Alexander Skarsgård’s Hit Sci-Fi Series Scores Season Two Renewal After Rave Reviews

Apple TV+ is giving Murderbot another chance to keep watching its favorite shows by renewing the series for a second season. The announcement came just a day before the first season’s finale, which will air on July 11.

The show stars Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot, a security robot who has secretly gained free will. While it’s supposed to protect its human clients on dangerous missions, Murderbot mostly wants to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its own identity.

This series is based on All Systems Red, the first book in Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries series, which has won major awards like the Hugo and Nebula. Chris and Paul Weitz adapted the book for the screen and also run the show.

The Weitz brothers shared their excitement, saying, “We’re so grateful for the response that Murderbot has received and delighted that we’re getting to go back to Martha Wells’ world to work with Alexander, Apple, CBS Studios and the rest of the team.”

Matt Cherniss, Apple TV+’s head of programming, added, “Chris, Paul, Alexander and the entire Murderbot team have delivered a brilliantly original, addictive, witty and vibrant adaptation that has captured the imagination of audiences everywhere. We can’t wait to unveil what’s next for Murderbot and, of course, Sanctuary Moon in season two.”

The show also features actors like Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, and Tamara Podemski. Executive producers include the Weitz brothers, Andrew Miano from Depth of Field, and David S. Goyer and Keith Levine from Phantom Four. Martha Wells is involved as a consulting producer.

Murderbot mixes science fiction, action, and comedy to tell the story of a cyborg who is obsessed with media but also has to complete dangerous jobs. The robot struggles with hiding its new freedom while dealing with humans, who it both likes and finds frustrating.

Critics have responded well to the show. On Rotten Tomatoes, Murderbot holds a 96% approval rating based on 71 reviews. The site says, “Alexander Skarsgård’s superbly dry wit brings a lot of heart to Murderbot, making for a refreshingly jaunty sci-fi saga about finally coming out of one’s shell.” Metacritic gave the show a score of 71 out of 100, based on 28 critics, calling it “generally favorable.”

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