V (Murder Drones)

Murder Drones

Company type	Independent production
Industry	Animation, Entertainment
Founded	October 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)
Founder	Liam Vickers
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Adult animated web series
Parent	Glitch Productions

Murder Drones is an independently produced Australian adult animated web series created, written, and directed by Liam Vickers, with production handled by Glitch Productions. The narrative explores two groups of autonomous robots—worker drones and disassembly drones—set in a post-human extinction world, focusing on a defiant worker drone who forms an unexpected friendship with a disassembly drone.

The pilot episode debuted on Glitch's YouTube channel on October 29, 2021. The subsequent seven episodes were released between November 18, 2022, and August 23, 2024. The series later became available on Amazon Prime Video starting May 16, 2025. While the animation quality and storyline received widespread acclaim, some viewers criticized aspects such as pacing and comedic elements. It garnered three nominations at the Webby Awards for Best Animated Video, winning two of these honors.

Synopsis

Taking place in the year 3071 on Copper 9—an Earth analog planet owned by the megacorporation JC Jenson (a satirical reference to SC Johnson)—the story follows Worker Drones, autonomous robots tasked with resource extraction. Following a disastrous core failure that eradicates all biological entities, only Worker Drones remain on the now frozen and desolate planet. They live in constant fear of the Disassembly Drones—aggressive "Murder Drones" dispatched to eliminate them—forcing the Worker Drones to seek refuge behind fortified blast doors.

The central character, Uzi Doorman, a rebellious teenage Worker Drone, is determined to overcome the Murder Drones and protect her species. She unexpectedly allies with two Disassembly Drones: N, who exhibits friendliness and curiosity toward Worker Drones, and V, a cruel drone harboring a secretive past linked to N. Together, they delve into the mysteries surrounding their origins and their purpose on Copper 9.

Cast

• Uzi Doorman (Elsie Lovelock), a defiant teenage Worker Drone grappling with possession by the reality-altering Absolute Solver.
• Serial Designation "N" (Michael Kovach), a compassionate Disassembly Drone who emotionally supports Uzi.
• Serial Designation "V" (Nola Klop), a ruthless partner to N who covertly safeguards him.
• Serial Designation "J" (Shara Kirby), commander of the Disassembly Drone unit including N and V.
• Khan Doorman (David J. Dixon), Uzi’s father; he designed the colony’s hydraulic doors and leads its defense.
• Thad (Sean Chiplock), a friendly peer of Uzi’s at school.
• Lizzy (Katie Hood in episode 1; Caitlin Dizon subsequently), Uzi’s popular classmate who bullies her and forms an alliance with V.
• Doll (Emma Breezy), a Russian-speaking classmate intent on avenging herself against V; she wields greater mastery over the Absolute Solver than Uzi.
• Cyn (Allanah Fitzgerald), system administrator for the Disassembly Drones and host of the malevolent Absolute Solver program.
• Tessa Elliot (Steph Crothers), a human who recovered N, V, J, and Cyn prior to their conversion; an adult version appears as a JC Jenson technician but was killed in childhood by Cyn impersonating her.
• Nori Doorman (Darcy Maguire), Uzi’s mother and former host of the Absolute Solver; presumed deceased but survived by transferring her consciousness into a mutated core.

Episodes

Each installment is both scripted and helmed by Liam Vickers.

Production

Liam Vickers, recognized for his incomplete 2D animated projects CliffSide and Internecion Cube, initially presented Murder Drones to Glitch Productions accompanied by preliminary concept illustrations before taking on the roles of writer and director. The animation employs Autodesk Maya alongside Unreal Engine, encompassing a total of eight episodes, including the pilot. This series distinguishes itself with a darker and more photorealistic aesthetic, diverging from the Machinima-inspired style typical of co-founder Luke Lerdwichagul’s Super Mario parodies on SMG4.

On August 6, 2021, Vickers unveiled "Disassembly Required," the theme song for the teaser, revealing the character "V," one of the main Murder Drones. By the time of the official announcement, development had been ongoing for approximately one year. On February 18, 2022, Glitch Productions confirmed that full production was underway with a target release within 2022. The concluding episode debuted on August 23, 2024.

Subsequently, on May 16, 2025, all eight episodes were released on Amazon Prime Video, broadening the series’ distribution and audience reach.

Critical reception

Prior to the pilot’s debut, Lauren Rouse from Gizmodo Australia commended the series for its character design and visual quality. Conversely, writer GiovanH criticized the show’s accessibility for newcomers, highlighting issues such as rapid pacing, an overabundance of humor, and ambiguous visual storytelling. He attributed these challenges to Glitch Productions’ indie status and budgetary constraints that necessitated condensing the narrative into eight episodes. Nevertheless, he praised elements including the storyline, CGI quality, voice performances, and soundtrack, acknowledging the show’s deliberate adoption of a sharp mid-2000s teen aesthetic that resonates with fandom communities.

Awards and nominations

Between 2023 and 2025, Murder Drones received multiple accolades. It was nominated for a Webby Award in Best Animated Video in both 2023 and 2024, securing a win in 2024. The series also captured the Scripted (Series & Channels) category in 2025. Additionally, voice actress Elsie Lovelock earned the 2023 One Voice Awards UK for Animation - Best Character Performance - Female for her portrayal of Uzi.

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

See also

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

Primary sources

Within the document, these citations are marked with a double dagger (‡):