To say Slow Horses is a great show is to undersell it: I’ve just rewatched all three seasons with my eldest and marveled once again at the pitch-perfect mix of drama, comedy and pacing that makes it one of the best Apple TV Plus shows. If you haven’t already seen Gary Oldman and his motley crew of sub-standard spies, you’re in for a serious televisual treat – and the fourth season, which will start streaming on September 4, looks like it could be the best yet.
If you’re already a fan of the most exciting, entertaining and often funniest shows on TV, the season 4 trailer delivers everything you could ask for: Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) being awful, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) being useless, Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) being machiavellian and lots of things exploding explosively. But the most heart-stopping moment is just six words said by Lamb: “one of my team just died.”
Why Slow Horses season 4 is must-see TV
Slow Horses is based on Mick Herron’s award-winning spy dramas, and season 4 is adapted from the book Spook Street. As with previous seasons it focuses on Jackson Lamb, a hilariously awful spy boss, and the titular horses: MI5 agents whose conduct or personalities mean they’ve been put out to pasture.
Very mild spoiler alert: what makes the show so special for me is that the characters are all beautifully drawn and all the more likeable for their flaws – so when, as has already happened twice, some characters don’t make it to the end of a season it’s emotionally devastating. Each season so far has been a rollercoaster, expertly switching from low comedy to high drama and painting a vivid picture of a world where nothing’s black and white. And it’s got a great theme tune too.
Don’t just take my word for it: Slow Horses has won two BAFTA Television Awards and was Best English-Language Drama Series at the 2022 C21 International Drama Awards. All three seasons so far are streaming on Apple TV Plus and they’re essential viewing. There’s even talk of a fifth and, we think, final season that’ll stream in 2025. But if you’ve already seen all of them then here are six intrigue-packed thrillers to watch while you wait for season 4.
Slow Horses season 4 will stream on Apple TV Plus from September 4, 2024.