Matabot

Great story, very good cast, high production value on screen; sadly, these 20-minute episodes are the letdown. I was delighted watching the first three episodes and the wait for the next week made me realize how short 20 minutes truly is. The story could have greatly benefited from a longer runtime. I believe the narrative would have been more engaging and satisfying if the show had been produced as a feature film, allowing for deeper engagement with the plot and continuing a strong character bonding for the audience. The brevity of each episode feels cut off and leaves the audience hanging to soon.

This show is amazing. It's not to serious but still has important messages and points about human life. It's a feel good show. It's action. It's funny. It's something I didn't know I needed. I don't usually like sci-fi but this show wasn't focused solely on being sci-fi, which works well for my tastes. The last episode had me feeling so many different things, but left me feeling good in a sort of melancholy kinda way. Acting, amazing. Writing, amazing. Set, amazing. Of course every show has its flaws but no flaw made this show less enjoyable for me. I would love to see a second season, really hope there could be one. I will most likely be picking up the source material.

Murderbot offers a fresh, engaging plot with a unique central character and a ok sci-fi world genuinely compelling.

Each episode though clocks in at around 20 minutes of actual content, stretched to about 25 minutes with previews, credits, and ads. It feels like just as you're starting to sink into the story, it's already over. The result is a stop-start experience that doesn't quite let the emotional or narrative weight land.

It's disappointing, because this world and several characters have the depth to sustain longer episodes. Instead, we get something that often feels more like a high-quality teaser or mini mico series than a fully satisfying viewing experience.

Murderbot was actually better than I expected. I thought it would be an entertaining series since Alexander Skarsgård was starring in it. He's a very good actor who usually stars in stuff I enjoy. I'm also a sci-fi fan and this has an original story I've never seen before. Even though it's a good show that was a lot funnier than I expected, the main reason it worked was because of the performance from Skarsgård. That's not saying the rest of the cast wasn't good, the show wouldn't be nearly as good without the solid performances from the supporting cast. It's just that Skarsgård was perfect for this role. Murderbot builds a very unique and interesting world that you will have fun watching.

Update after all 10 episodes: This is a really good show and a great adaptation, in many ways. The episodes still feel too short, but Murderbot, Mensah, Gurathin (maybe especially) and Ratthi contributes really well to making the show even better. It's been confirmed for season 2, and I'm looking forward to the introduction of a very important character...

In summation: Wait until all episodes are out and binge it in one go.

Big fan of the books, and a lot works for this adaptation. But trying to make a whole season out of the first novella (!) is quite crazy, and results in 20 minute episodes where episode 3 literally is about travelling somewhere. Where is the proper story arc and goal of each episode? It doesn't make sense. If it had a short season of longer episodes, or combined the first few novellas for a longer season, it would be fine, but this just doesn't make sense. You don't get to settle into the episode before it's over. The only way to watch this properly is to binge it. I'll watch them as they come out, but I'd prefer to have them all available already. I love severance and other great apple TV-productions, so this is a let-down to a great universe with lots of potential. The adaptation in itself would benefit from more in-depth coverage of the corporate system etc., something the books doesn't focus much on, perhaps due to it being from Murderbot's perspective (and it doesn't care)...

Also, as others have said, Murderbot should have its helmet on.