Earlier this month, we got our first real look at Murderbot, Apple TV+’s adaptation of Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries books. Now, in its infinite wisdom, Apple has for us an “Inside Look,” which consists entirely of star (and executive producer) Alexander Skarsgård introducing Murderbot and its whole deal—and its opinions about humans. They’re “fucking stupid,” in short.
But when Murderbot winds up working for a gaggle of “space hippies” who want to make it part of the group, that complicates things. Said space hippies have a lot of good moments here, including a very awkward wrist gesture thing and a conversation about a deep cut from The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, the show-within-a-show that Murderbot watches all the time.
Skarsgård seems very charmed by his character, and this whole video leans on the humor—his and the show’s. Skarsgård is often cast as the very serious large attractive man who we must take seriously and/or find terrifying, but his funny side has been apparent since at least True Blood. The way he talks about Murderbot here is so affectionate, without seeming over-enthusiastic or promotionally patronizing. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more excited about this show, and yet now… I am?
Along with Skarsgård, Murderbot—which is created by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz—stars Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, Tamara Podemski, John Cho, Jack McBrayer, Clark Gregg, and DeWanda Wise. It premieres on Apple TV+ on May 16th.