Slow Horses is a British spy thriller television series based on the Slough House series of novels by Mick Herron, created for television by Will Smith. It follows an MI5 unit where disgraced or failed agents are consigned, under the supervision of Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). It also stars Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung and Aimee-Ffion Edwards.
The series premiered on Apple TV+ on 1April 2022 to highly positive reviews. The first five series have adapted the novels Slow Horses, Dead Lions, Real Tigers, Spook Street, and London Rules, respectively. Slow Horses has been renewed for a sixth and seventh series, based on the novels Joe Country and Slough House (series6) and Bad Actors (series 7).
Slough House is a banishment room for MI5 service rejects who have seriously failed a task but not badly enough to get sacked. Those consigned there are known as "slow horses", a play on the name of the place itself, Slough House, and an expression for people who are slow at thinking and action. Those assigned there are expected to endure dull, routine tasks, along with occasional verbal abuse from their miserable boss, Jackson Lamb, who anticipates that they will leave out of boredom or frustration. Life in Slough House is defined by drudgery. Yet the Slow Horses somehow get involved in investigating cases that endanger Britain.
Notable other characters appearing in more than one series include:
Notable other characters appearing in Series 1 include:
Notable other characters appearing in Series 2 include:
Notable other characters appearing in Series 3 include:
Notable other characters appearing in Series 4 include:
Notable other characters appearing in Series 5 include:
Notable other actors set to appear in Series 6 include:
Slow Horses is based on the novel of the same name by Mick Herron, which is part of the author's Slough House series. It tells the story of a team of British intelligence agents who have all committed career-ending mistakes, and subsequently work in a dumping ground department of MI5 called Slough House.
The series was given a straight to series order by Apple TV+ in October 2019, with English writer and comedian Will Smith serving as showrunner. Each of the first five series has adapted the corresponding novel in the Slough House set. In October 2024, the show was renewed for a sixth series, which will jointly adapt the sixth and seventh books, Joe Country and Slough House. The fifth series premiered on 24 September 2025, followed by new episodes on a weekly basis until the season finale on 29 October 2025. In July 2025, ahead of the fifth series premiere, Apple TV+ renewed for a seventh series which is to be based on Bad Actors.
In July 2025, it was announced that Smith would depart as showrunner after the fifth series, with Gaby Chiappe taking over as head writer for the sixth series, and Ben Vanstone for the seventh. Smith described his departure as a "practical decision" in the face of difficulties managing scriptwriting for two series at a time, per the show's established schedule of simultaneously shooting one series while writing and pre-producing the next.
In October 2019, along with the series order, Gary Oldman was announced to star. The cast was rounded out in December 2020 with the additions of Olivia Cooke, Jonathan Pryce, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden.
Since its premiere, production of Slow Horses has followed a schedule of shooting two series back to back, with the next series already having completed filming by the time the current one has released. Commentators have noted how the speed and consistency of Slow Horses<nowiki/>' release schedule stands in contrast to the increasingly long, multi-year gaps between seasons of prestige TV shows, such as Severance and Stranger Things.
Filming of the first series began on 30 November 2020 in England, and continued into February 2021. In July 2021, filming continued in Stroud, Gloucestershire. It was originally intended to film earlier in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By March 2023, filming for the third series had been completed and filming for the fourth series was about to begin. In June 2025, Oldman announced that filming for the sixth series had already been completed prior to the release of the fifth, and that filming for the seventh series was expected to begin by October of that year.
Each series thus far has consisted of six episodes helmed by a single director: James Hawes directed the first series, Jeremy Lovering directed the second, Saul Metzstein directed the third and fifth, and Adam Randall directed the fourth as well as the upcoming sixth series.
All five series of Slow Horses have received critical acclaim.
For the first series, Rotten Tomatoes lists a 95% approval rating based on 61 critics' reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Slow Horses refreshes the espionage genre by letting its band of snoops be bumbling, with Gary Oldman giving a masterclass in frumpy authority." On Metacritic, the first series has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 22 critics.
The second series received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 critics' reviews. The website's critical consensus says, "Slow Horses says nay to the sophomore jinx with a second series that might be even better than its supremely addictive predecessor." On Metacritic, series two has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 10 critics. Oldman was nominated for a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for his portrayal of Jackson Lamb.
The third series received a 98% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on 44 critics' reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Slow Horses shabby charms reach a full gallop in this superb third season, yielding what might just be Slough House's most compelling operation yet." On Metacritic, series three has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 21 critics. The third series received nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Gary Oldman, Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Jack Lowden and Outstanding Drama Series.
The fourth series received a 100% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 45 critics. The website's critical consensus says, "The stakes get more personal than ever before in Slow Horses superb fourth season, proving that this spy series is saddled up for the long haul with no signs of fatigue." On Metacritic, series four has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 19 critics. Oldman was nominated for his second Golden Globe, second Emmy Award, second BAFTA Award, and first Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance.
The fifth series has received a 92% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 37 critics. The website's critical consensus says, "Slow Horses loosens the reins in a more lighthearted season that doesn't quite measure up to the series' high bar, but it still excels as one of the most compulsively watchable offerings on television." On Metacritic, series five has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 17 critics. Oldman was nominated for his third Golden Globe and second Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance.