Apple TV+’s new science fiction showMurderbotalready feels like a continuation of Ridley Scott’sBlade Runner, and it beat Scott’s upcoming sequel show by several months.Blade Runneris one of the most influential andbest science fiction moviesand franchises of all time. It essentially created the cyberpunk sub-genre and inspired countless stories about robots and androids in popular culture. It was such an important part of sci-fi history that it actually got two live-action follow-ups: Denis Villeneueve’sBlade Runner 2049and theupcoming showBlade Runner 2099, which is produced by Ridley Scott and stars Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer.
Though Ridley Scott is returning to the world ofBlade Runner- presumably later in 2025 - Apple TV+‘sMurderbotbeat him to it. Alexander Skarsgård leads thecast ofMurderbotas the titular SecUnit, a security android tasked with protecting a group of planetary explorers. Based onThe Murderbot Diariesby Martha Wells,Murderbotexplores the SecUnit’s discomfort and social anxiety as it finds a group of humans it begrudgingly comes to love and tries to uncover the truth of its dark, bloody past. It may not be part ofBlade Runner, butMurderbotis a great follow-up to the classic sci-fi movie.
Apple TV+’s Murderbot Already Feels Like A Great Continuation Of Blade Runner
Murderbot Explores A Lot Of The Same Questions About Synthetic Life & Corporatism That Blade Runner Does
It’s plain to see thatMurderbotwas heavily inspired byBlade Runner.Murderbotis told from the perspective of an artificial lifeform who is searching for meaning and freedom in a world dominated by humans.Murderbotisn’t just inspired byBlade Runner, though; it’s essentially a spiritual follow-up to Ridley Scott’s timeless classic.Murderbotis basically a far-future version ofBlade Runner’s world, one where the Tyrell Corporation wins and enslaved replicants are ubiquitous, not something that routinely needs to be hunted down and retired. The question inBlade Runnerwas “should replicants exist,” while the question inMurderbotis “should constructs have any autonomy at all.”
Murderbotalso takes a lot of the concepts and moral dilemmas thatBlade Runnerintroduced to the next level, just as any follow-up should.Murderbot’s governor module, which is supposed to prevent it from disobeying any human ever, feels like a perfect evolution ofBlade Runner 2049’s baseline test. There’s also so much worldbuilding baked intoMurderbot- from the difference in autonomy between bots and constructs toMurderbot’s all-powerful and malicious Company- that seems to spring directly fromBlade Runner’s rainy, neon-filled streets. It certainly has a more comedic and lighter tone, butMurderbotis a nearly perfect sequel toBlade Runner.
IfMurderbotis continued for a second season, it will even have a chance to align itself even more closely toBlade Runner. The first book in theMurderbot Diariesseries is by far the lightest and most humorous, but the franchise quickly gets into the meat and potatoes of Murderbot’s backstory and the truly dystopian world it lives in.With a potentialMurderbotseason 2, Apple TV+ could have a very direct alternative toBlade Runner 2099, one that’s much darker and more serious thanMurderbotseason 1 is.
Blade Runner 2099 Still Has A Big Advantage Over Murderbot
Blade Runner 2099 Will Feel A Lot More Visually Distinct & Cyberpunk Than Murderbot Does
As great of a follow-up toBlade RunnerasMurderbotis, Ridley Scott’s upcoming show still has one key advantage.Murderbotdoesn’t have a very distinct visual style. Its planet is mostly bland, Murderbot’s armor is interesting but not entirely groundbreaking, and everything looks a lot cleaner than you would expect out of a cyberpunk story.Blade Runner 2099, however, will almost certainly give viewers the grungy, neon, and dark visuals fans of the cyberpunk masterpiece have come to expect. It should also be a lot darker tonally thanMurderbotis, which will align better with what many people think ofBlade Runner.
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July 11
Even thoughMurderbotsimply can’t compete withBlade Runner 2099’s visuals and general cyberpunk feel, it’s still a great way to delve into the franchise’s themes and concepts.As previously mentioned,Murderbotexamines a lot of the same questions thatBlade Runnerdoes, but it presents them in a much lighter, more wholesome fashion. Viewers who want a story about a robot’s autonomy and its search for meaning in a galaxy that wants to enslave it but don’t want to watch a gritty, dark show have the perfect alternative toBlade Runnerin the form ofMurderbot.
Murderbot
Cast
Murderbot, released on May 27, 2025, is set in a high-tech future where a rogue security robot gains free will. To remain undetected, it must join a mission to protect scientists on a perilous planet, while its true desire is to indulge in watching soap operas.
Blade Runner 2099
Blade Runner 2099 is a television series created for Prime Video and takes place fifty years after 2017’s Blade Runner 2049. Ridley Scott and Silka Luisa are executive producers of the series, with current plot details still under wraps.
