Table of Contents
The best spy series on TV right now is a British series that not many have heard of. The Apple TV+ series Slow Horses recently won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series for its third season. The season finale of its fourth season titled Spook Street is streaming from today, October 9. Here’s why you need to catch up on this smart and droll series, starring Gary Oldman, which has already been renewed for Season 5.
A bunch of unlikely protagonists
Created by Will Smith,Slow Horses is based on Mick Herron’s Slough House book series. These spies aren’t your usual glamourous professionals. They’re all failed MI-5 agents who have been demoted in the service and sent to Slough House, derogatorily nicknamed Slow Horses by the so-called ‘real’ agents. The head of Slough House is Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) who, by appearances only is dirty and disgusting. But Lamb is also the sharpest agent in MI-5; he might deal with a bunch of out-of-shape, unsuccessful agents, but his instincts are always on the money.
One of Lamb's agents is River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), whose grandfather David (Jonathan) is a retired senior MI5 officer. River is impulsive, emotional and often gets himself in tough spots. The rest of the crew at Slough House are also misfits. There's the capable office admin head Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves), tech expert and hacker Roddy (Christopher Chung) and Louisa (Rosalind Eleazar) who all have each others backs when the going goes really, really wrong.
ALSO READ: Slow Horses Season 4 Review: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden's Sly, Thrilling Spy Drama Still Has Bite
Quality writing, direction and acting across seasons
Since its premiere on Apple TV+ on April 1, 2022 (an auspicious date), the series has churned out four seasons quite quickly and are already at work on the next season. In an age when fans are lamenting the long gap between seasons on streaming services, the makers have produced quality TV with six-episode seasons four times in two years.
There is a lovely uniformity to each season. Writer and creator Will Smith, now Emmy winner, leads the writer's room each season and one director directs all of episodes of that relevant season. Combined with the stellar acting, each season's story does not disappoint. The show also takes some massive risks, each season we've lost characters we've grown fond of. This is not child's play and lives are at risk when dealing with issues like terrorism and internal sabotage. Every year, the show grows stronger and stronger.
ALSO READ: Emmy Nominee Gary Oldman Is Open For Role On Harry Potter Series, Would Like To Play Dumbledore
Season 4 and River's personal connection
In the recently concluded season, Lowden’s River finds himself unable to properly care for his grandfather who is losing his memory to dementia. Both David and River also run into a mysterious individual from their past, which could have consequences going into the fifth season. Lamb, despite his gruff protestations, does look out for his Slough House crew. The next season is going to be based on Herron’s fifth book in the series,London Rules. It will be exciting to see what misadventures Lamb and company get up to next.