Slow Horses Season 6 Confirmed for Fall 2026 Premiere

Apple TV+ has officially greenlit Slow Horses for a sixth season—less than a week after Season 4’s finale dropped on October 9, 2024. The surprise renewal, announced by Jay Hunt, Creative Director for Europe at Apple TV+, came as no shock to fans: Slow Horses has become one of the streamer’s most reliable hits, with Season 6 already wrapped in filming as of October 2024. The series, based on Mick Herron’s gritty espionage novels, isn’t just renewing—it’s accelerating. With Season 5 set to premiere September 24, 2025, and Season 6 projected for fall 2026, the pattern is clear: Apple TV+ isn’t waiting for audience feedback. They’re betting big, and hard.

Already Shot, Already Locked In

Unlike most TV dramas that wait for ratings to justify renewal, Slow Horses operates like a well-oiled machine. Season 4 finished filming in late 2023, just months before its September 2024 debut. Season 6 followed suit—filming wrapped before the Season 4 finale even aired. That’s not luck. It’s strategy. The production company, See-Saw Films, has built a pipeline where scripts are locked, locations secured, and actors contracted long before the previous season ends. This approach ensures continuity, keeps costs predictable, and lets the show maintain its signature pace: six episodes per season, each 50–60 minutes, shot mostly in Buckinghamshire, England, with Pinewood Studios as its creative anchor.

Who’s Back—and Who’s Behind the Camera

Gary Oldman returns as Jackson Lamb, the disheveled, brilliant, and deeply unpleasant head of Slough House, the MI5 dumping ground for agents who’ve screwed up spectacularly. His performance—equal parts menace and dark humor—earned him an Emmy nomination in 2023, and he’s as essential to the show as the rain-slicked streets of London. Joining him again are Harry Lloyd, Kyle Soller, Lucian Msamati, MyAnna Buring, and Lenny Rush, each delivering performances that turn bureaucratic misfits into unforgettable characters.

The director’s chair goes to Saul Metzstein, who last helmed Season 3. His return signals a return to form: Metzstein’s style—tight, atmospheric, with a dry wit that matches Herron’s prose—has become a hallmark of the series. He follows James Hawes (S1), Jeremy Lovering (S2), and Adam Randall (S4), each bringing a different rhythm to the show. That rotating director model keeps the visuals fresh without losing the tone.

What’s Next: Joe Country and the Book Trail

Season 6 will adapt Joe Country, the fifth novel in Herron’s series, published in 2019. The books have been adapted in strict chronological order: Season 1 = Slow Horses (2010), Season 2 = Dead Lions (2013), Season 3 = Real Tigers (2016), Season 4 = Spook Street (2017), Season 5 = London Rules (2018). Joe Country picks up where London Rules left off—with Lamb’s team caught in a web of betrayal, rogue agents, and a shadowy figure from the past. Fans of the books know this isn’t just another spy thriller. It’s a meditation on loyalty, failure, and whether redemption is possible for people who’ve burned every bridge.

The show’s fidelity to the source material is one reason it’s so beloved. Herron’s writing doesn’t glamorize espionage. It shows the rot beneath the suits. And Apple TV+ has resisted the urge to simplify it. No explosions for the sake of it. No love triangles. Just flawed people doing terrible things for reasons that make sense—even if they shouldn’t.

Why This Matters Beyond the Screen

Slow Horses isn’t just a hit—it’s a cultural counterpoint. In an era of bloated, multi-season sagas, it’s lean. Six episodes. No filler. No cliffhangers for the sake of clicks. It’s the anti-Netflix model. And it’s working. The series has drawn comparisons to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Le Carré at his best, but with a modern, sardonic edge. It’s also one of the few British spy dramas that doesn’t rely on Bond-style heroics. Lamb doesn’t save the world. He just tries not to get fired. That’s why viewers keep coming back.

Apple TV+’s decision to renew Seasons 5 and 6 simultaneously is a quiet power move. It tells creators: we trust your vision. It tells audiences: we’re not going anywhere. And it tells the industry that serialized, character-driven drama still has room to thrive—if it’s done right.

What’s Next for Slough House?

With Season 6 filming complete and Season 5 slated for late 2025, the only real question is: what happens after Joe Country? Herron’s next novel, Slough House (2021), and Bad Actors (2022) are already in the pipeline. If Apple TV+ keeps this pace, we could see Season 7 as early as 2027. The show’s future isn’t just secure—it’s mapped out, book by book, season by season.