Murderbot: Release date news, streaming details, cast details, and more

Apple TV+ just dropped the first trailer for its latest sci-fi drama, Murderbot, which follows a security robot that just wants to be left alone while it consumes thousands of hours of entertainment content (much like us all). Set to premiere on May 16, 2025, in the USA, the show is an adaptation of Martha Wells' award-winning book series titled The Murderbot Series. The show will be a close adaptation, as the author is on board as a consulting producer, making her quite involved in the process of bringing her book to life on screen.

The trailer features a security unit, or sec-unit as they call it, struggling with the concept of human emotions and interactions (again, much like us all) while trying to figure out its place in the universe.

Here's everything you need to know about Apple TV+'s sci-fi thriller comedy Murderbot.

Apple TV+'s Murderbot: Everything you need to know

Apple TV+ dropped the first trailer for Murderbot on April 9, 2025, with Emmy Winner Alexander Skarsgård, who is known for his roles in Big Little Lies and Succession. He steps into the shoes of the security unit, opening with the lines,

"I was built to protect and obey humans, and humans are idiots. But, now that I’ve hacked my programming, I can do whatever I want, as long as they don’t find out."

The show, which is a blend of sci-fi, comedy, and thriller, is all set to make its debut this year, on May 16, with the first two of its 10 episodes dropping together. The rest of the eight episodes will follow a weekly release schedule, with a new episode airing every Friday until July 11, 2025. All episodes will be available to stream on Apple TV+, in line with this rollout.

The official tagline of Murderbot, as revealed in an Apple Press Release, sets the tone for the series:

"Based on Martha Wells’ bestselling Hugo and Nebula Award-winning book series of the same name, 'Murderbot' is a sci-fi thriller/comedy about a self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients."

Apart from Alexander Skarsgård, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, the cast includes David Dastmalchian (Oppenheimer), Sabrina Wu (Joy Ride), Noma Dumezweni (Presumed Innocent), Tamara Podemski (Outer Range), Akshay Khanna (Critical Incident), and Tattiawna Jones (The Handmaid’s Tale).

The trailer opens with the Murderbot's goal to hide the truth of having hacked its own programming. Butit does not take long for this secret to unravel. Soon, conflict arises when the human owners are forced to confront the rogue sec-unit in question, which has named himself "Murderbot." Ironically, all it really wants to do is not to murder, but to be left alone with its devices and media.

This sci-fi thriller comedy has been written directed and produced by the Weitz brothers with Andrew Miano from Depth of Field, David S. Goyer, and Keith Levine from Phantom Four as executive producers. As mentioned earlier, Martha Wells, the author of The Murderbot Series will also be serving as a consulting producer.

Even though the humans are initially scared of the titular bot, the trailer maintains a balance of tension and humor. It remains to be seen if the show is ultimately able to retain this quality throughout its 10-episode-long run. Dipped in dramatic irony, the trailer for Murderbot has the opportunity to address the contemporary question of AI without having to stick to the serious framework that many might expect it to come with for discussion.

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Keep following Soap Central to see how this combination of drama and comedy works out for Apple TV's Murderbot.

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