Murderbot Has Been Renewed for a Second Season by Apple TV+

Coming as no surprise, Apple TV+ has renewed its sci fi comedy Murderbot for a second season just ahead of its Season 1 finale on July 11th. That series, based on Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, premiered on May 16th, and while it has not placed in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, it has been well-received. Critics and viewers have given the series good marks, and it currently holds a 96% Fresh Rating and 80% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. I considered its renewal prospects to be good because the streamer has been generally supportive of its originals, though last Summer Apple TV+ did cancel two of its freshman shows: Time Bandits and Sunny. If the second season of the show moves into production soon, it could premiere by mid-to-late 2026.

Apple TV+ head of programming Matt Cherniss had the following to say about the renewal:

Chris, Paul, Alexander and the entire Murderbot team have delivered a brilliantly original, addictive, witty and vibrant adaptation that has captured the imagination of audiences everywhere. We can’t wait to unveil what’s next for Murderbot and, of course, Sanctuary Moon in season two.

This announcement brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season to 29 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (48% of shows tracked) vs. 17 cancelled and ending (28%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons on our Cancellation Watch Page.

Murderbot follows a self-aware security android who secretly disables its governor module, gaining free will. Though it insists it just wants to be left alone to binge entertainment feeds, it keeps getting drawn into dangerous missions—and finds itself unexpectedly caring about the humans it’s supposed to protect. It stars Alexander Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, and Akshay Khanna, and it is based on the Murderbot Diaries series of books by Martha Wells.

The 2024-25 season is almost done, but I expect more announcements are on the way as the streaming services and networks get their schedules set for next year. Be sure to stay tuned to CancelledSciFi.com and our social media sites for updates and breaking news.

Keep up with the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows as well as news and updates on new and upcoming shows at CancelledSciFi.com.

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