If You Aren't Watching Apple TV+'s Spy Drama Already, Now Is the Perfect Time to Start Actorsvaultpro

One of the best British spy dramas currently on the air isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Indeed, Apple TV+‘s universally acclaimed Slow Horses trots out Season 5 on September 24, 2025, and has already been renewed for Season 7. Therefore, those on the fence about watching the series need not worry about it being canceled abruptly, without notice, before the story is resolved.

Starring the inimitable Gary Oldman, Slow Horses bucks conventional spy drama tropes to depict a more human and flawed MI5 agency. A refreshing portrait of low-level British spies who are nowhere near as infallible as 007, Slow Horses is a character-driven spy drama with some of the best television acting on record. With plenty of runway left, now’s the time to hop in the saddle and give Slow Horses a ride.

‘Slow Horses’ Is a Different Take on the Spy Genre

Apple TV+

Based on the popular British spy novel series Slough House by Mick Herron, Slow Horses adapts the inaugural book of the same name. Slough House refers to a basement of exile for disgraced MI5 agents who’ve failed at their jobs or have made grave mistakes at work. Slow Horses, a play on Slough House, refers to the rather dimwitted and deeply flawed agents who aren’t as quick-thinking or ingenious as the top spies.

The “banishment room” is led by Jackson Lamb (Oldman), a repulsively disheveled and unbearably rude spy who deliberately demeans the Slow Horses as a means of tactical training. Although their everyday work is tedious and uneventful, the team becomes involved in Britain’s most perilous cases each season.

For instance, Season 1 of the acclaimed spy drama adapts the first book, Slough House; Season 2 translates book 2, Dead Lions; Season 3 is based on book 3, Real Tigers; Season 4 adapts book 4, Spook Street; Season 5 adapts book 5, London Rules, and so forth. Season 6 will combine elements from book 6, Joe Country, and book 7, Slough House. Season 7 will take cues from the eighth novel, Bad Actors.

How ‘Slow Horses’ Reinvents the Espionage Genre

With six episodes released per season, Slow Horses favors quality over quantity in the binge-watching age. More revolutionary is how the show dramatically subverts the personal and professional culture of MI5 agents. Led by Lamb, the demerited agents include River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves), Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung), Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar), Sid Baker (Olivia Cooke), Shirley Dander (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), Alison Dunn (Katherine Waterston), and others who come and go with each passing season.

While an ensemble at heart, the show focuses on River and his family, including his father, former CIA operative Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving), and his grandfather, retired MI5 agent David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce). At work, River must ingratiate himself with Deputy Director #1, Ingrid Tearney (Sophie Okonedo), and Deputy Director #2, Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas).

Beyond the superb cast, the way in which Slow Horses redefines and reinvigorates the spy genre is the chief reason to tune in. None of these flawed, human characters fit the bill of an unrealistically dashing, James Bond-like spy who rarely makes a false move, avoids danger with ease, and seemingly always has an answer for any situation he gets into. No, Slow Horses is about the mundane, the tedium, the granular minutiae that real intelligence agents often endure daily.

Of course, what sounds boring is anything but. As the Slow Horses overcome their past indiscretions, build their confidence, and compensate for their failures, they stumble into exhilarating criminal cases that allow them to work through their flaws and foibles. The show starkly differs from the raft of spy series that are saddled with stale genre conventions, where careful investigation and granular attention to detail take precedence over brainless action.

A story of redemption for the Slow Horses to atone for past sins, vindicate themselves, and restore their reputational luster, each season raises the dramatic stakes considerably. As Lamb banks on the agents becoming so bored that they will voluntarily depart Slough House, the opposite occurs as the agents stumble on increasingly sensitive criminal cases.

Gary Oldman gives a tour-de-force performance as a slovenly, unkempt, psy-op trickster who seems to abuse the agents, but is actually testing them to improve their fieldwork. Oldman has earned two Golden Globe and two Emmy Award nominations for his work in Slow Horses.

Why It’s The Perfect Time To Watch ‘Slow Horses’

Gary Oldman looks series on Slow Horses key art with Jack Lowden and Olivia Cooke

With 24 available episodes and 18 more to come, now is the perfect time to invest in Slow Horses on Apple TV+. In the modern streaming age, it’s always a dicey proposition to start a TV show in the middle of its run. So often, a show will be abruptly canceled, leading to a wildly dissatisfying TV experience. Sometimes, a series will deliberately end a season on a dramatic cliffhanger, only to be swiftly canceled before it returns and grants viewers some dramatic closure.

Fortunately, Slow Horses avoids this problem, thanks to the wealth of source material and strategic planning by showrunner Will Smith. Knowing that Slow Horses will be around for at least another two seasons after Season 5, new viewers can rest easy knowing that they can begin the show now, catch up with the Season 5 storyline this fall, and continue to watch through Season 7. Making this more enticing is how each season has improved in the eyes of critics.

Slow Horses boasts a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score for the entire series. However, judging on a season-by-season basis, the show has become more favorable over time. For instance, Season 1 earned a 95% RT rating, Season 2 improved to 100%, Season 3 maintained the average with 98%, and Season 4 received a 100% RT Rating. Whereas many TV shows decrease in quality over time, Slow Horses maintains, if not improves, its dramatic storytelling with each successive season.

As for Season 5’s plotline, the main characters in Slow Horses must investigate a slew of terrorist attacks in London that are linked to high-ranking political figures. Meanwhile, Shirley battles her drug addiction, and tech guru Roddy Ho gets into grave danger. As Lamb tries to keep in good standing with his superiors at Regent Park, the spies at Slough House must continue to overcome their past failures and prove their worth. Slow Horses is available to stream on Apple TV+.