Slow Horses

Slow Horses

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Overview

Follow a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents—and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb—as they navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.

Media

Slow Horses : Season 1 - Official Opening Credits / Intro (Apple TV+' series) (2022)

Cast

Kristin Scott Thomas

Fist Air Date:

2022-04-01

Episode Runtime:

undefinedm

Production Companies:

See-Saw Films, Flying Studio Pictures, Sony Pictures Television

Genres:

Comedy Crime Drama

Keywords:

absurd based on novel or book blunt british intelligence british spy london, england macabre mi5 secret agent spy terrorism

More Show Details

Vote Average: 8.0/10

Vote Count: 846 Votes

Show Popularity: 32.6762

Show Status: Returning Series

Show Type: Scripted

Spoken Languages: English

Review

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Insomniacs Reviews
- 04 May 2026 at 9:52 pm

9 Based on 1 Votes
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⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10 THE SUMMARY Slough House is where MI5 sends its "slow horses"—the agents who have messed up so badly they’ve been exiled to a decaying office block to do mind-numbing paperwork for the rest of their careers. Led by the brilliant but repulsive Jackson Lamb, a man who treats personal hygiene as a suggestion and his staff as a punching bag, the team is supposed to stay out of the way. But the world of high-stakes espionage has a funny way of finding them. From kidnapping plots to sleeper agents and deep-state conspiracies, these rejects keep proving that they might be "slow," but they’re far from useless. THE PROS This is a 9/10 because it’s the most refreshing spy series in decades. Gary Oldman gives a career-defining performance as Jackson Lamb; he’s essentially the anti-Bond, a cynical, farting, grease-covered genius who is always three steps ahead of the "pretty people" at MI5 headquarters. The writing is incredibly sharp, blending edge-of-your-seat tension with the kind of dark, biting humor you only find in a miserable British office. It hits Epic status because of its consistency—as of May 2026, the show has delivered five near-perfect seasons, with the recent Season 5 ("London Rules") proving that the stakes only get higher as the team's secrets come to light. THE CONS It misses a 10/10 only because the "Slough House vs. The Park" dynamic, while brilliant, can occasionally feel a bit repetitive after five seasons. You know the drill by now: the "real" spies mess up, and the misfits have to clean it up while being insulted. It settles at a 9 because while it’s a masterpiece, the loss of certain fan-favorite characters in later seasons (RIP Marcus Longridge) has left the team feeling a little fractured, and some of the newer recruits take a while to reach the same level of chemistry as the original Season 1 crew. THE VERDICT A massive 9/10. It is a gritty, hilarious, and masterfully paced thriller that proves the best spies aren't the ones in the tuxedos—they're the ones in the stained trench coats. It isn't a 10 because it occasionally leans into its own tropes, but it’s easily one of the best things on television right now. Anticipated: With Season 6 already in post-production for a late 2026 release and Season 7 already greenlit, the "slow horses" are becoming an absolute juggernaut of the genre. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA • Meta-Reference: In a brilliant nod to Gary Oldman’s career, Season 3 features a scene where Lamb repeats a famous line often attributed to Winston Churchill. Oldman previously won an Oscar for playing Churchill in *Darkest Hour*, and the actor sitting across from him in the *Slow Horses* scene, Samuel West, also appeared alongside him in that movie.• Rotten Reality: To prepare for the role of the slovenly Jackson Lamb, Gary Oldman reportedly stopped washing his hair and encouraged the makeup team to make his skin look as "grey and unhealthy" as possible. He wanted Lamb to look like a man who "lives on cigarettes, scotch, and Chinese takeaway."• The Glasshouse: The futuristic "Glasshouse" building that features heavily in Season 2 isn't a real place. It’s actually a clever digital composite of two real London skyscrapers: the Leadenhall Building (The Cheesegrater) and 100 Bishopsgate. THE VIBE Like a lukewarm pint and a cigarette in the rain. It smells like stale takeaway, old paper, and cheap gin. It’s cynical, brilliant, and very British. It makes you want to question your boss, learn how to hack a mainframe, and realize that being a "reject" might just be the best way to save the world.

TV Show Poster

Season 1

6 Episodes

Air Date: 2022-04-01

When a young man is kidnapped and threatened with beheading, the slow horses find themselves unexpectedly embroiled in a dangerous case that forces them to prove their worth.

TV Show Poster

Season 2

6 Episodes

Air Date: 2022-12-02

Long-buried Cold War secrets emerge which threaten to bring carnage to the streets of London. When a liaison with Russian villains takes a fatal turn, our hapless heroes must overcome their individual failings and raise their spy game in a race to prevent a catastrophic incident.

