- Rating: 4.5/5 stars
- Verdict: "Slow Horses" excels for three reasons: brilliant writing, quick pacing and it's not afraid to kill its characters. Going into season 6, the writing staff changed and for the first time, two "Slough House" books are being covered in a single season. Fortunately, this show remains as excellent as ever, bringing back some familiar faces and killing some others.
- Premiere date/time: Season 6 premieres on Apple TV on September 16
- Where to watch: Stream "Slow Horses" on Apple TV
"Slow Horses" season 6 will be a contender for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys this time next year.
Apple's spy thriller is perennially a contender for not just the Emmys. It's a contender yearly for the title of best show on television. And when I say yearly, I mean it. Unlike many shows (including some other Apple TV shows), "Slow Horses" returns to Apple's streaming service every year. Like clockwork. In 2022, it even came twice.
But "Slow Horses" season 6 comes with some major changes to the series. Longtime showrunner Will Smith (not that Will Smith) stepped aside, and Gaby Chiappe took over as head writer. While she's a seasoned pro with experience developing a show,
"Slow Horses" will be the premier name on her resume by a mile or a kilometer, whichever you prefer.
That wasn't the only change to the way the show is written either. Normally, this show takes six episodes to adapt a single novel from Mick Herron's "Slough House" series. But this season, the show's writers are combining two novels into the same six episodes: "Joe Country" and "Slough House."
If that has alarm bells ringing in your head, I understand. Such major changes would be enough to have even the most professional spy ready for Moscow Rules. Thankfully, having seen the entirety of season 6 for myself, I can confirm that you have no reason to be worried about "Slow Horses" season 6. Not only is this show still as good as ever, but it's still good for the same reasons it's always been good, despite a change in lead writer.
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2023, covering the latest in streaming shows and movies. He watches over 50 new shows a year, and has long contested that "Slow Horses" is one of the best shows on TV right now.
'Slow Horses' isn't afraid to kill its darlings six seasons in
"Slow Horses" season 6 kicks off with its foot already fully on the gas. Jackson Lamb's (Sir Gary Oldman) former "Joes" (spies) are dropping like flies. Well, more accurately, they're being burned alive in shipping containers, among other terrible ways to go. Turns out, there's a list with all current and former Slough House residents, and a pair of hitmen (Kyle Soller and MyAnna Buring) are tearing through it with professional ease.
And to make matters worse, MI5 and its leader, Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas), seem generally unconcerned about this development.
Of course, being generally unconcerned with the loss of life is a hallmark of "Slow Horses." It's one of the things that separates it from the other spy thrillers out there. In most shows, there are a few characters where you go, "Well, surely they'll survive." Or, you might go, "Well, there's no way they'll kill off a beloved character." But in "Slow Horses," unless it's Oldman's aged spymaster, anyone and everyone can be killed off.
Case in point: this season, we'll get the return of Sid Baker, played by Olivia Cooke. It was a character who was an instant hit in season 1, played by a rising star who anyone would want on their call sheet. She was killed off by the end of the season, only to return this season to reveal her death was faked.
Rest assured, the writers will deliver similar death blows to beloved characters this season, and unlike Sid's death, they won't be faked. The show constantly keeps you guessing about who will make it out alive, and at least one death in the Slough House family will leave you shocked. In fact, you'll get a bombshell reveal that you won't see coming (provided you haven't read Herron's novels).
Verdict: 'Slow Horses' season 6 doesn't deviate from an award-winning formula
If I hadn't known that this show had a new writer, that it had the task of combining two books into just six episodes, I wouldn't have known just from watching "Slow Horses" season 6. This season felt just as polished, just as seamless as the previous five seasons.
I'm not sure it's my favorite season (the first two are still my top two, with season 4 close behind), but it has at least entered the conversation. River (Jack Lowden) and Lamb are still as good together as ever with their dysfunctional father-son dynamic. River and Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving) are even better than ever with their actual father-son relationship that would give Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader a run for their money. Honestly, this show's best success story might be that I found myself wanting those two to be in the same room together as much as possible, not something I often say about a hero and villain.
Plus, the new faces added to the "Slow Horses" cast this season are all hits. Lenny Rush is a delight as Reece Nesmith, and can go toe-to-toe with Lamb when it comes to getting one over on people, as well as inappropriate flatulence. Fans of "Andor" will be excited to see Soller as one of the two hitmen taking out the Slough House alumni one by one, and Buring is well-placed alongside him.
Cooke ... well, she is not really a new face, and it shows. Her chemistry with Lowden as River is instant; it's like she never left.
So, if for some reason you were on the fence about this season of "Slow Horses," don't be. If you were thinking about watching this show for the first time, start with season 1, but then absolutely catch up to season 6. This spy thriller has stuck to its award-winning formula for yet another round, and it's officially one of my top 10 shows of the year so far.
Stream "Slow Horses" on Apple TV
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