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Why is it so difficult to condense pages and pages of great storytelling into a script?

Most of All Systems Red by Martha Wells is dialogue. So why not use it in the series script without adding extraneous "character establishing " text?

The humor in All Systems Red lies in the sardonic examination of human behavior by Murderbot. Instead, the Weitz bros resort to clownish silly characterization of the human crew.

The tones of the production - music, slapstick, jargon, costume...diminish the compelling story of a sentient cyborg and its navigation towards freedom through human domination.

Just sad that an excellent novel series was reduced to this baseline.

Excellent premise with robocop vibes, but more humanized. The acting is solid with Skarsgård's character having a brilliant level of confused togetherness like a teenager on the cusp of adulthood. It's too soon to get a full read of this series from such a short intro, with only a glimpse of the other character's places in this world, but I'm fascinated to see where this goes. Hopefully the minor annoyances, like the overtly stereotyped lesbian couple in an evolving hetero love triangle will become background noise (so overdone in recent science fiction movies/series) and we get to see some "Whatney-esque sciencing for survival" story lines. There's a lot of potential here.

First episode WAY too short!

Adapted from a series of books. This is an exposition heavy opener.

A Security Unit (Alexander Skarsgård) which is a cybernetic being has hacked its programming that compels it to obey the commands of humans.

He thinks that the humans are jerks and at the mining station they are jerks.

Now calling itself as Murderbot and having dark thoughts. He has been sold as an older cheaper option to a group of researchers on a planet.

While not watching thrashy soap operas, He saves two of them from being attacked by an earthworm.

However Murderbot's behaviour arouses suspicion that he does not behave like other SecUnits.

The first episode is very much black comedy/drama. With also a nod to Isaac Asimov. It has dry humour but outside of the cyborg. The rest of the cast are very vanilla.

This is the kind of TV I want. Nothing crazy serious or overly dramatic. Just a great story. But beneath the layers of sarcasm and hacked governor module, there's a genuine sense of morality and a surprising capacity for empathy that slowly, subtly blossoms throughout the episode. While the focus is firmly on Murderbot's internal journey, the surrounding world is richly detailed and believable. The corporate-controlled space, the varied alien cultures, and the dangers of exploration all feel authentic and lived-in. They're a reminder that even the most reluctant heroes can make a difference, and that sometimes, the best way to save the world is to just keep watching your media feeds... while secretly protecting the people around you.

The first episode has the sci-fi flavor of Avenue 5, but not as funny, though I wouldn't expect it to be to the comedic level of Hugh Laurie.

Skarsgard is entertaining as a self-conscience, self reflecting, sentient robot who suddenly finds itself with free will. He was caste perfectly for this roll. He caries over a sort of straight faced, deadpan humor that brings me back to his days on True Blood.

I've given this episode an 8 out of 10 because it strikes me as the start of a very entertaining sci-fi /action / comedy, filling a hole that was left by Avenue 5.

I look forward to seeing what the next episode has in store.