Too many great sci-fi shows go unnoticed. I hope ‘Murderbot’ won’t be the next

Each week, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans writes about what he’s watching. Read last week’s column here.

Think back to a time about six years ago, before the explosion of streaming services that included Apple TV+, and it’s tough to imagine a TV show like Murderbot getting made.

Not just because its star, dreamboat actor Alexander Skarsgård, might be more focused on big films. But because the eye-popping special effects and high-quality production involved in developing a project from Martha Wells’ ambitious science fiction novel series The Murderbot Diaries might be a stretch even for a major motion picture – let alone a TV series on a platform that struggles to build big hits.

In fact, Murderbot is the latest example of a trend I’ve noticed on streaming TV – exquisitely produced science fiction and fantasy shows that may not be seen outside of a small-yet-passionate fanbase.

Apple TV+’s Murderbot, debuting Friday, has quite a few hallmarks of high-quality TV. Not only is Skarsgård magnificent in playing a cyborg who has secretly become an independent, free thinking artificial being – he’s in a series created and executive produced by Chris and Paul Weitz, brothers who worked on acclaimed films like About a Boy and American Pie.

Murderbot takes its title from the name Skarsgård’s robot character has secretly given himself – he’s actually a “security unit” leased out by a giant corporation as a high performance bodyguard. The show walks a fine line between the darkest of comedy and straight up science fiction action, as Murderbot winds up guarding a group of “hippie scientists” exploring a mysterious planet.

As they discover an escalating series of deadly challenges wrapped in a bizarre conspiracy, Murderbot must decide if it’s in his best interest to actually help these hapless clients he can barely tolerate.

Viewers get to know Murderbot by hearing his internal thoughts in a monologue, where he confesses to hating prolonged eye contact with humans and wonders why the group he’s guarding is so clueless. But instead of cooking up plans for world domination or killing his human charges, the security unit mostly wants to watch reruns of his favorite space opera, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon – which is portrayed in snippets by an awesome group of guest actors including 30 Rock alum Jack McBrayer, Avengers alum Clark Gregg, She’s Gotta Have It alum DeWanda Wise and Star Trek alum John Cho.

It’s an innovative, creative story told in 10 short episodes, satirizing everything from ruthless corporatism to blithely naive social justice stands. And it will be catnip for science fiction fans who love all the actors who pop up in it. But it’s also not likely to get wide viewing, because Apple TV+ has made a habit of spending loads of money on beautifully shot science fiction stories that have a tough time making a wide impact.

Remember Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Constellation or Invasion? Probably not, but all of them were well-produced, lavishly shot science fiction shows that seemed to struggle to reach viewers. On July 11, Apple TV+ will release a third season of Foundation, its adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s classic science fiction novel series – an epic program starring Jared Harris and Lee Pace that hasn’t come close to the visibility of better-known shows on the streamer like Ted Lasso or Severance.

And Apple TV+ isn’t alone in this. MGM+ has two series with cool effects and interesting stories that aren’t widely known: the deep space drama Beacon 23 and a science fiction/horror series called From, starring Lost alum Harold Perrineau. SYFY and Peacock have a series called The Ark. Even slightly bigger Apple TV+ sci-fi hits like Silo and For All Mankind don’t have the mass appeal that their budgets and star power might suggest.

But here’s the thing: As a science fiction fan, this is a trend I heartily endorse. It has been a wonderful thing to dive into these ambitious, well-told stories, even when there is a sense that they might not produce a Star Wars-level audience. And Black Mirror shouldn’t be the only home for expansive, science fiction-centered storytelling that isn’t attached to a major TV franchise.

Still, I hope Murderbot bucks the trend and makes waves with its quirky mix of deadpan humor, sideways social commentary and special effects-laden action.

Because sci-fi nerds shouldn’t be the only people who get to enjoy a TV series more entertaining than most of the franchise films clogging big movie screens.

What else is on TV this week?

Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute

Debuts Tuesday on NBC

How did NBC manage to create a tribute to legendary comic Joan Rivers which is many things she was not: intermittently maudlin, predictable and hit-and-miss with the funny? It may be because the show rides an uneasy line between paying tribute to Rivers – a classic comedienne with a five decade career who died in 2014 at age 81 – and featuring modern personalities like Nikki Glaser, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman. Some omissions were a surprise, particularly comic Kathy Griffin, who has spoken publicly for many years about her friendship with Rivers.

Still, Rivers’ fans will find a lot to love here, including kind words from Hacks star Jean Smart and Rachel Brosnahan from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – both of whom play characters inspired in part by the towering comic. But this feels like an event which fell a bit short of its promise – more like a head-turning celebrity hangout than a revelatory tribute.

Poker Face

New episodes drop Thursdays on Peacock

It is a unique challenge as a critic when you dislike something that so many other tastemakers really love. Someday, I’ll really focus on The White Lotus as Exhibit A, but for now, let’s talk about Poker Face – an Emmy-winning, creatively absurd series that nevertheless leaves me a little cold most of the time I watch it. Centered on the adventures of Natasha Lyonne’s character Charlie Cale — a drifter who can immediately and infallibly tell when anyone is lying to her — the show unfolds like a new school Columbo, with Charlie tackling a new murder every episode.

Too many of these stories have felt like excuses for big name guest stars to stretch out — in the new episodes, for instance, Wicked alum Cynthia Erivo plays five different sisters scrambling for a fortune. Only the third new episode, “Whack-A-Mole” managed to best capture the intentionally weird-yet-kinda-entertaining vibe the series aims for, with welcome turns by Rhea Perlman, Richard Kind, Simon Helberg and John Mulaney.