Slow Horses continues to be something special in Season 5. Based on Mick Herron’s fifth Slough House novel London Rules, the season may start off on an uncomfortable note for some viewers due to current events. But as viewers of this underrated series are well used to, the violence is promptly followed up with biting sarcasm and charming apathy. A little over a year since Season 4 premiered, Slow Horses Season 5 puts the fun back into dysfunction without missing a beat.

The star of the show remains Sir Gary Oldman, chewing all the scenery as Jackson Lamb. Oldman’s very first scene encapsulates Jackson’s attitude toward the rest of the world perfectly. “Are you going to take this seriously?” he’s asked shortly thereafter, and his response won’t surprise anyone who’s been watching the past four seasons. Oldman continues to build a character who perfectly walks the tightrope between off-putting and entertaining, encapsulating the idea of “doing more with less.”

Another standout is Aimee-Ffion Edwards, as Shirley Dander struggles not only to move on from the tragic events in Season 4 but to get anyone to take her seriously. Shirley’s frustration is palpable, and even though it gets repeatedly played off by others with pithy remarks, audiences can feel everything she’s going through. Her character arc is the most compelling of the core group, vacillating between the anger Shirley is known for and a touching vulnerability.

Christopher Chung gets more of a spotlight as Roddy Ho, which allows viewers to get some better sense of Roddy beyond his self-absorbed attitude. It’s also fun to see Emmy nominee Jack Lowden get back to the role that suits him best; Lowden has been doing some great work outside of Slow Horses the last few years—particularly his fantastic turn as Kenneth Noye in The Gold—but his portrayal of River Cartwright continues to seem nearly effortless.

On the other side of the narrative, the MI5 characters get to wrangle with the powder keg of a political election and two naturally polarizing candidates. James Callis, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ruth Bradley all return, while Apple TV+ fans will enjoy seeing Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed join the cast. The MI5 scenes are an efficient and effective contrast to the banter and chaotic behavior at Slough House. One of the strengths of Slow Horses is how the writing team can take these scenes that are often full of exposition and/or technical jargon, and make them interesting.

Slow Horses is unique in that Apple TV+ renewed it for a sixth and seventh season ahead of Season 5’s premiere. That means the audience can comfortably enjoy Season 5, without worrying about the rug being pulled out from under them, or any kind of a cliffhanger ending that’s campaigning for a renewal. The plot takes its time to start moving, but it feels deliberate—a show that has confidence in its story and in the audience watching it. There’s no need to spell things out or to grab for attention.

A line from Claude Whelan sums up the entire season: “It’s a terrible idea,” he tells Diana Taverner, “which is why I’m doing it.” Very little in Slow Horses Season 5 is neat. With one notable exception, the viewers’ feelings toward characters can change from episode to episode, or even scene to scene. The pacing requires attention. But that’s the appeal of this show—it’s the anti-spy series, the anti-procedural, the perfect embodiment of what Mick Herron created. Herron wanted to showcase the opposite of the polished thriller world, and Slow Horses Season 5 does that better than ever.

Slow Horses Season 5 premieres Sept. 24, 2025 on Apple TV+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV+.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.