N (Murder Drones)

Murder Drones

Company type	Independent production
Industry	Animation, entertainment
Founded	October 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)
Founder	Liam Vickers
Headquarters	Australia , Australia
Area served	Worldwide (YouTube, Amazon Prime Video)
Key people	Liam Vickers (creator, writer, director)
Products	Animated web series
Parent	Glitch Productions

Murder Drones is an independently produced Australian animated web series aimed at adults, created, written, and directed by Liam Vickers, with production handled by Glitch Productions. The narrative revolves around two robot factions—worker drones and disassembly drones—set in a post-human extinction world, focusing on a defiant worker drone who forms an unexpected bond with a disassembly drone.

The pilot episode debuted on Glitch's YouTube channel on October 29, 2021. The subsequent seven episodes were released progressively from November 18, 2022, through August 23, 2024. Later, the series became available on Amazon Prime Video starting May 16, 2025. Critics praised the show for its animation quality and storyline, although some noted issues with pacing and comedic elements. Murder Drones garnered three nominations at the Webby Awards for Best Animated Video, securing two wins.

Synopsis

Taking place in the year 3071 on Copper 9, a planet analogous to Earth and owned by the corporate giant JC Jenson (a satirical take on SC Johnson), the storyline follows Worker Drones—autonomous robots tasked with resource extraction. Following a devastating core collapse that eradicates all biological life, only Worker Drones remain on this now frozen world. They live in constant fear of the Disassembly Drones—ruthless killing machines known colloquially as "Murder Drones"—who aim to annihilate them. To survive, Worker Drones seek refuge behind fortified blast doors.

The central character, Uzi Doorman, is a rebellious teenage Worker Drone determined to overcome the Murder Drones and protect her species. She unexpectedly allies with two Disassembly Drones: N, a congenial drone intrigued by Worker Drones, and V, a cruel drone harboring a secretive history connected to N. Together, they explore the origins and true purpose of their existence amid the harsh conditions of Copper 9.

Cast

• Uzi Doorman (Elsie Lovelock), a defiant teenage Worker Drone grappling with possession by the Absolute Solver and learning to harness its reality-bending abilities.
• Serial Designation "N" (Michael Kovach), a compassionate Disassembly Drone who provides emotional support to Uzi.
• Serial Designation "V" (Nola Klop), a merciless Disassembly Drone partnered with N who secretly shows protective instincts toward him.
• Serial Designation "J" (Shara Kirby), commanding officer of the Disassembly Drone unit including N and V.
• Khan Doorman (David J. Dixon), father to Uzi and leader of the colony’s defense forces; he engineered the hydraulic doors shielding the Worker Drone settlement.
• Thad (Sean Chiplock), Uzi’s amiable jock peer from school.
• Lizzy (Katie Hood in episode 1; Caitlin Dizon thereafter), a popular schoolmate who bullies Uzi and forms an alliance with V.
• Doll (Emma Breezy), a Russian-speaking classmate seeking vengeance against V for her parents’ deaths; she wields greater mastery over the Absolute Solver than Uzi.
• Cyn (Allanah Fitzgerald), a Worker Drone functioning as system administrator for the Disassembly Drones and host of the reality-altering Absolute Solver program.
• Tessa Elliot (Steph Crothers), a human girl who originally salvaged N, V, J, and Cyn before their transformation into Disassembly Drones; an adult iteration appears as a JC Jenson technician but was actually killed in childhood by Cyn impersonating her.
• Nori Doorman (Darcy Maguire), Uzi’s mother and one of the Absolute Solver hosts; initially presumed deceased but later revealed to have transferred her consciousness into her mutated core.

Episodes

Liam Vickers is responsible for both writing and directing every episode of the series.

Production

Liam Vickers, recognized for his incomplete 2D animated projects CliffSide and Internecion Cube, initially presented Murder Drones to Glitch Productions through early concept illustrations and narrative ideas before taking on the roles of writer and director. The animation process utilizes Autodesk Maya alongside Unreal Engine. Including the pilot, the series comprises eight episodes, featuring a darker narrative tone and a more photorealistic visual approach compared to earlier Glitch works. Together with Meta Runner, it marks a departure from the Machinima style linked to Glitch co-founder Luke Lerdwichagul’s prior creations involving Super Mario parodies.

On August 6, 2021, Liam unveiled "Disassembly Required," a teaser track spotlighting the character "V," one of the Murder Drones. By the time of this announcement, development had been underway for a full year. On February 18, 2022, Glitch Productions confirmed that full-scale production was underway, targeting a release within 2022. The concluding eighth episode debuted on August 23, 2024.

Subsequently, on May 16, 2025, all eight episodes were acquired for distribution by Amazon Prime Video, broadening the series' audience reach.

Critical reception

Before the pilot aired, Lauren Rouse from Gizmodo Australia commended the show's character design and visual execution. Conversely, writer GiovanH criticized the series for its challenging accessibility to newcomers, highlighting issues such as rapid pacing, overabundant humor, and ambiguous visual storytelling. He attributed these challenges to inherent compromises stemming from Glitch Productions’ indie status and constrained budget, which necessitated condensing the storyline into eight episodes. Nevertheless, he praised elements including the plot development, CGI quality, voice performances, and soundtrack. He also noted the show’s deliberate adoption of an edgy mid-2000s teen aesthetic and its resonance with fan culture.

Awards and nominations

The series earned a Webby Award nomination in 2023 for Best Animated Video and secured victory in this category in 2024. Additionally, it won the Scripted (Series & Channels) award in 2025. Voice actress Elsie Lovelock received the 2023 One Voice Awards UK honor for Best Character Performance - Female for her portrayal of Uzi.

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
2023	Webby Award	Animation (Series & Channels) Video	Murder Drones	Nominated
2023	One Voice Awards UK	Animation - Best Character Performance - Female	Elsie Lovelock - Uzi - Murder Drones	Won
2024	Webby Award	Animation (Series & Channels) Video	Murder Drones (Episode 6 – "Dead End")	Won
2025	Webby Award	Scripted (Series & Channels)	Murder Drones (Episodes 7 & 8 – "Mass Destruction" & "Absolute End")	Won

See also

• Adult animation by country § Australia
• List of web series
• Independent animation

Primary sources

Within the article text, these references are indicated by a double dagger (‡):