Apple TV+ New Sci-Fi Series Already Has the Potential to Become a Franchise

Murderbot is the most recent show to hit Apple TV+, and it’s been a solid hit so far. The show has only just premiered, and yet it’s already sitting at #2 on the platform (at the time of writing this). Likewise, the show is sitting at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.4 on IMDb, and 71% on Metacritic. All of which is to say that, for a show that hasn’t finished its first arc, it’s getting decent traction. More importantly, there’s a lot of potential for future seasons, as the showrunners have been pretty clear about wanting that. Having watched the first episodes, we’re already rooting for a very specific spinoff series.

Murderbot is based on the novel series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. As such, the adaptation has made a few changes to make the story show-worthy. On the bright side, Murderbot not only captures the anxiety of planet surveys but also brings fan-favorite details to life. One of the most important details would be the delightfully corny segments from a faux-show, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. Let’s be real here, these moments are already a highlight of Murderbot, and it deserves its own spinoff series.

The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon

During the first episode of Murderbot, the titular character, played by Alexander Skarsgård, makes an amazing discovery: television. From that moment on, every spare moment is dedicated to binge-watching show after show. It’s shockingly relatable. Even better, the Apple TV+ show lets viewers see clips of what Murderbot is watching, and it is corny and delightful, all in one.

The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon is a parody of real-life television, which means it’s a strange balance of familiar plots and horrible acting. To put it simply, it’s a soap opera merged with Star Trek elements, and it plays accordingly. Going into Murderbot, some fans held on to the wild hope that there would be enough clips to provide a cohesive story about The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon (a la the Gorillaz’s music video style). That’s not happening, but we did get something equally amazing – overacted scenes from familiar actors.

In the first episode, John Cho, Clark Gregg, DeWanda Wise, and Jack McBryer all made surprise appearances, portraying a spacefaring crew dealing with some romantic drama. Alex Cruz and Chantria Tram cameoed in the second episode, leaving fans eager to see what the third episode’s clips will bring.

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A Relatable Hobby

Here’s the thing: we all know that The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon is not top-quality writing, nor is it meant to be. However, it is relatable in that everybody seems to watch it. In the books, Murderbot’s love of the show is tested by Ratthi, who intentionally makes an inflammatory comment about one of the characters. Murderbot’s emotional response proves its obsession with the show, and also gets a few other characters invested in the plot. It’s hilarious, but also a small thing that could potentially happen in real life.

The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon comes up several times throughout the novels, and it seems like that will be the case for the show as well. It’s how Murderbot makes a few new friends, but we won’t spoil who they are. Who here hasn’t made a friend based on a shared fandom?

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Please, Give Us a Spinoff – We Don’t Care How Corny It Is

If a network pitched the idea of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon on its own, people would laugh it into the shadows. But now that we’ve seen what this show could be, we need more. We want it in all of its corny glory, silly writing, dramatic sounds, and wild acting. While we love what we’ve seen so far, seeing how the plots could weave together could be fascinating – and hilarious. Picture it, a live-action Space Dandy, complete with big-name actors.

Much like Murderbot, we know the show isn’t the best quality, but that’s what makes it charming. We have already found ourselves looking forward to each new clip, so the wait each week is going to be painful. Unlike Murderbot, we don’t have several hundred hours of the show to binge. While it’s unlikely that will ever change, you can’t blame fans for hoping. While we’re at it, would it be too greedy to hope for a clip or two from World Hoppers? This is one of three series that have come up repeatedly in the novels, and now we’ve got to see how amazing (i.e., awful) that show looks.

Murderbot is available to stream on Apple TV+.