Matabot

If I hadn't read the books I'm not sure I would feel the need to stick with this. The stories themselves are quite simple, with the emphasis on wry humour, distinctive characters and an awakening sense of self - as experienced on the inside by another-quite human and viewed from the outside by a societal group who can be excessively and idealistically human. The shoot em up romp is just the backdrop.

The 25 minute format feels rushed. You can't make TV based on Murderbot's inner narrative, so you are left with something that feels a bit thin. You have the framework (hippy scientists, monster, rescue, mystery goings on) but none of what makes the story more than the Scooby-doo level plot. I'm pretty sure the author was happy just stringing together sci-fi tropes to satirise them from an entertaining often first person view. But if you lose that, what you are left with is Saturday morning TV.

Disney would have been pleased with the result, they could run this alongside the Mandalorian. But Apple?

As for allowing the main character a human face, we're seeing him as human from 10 minutes in. Nice for the actor, but the journey of the other characters to slowly discover humanity in a machine that scares them is a bit of a theme. But what the hey, it's not classic literature being taken liberties with.

Early days, but not sure that the zippy format is going to help with character generation. Maybe we'll just have to live with sketches. I'll stay with it for now and live in hope.

I "read" the books from Audible. I am a big fan.

This adaptation although somewhat faithful is just not as good as the books I read. Ther's something off and I can't figure it out.

The author, Martha Wells, wrote some complex characters that complement each other.

I feel like this adaptation makes light of their character traits and tries to turns everything into a joke. Would be jokes if it was funny, but it's just cringe inducing at times.

The episodes length is definitely bad. Almost feels like they cut it like that to run the show for more weeks in order to milk out more subscription money... At this point, I'll just wait for the season to be over and watch it in one go.

I hope they make a second season and improve on what they have. The story is only beginning. I can't wait to meet ART and see Preservation.

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.

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.

The work is good. Acting, directing, set and scenes are all acceptable. The show has the feel of the books. But what a rip off on the management side! 22-25 minutes a week for 10 episodes. I'm tempted to cancel my subscription until it's over just to fox the f'ers. I feel cheated because they are obviously just drip drip. It's a long series. So I guess this isn't really going to be multiple books. I hate Apple TV management for playing coy with this series. Just give them the money to make the whole series. Just give them the opportunity to make the entire book series. We will watch it. The books are awesome.