Slow Horses season 5: Everything we know

Slow Horses isn’t just one of the best shows on Apple TV, it’s one of the best shows on TV anywhere. If you’re a fan of spy dramas that are packed with action, intrigue, and a nice dollop of humor, then Slow Horses is the perfect fit. Gary Oldman, as the flatulent but brilliant Jackson Lamb, is simply incredible in the role, proving once again that he’s one of the best actors working today.

If you’re already a fan, then you’ll undoubtedly have already watched your way through season 4, even if Apple cruelly stopped us from binge-watching the whole season at once by releasing episodes one week at a time. Season 4 was another triumph, full of plot twists and the death of a major character.

The trouble with Slow Horses is that as soon as you’ve finished one season, you want another fix straight away. The good news is that season 5 has been confirmed; the bad news is that it’s not likely to arrive until late next year. Here’s everything to know about season 5 of Slow Horses.

Slow Horses season 5 release date

There’s no official release date but late 2025 is likely

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At the time of writing, there’s been no official announcement about when season 5 of Slow Horses will be released. However, if previous years are any indication, it’s possible to make an educated guess.

After season 1 ended in 2022, season 2 followed in December of the same year. After that, the gap has remained at around a year each time, with season 3 arriving in November 2023, and Season 4 arriving in September 2024. If season 5 follows the same pattern, then season 5 of Slow Horses should be released some time towards the end of 2025.

Slow Horses season 5 trailer

The only way to watch it is to watch season 4

Apple

Apple hasn’t released as standalone trailer for season 5 of Slow Horses yet. Currently, the only place to find the trailer is at the end of the final episode of season 4 of Slow Horses on Apple TV+, just before the credits roll. The trailer is only brief, but it gives a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come in Season 5.

The trailer opens with Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung, Waterloo Road) and Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour) being shot at on a balcony. Flyte is then heard describing a terrorist plan to compromise an agent, attack the village, disrupt the transport, seize the media, and assassinate a populist leader, with the action on screen matching what she’s describing.

Second Desk at MI5, Diana Taverner claims to her boss Claude Whelan that Lamb knows what’s coming next, before an intriguing glimpse of River kissing fellow Slow Horse Louisa, who does not seem impressed. The final shot is of River and JK Coe, another Slow Horse, standing over what is likely to be a body, as River says “yeah, he really is dead, isn’t he?” There’s no indication as to who the body might be, however.

Slow Horses season 5 plot

The action will revolve around Mick Herron’s fifth Slough House novel

Apple

Slow Horses is based on the Slough House series of novels written by Mick Herron. Each of the seasons of Slow Horses so far has been based directly on one the books from the series, with season 1 based on Slow Horses, season 2 on Dead Lions, season 3 on Real Tigers, and season 4 on Spook Street.

The next book in the Slough House series is London Rules, and Apple has confirmed that season 5 of Slow Horses will be based on this novel. Apple’s press release confirming the fifth season of Slow Horses included the following synopsis:

In season five of “Slow Horses,” everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho has a glamorous new girlfriend, but 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, “London Rules” should always apply.

Slow Horses season 5 cast

Some of the newer faces return alongside old favorites

Apple

The trailer confirms that most of the old faces will return. In the short clip we see the head of Slough House, Jackson Lamb, his long-suffering secretary Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves, Luther) and the surviving Slow Horses, including Roddy Ho, Shirley Dander (Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Skins), River Cartwright (Jack Lowden, Dunkirk), and Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar, Howards End). Diane Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas, Four Weddings and a Funeral), second-in-command at MI5, is also seen.

Many of the characters who were new arrivals in season 4 also make an appearance. These include the First Desk of MI5, Claude Whelan (James Callis, Battlestar Galactica), the new MI5 head of security, Emma Flyte (Ruth Bradley, Humans), and the newest recruit to Slough House, JK Coe (Tom Brooke, Sherlock).

One cast member who doesn’t appear in the trailer is Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix) who escaped custody at the end of season 4, and seems sure to return at some point. Whether that will be in season 5 remains to be seen, with the character not reappearing until the sixth book in the Slough House series.

How to watch Slow Horses season 5

Apple TV+ will remain the only place to watch Slow Horses

Apple

As with the first four seasons of Slow Horses, the only place to watch season 5 of Slow Horses will be on Apple TV+. Slow Horses is an Apple Original, meaning the company has funded the production of the show itself.

Understandably, Apple wants to recoup that money, so in order to watch Slow Horses, you’ll need a subscription to Apple TV+. This won’t just give you access to season 5 of Slow Horses when it arrives, plus all four previous seasons; you’ll also get access to the full Apple TV+ catalog. This includes some incredible shows, such as Severance, Silo, Bad Sisters, Shrinking, Masters of the Air, For All Mankind, and the hugely popular Ted Lasso. There are also some excellent movies, including Oscar-winning CODA, Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, Greyhound, and Wolfs.

Will there be a Slow Horses season 6?

There’s no official confirmation as yet

Apple

As of yet, there’s no official word on whether we’ll get a season 6 of Slow Horse. Apple confirmed that the show would be returning for season 5 in January of this year. If history repeats, we may have confirmation of there being a sixth season of Slow Horses sometime in the new year.

Until then, we’ll just have to wait with everything possible crossed that Apple and the show’s creators decide to give us more of this fantastic show. With nine full-length novels in Mick Heron’s Slough House series, we can only hope that Apple decides to adapt them all, giving us many more seasons of Slow Horses to enjoy.