” after hacking its own programming.

Reluctantly chosen to join a group of scientists on their mission, Murderbot had to conceal its autonomy (and face) until it was forced to reveal its secrets. The Murderbot world is unlike any other in the sci-fi genre, and the story’s pace makes it easy to get into.

The best comedy comes from Murderbot’s internal monologues, paired with Skarsgård keeping an entirely straight face through almost all the shenanigans his character encounters as part of the team. The glimpses of Murderbot’s personality underneath all of his programming are never funnier than when it obsesses over Murderbot‘s in-universe soap opera called The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, which has hundreds of episodes that Murderbot binge-watches whenever the humans’ behavior becomes too inane to pay attention to.

As an added perk, beloved actors Clark Gregg, John Cho, Jack McBrayer, and DeWanda Wise played the cast of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. While much of Murderbot’s humor is subtle, the soap opera’s over-the-top comedy elevates the entire series. Murderbot had good taste in trashy TV, and it’s even something he could (eventually) bond with humans over.

Murderbot Is Quietly One Of The Best Robot Shows On Streaming

Despite having “bot” in the name, Murderbot has been somewhat overlooked as a show centering on a robot. Part of that may be because Skarsgård shows his face for much of the first season, rather than hiding behind a SecUnit’s prosthetic mask. Still, the show’s comedy proves a series doesn’t have to be as serious as Battlestar Galactica to feature killer robots.

Skarsgård deserves most of the credit for making Murderbot a believable robot over 10 episodes, but his performance wouldn’t have landed without his fellow Murderbot cast members. He starred opposite Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski, Tattiawna Jones, and Anna Konkle, among others.

Murderbot season 1 ended in a way that left it unclear whether the Apple TV comedy could bring back the rest of the cast besides Skarsgård. That said, Deadline reports that all the original series regulars (as well as the cast of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon) will return for season 2, along with a slew of new cast members:

Between the size of the original cast and the long list of newcomers, it remains to be seen how heavily Murderbot season 2 will actually feature any of the stars beyond Skarsgård. Buscemi has confirmed he has already finished work on season 2, but doesn’t expect Murderbotback until the summer of 2027.

Interestingly, Tramell Tillman is already an Apple TV star for another sci-fi show, and even earned an Emmy for his work on Severance. His Murderbot role will presumably be much funnier than his character on Severance. Patton Oswalt, Martha Plimpton, and Brendan Hunt are also veterans of other Apple TV projects.

For now, the first season of Murderbot is available to watch on Apple TV. The wait is on for season 2, so the first 10 episodes will have to suffice for the coming months.

Release Date

May 15, 2025

Network

Apple TV+

Showrunner

Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

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