TV Show Poster

Season 3

6 Episodes

Air Date: 2023-11-29

A romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London. When Jackson Lamb and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House but of MI5 itself.

TV Show Poster

Season 4

6 Episodes

Air Date: 2024-09-04

In season 4, a bombing detonates personal secrets, rocking Slough House's already unstable foundations.

TV Show Poster

Season 5

6 Episodes

Air Date: 2025-09-24

In season five, everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho has a glamorous new girlfriend. When a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected. After all, Lamb knows that in the world of espionage, the London Rules — cover your back — always apply.

Videos

Slow Horses : Season 1 - Official Opening Credits / Intro (Apple TV+' series) (2022)

Slow Horses — Season 1 Official Sneak Peek | Apple TV

Slow Horses — An Inside Look | Apple TV

Slow Horses — Gary Oldman & Kristin Scott Thomas: Legendary Forces | Apple TV

Slow Horses — Official Trailer | Apple TV

Cast

Kristin Scott Thomas

Christopher Chung

Aimee-Ffion Edwards

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Slow Horses

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Slow Horses

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 4 May 2026 at 10:52 PM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10
THE SUMMARY
Slough House is where MI5 sends its “slow horses”—the agents who have messed up so badly they’ve been exiled to a decaying office block to do mind-numbing paperwork for the rest of their careers. Led by the brilliant but repulsive Jackson Lamb, a man who treats personal hygiene as a suggestion and his staff as a punching bag, the team is supposed to stay out of the way. But the world of high-stakes espionage has a funny way of finding them. From kidnapping plots to sleeper agents and deep-state conspiracies, these rejects keep proving that they might be “slow,” but they’re far from useless.
THE PROS
This is a 9/10 because it’s the most refreshing spy series in decades. Gary Oldman gives a career-defining performance as Jackson Lamb; he’s essentially the anti-Bond, a cynical, farting, grease-covered genius who is always three steps ahead of the “pretty people” at MI5 headquarters. The writing is incredibly sharp, blending edge-of-your-seat tension with the kind of dark, biting humor you only find in a miserable British office. It hits Epic status because of its consistency—as of May 2026, the show has delivered five near-perfect seasons, with the recent Season 5 (“London Rules”) proving that the stakes only get higher as the team’s secrets come to light.
THE CONS
It misses a 10/10 only because the “Slough House vs. The Park” dynamic, while brilliant, can occasionally feel a bit repetitive after five seasons. You know the drill by now: the “real” spies mess up, and the misfits have to clean it up while being insulted. It settles at a 9 because while it’s a masterpiece, the loss of certain fan-favorite characters in later seasons (RIP Marcus Longridge) has left the team feeling a little fractured, and some of the newer recruits take a while to reach the same level of chemistry as the original Season 1 crew.
THE VERDICT
A massive 9/10. It is a gritty, hilarious, and masterfully paced thriller that proves the best spies aren’t the ones in the tuxedos—they’re the ones in the stained trench coats. It isn’t a 10 because it occasionally leans into its own tropes, but it’s easily one of the best things on television right now. Anticipated: With Season 6 already in post-production for a late 2026 release and Season 7 already greenlit, the “slow horses” are becoming an absolute juggernaut of the genre.
INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
• Meta-Reference: In a brilliant nod to Gary Oldman’s career, Season 3 features a scene where Lamb repeats a famous line often attributed to Winston Churchill. Oldman previously won an Oscar for playing Churchill in *Darkest Hour*, and the actor sitting across from him in the *Slow Horses* scene, Samuel West, also appeared alongside him in that movie.
• Rotten Reality: To prepare for the role of the slovenly Jackson Lamb, Gary Oldman reportedly stopped washing his hair and encouraged the makeup team to make his skin look as “grey and unhealthy” as possible. He wanted Lamb to look like a man who “lives on cigarettes, scotch, and Chinese takeaway.”
• The Glasshouse: The futuristic “Glasshouse” building that features heavily in Season 2 isn’t a real place. It’s actually a clever digital composite of two real London skyscrapers: the Leadenhall Building (The Cheesegrater) and 100 Bishopsgate.
THE VIBE
Like a lukewarm pint and a cigarette in the rain. It smells like stale takeaway, old paper, and cheap gin. It’s cynical, brilliant, and very British. It makes you want to question your boss, learn how to hack a mainframe, and realize that being a “reject” might just be the best way to save the world.

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