TIFF REVIEW: BY DARREN ZAKUS

SEPTEMBER 10, 2026

4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS

Slow Horses returns for its most dangerous and personal season yet that once again features two outstanding performances from Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden, lots of hilarious moments, and thrilling espionage that confirms its title as one of the best shows currently airing on television. 

Six seasons in a little over four years, and AppleTV’s Slow Horses shows no signs of slowing down or even dipping in the slightest in terms of quality. MI5’s most disregarded agents are back for another season of riveting espionage, single handedly keeping the classic spy thriller genre alive as Mick Herron’s sixth and seventh novels are adapted for the small screen. Not only is the series’ excellent standard for storytelling and performances maintained throughout, but the latest season creates the most expansive story of the series to date that builds upon previous seasons’ stories to create the most deadly and high stakes season yet. Paired with the razor sharp dialogue that delivers countless moments of uncontrollable laughter, the brilliant performances of Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas and the rest of the cast not only makes the latest season of Slow Horses one of the best seasons of television of the year to date, but confirms Slow Horses as one of the best series of the AppleTV catalogue.

Not only does Slough House find themselves once again in the crossfire of a much larger conspiracy this season, they themselves are the targets. As retired Slow Horses are being taken out by a mysterious pair of assassins, Jackson Lamb and the rest of Slough House go dark, trying to both discover who is hunting them down and why, as well as going into hiding for survival. Like previous seasons, the writing remains razor sharp, finding that delicate balance between absurd comedic moments thanks to the colourful characters of Slough House and zingers of dialogue delivered by Oldman as Lamb, with the most cutting and crude remarks that never fail to deliver big laughter, and the intricate spy thriller plot that creates an exciting story to be told over six episodes. The new characters are excellent additions to the ensemble cast, with the powerful opponents to Taverner being excellent adversaries to fuel the season’s central conflict, while Lenny Rush’s Reece Nesmith makes a brilliant comedic instigator for Lamb as Lamb has met his match with an individual who refuses to get with his program in the most hilarious way possible.

But what sets this season apart from the previous seasons is this is the first season to truly build upon the narrative work of its predecessors. Old characters returns after seemingly have left the series, including Olivia Cooke’s Sid Baker who was presumed dead since the series’ first season and Rosalind Eleazar’s Louisa who departed Slough House at the beginning of the previous season, as well as building on previous season’s storylines with Taverner now in charge of MI5 and facing the consequences of the actions that got her there and River’s complicated history with his assassin father Frank Harkness. Using all of this momentum of previous seasons makes the stakes feel more personal and higher than ever before for the main characters, which when paired with the story for this season, creates a nail biting thrill ride that is as deadly as it is hilarious. The first three episodes of the season light the fuse as it pulls together elements of past seasons in the new story that is being told, and once the multiple storylines are set on their collision course hurtling towards the climax of the season, it's an enthralling storytelling experience that will have audiences tuning in every week to see if the Slow Horses will live to fight another day. It is in this light that the latest season of Slow Horses moves past its detached season based storytelling to create a larger overarching plot connecting the previous seasons while setting the building blocks for what is in store for the next, already confirmed, two seasons. 

Six seasons later, and the cast of Slow Horses continues to be one of the best ensemble casts on television. Oldman continues his wickedly entertaining performance as Lamb with his signature mixture of vinegar and piss to cover up the fact that his character has a big heart, bringing to life this wildly fun and rough around the edges character with the never ending, crudest delivery of outrageously hilarious one liners. Lowden reconfirms his leading man talents as River in both the quieter moments as he deals with his character’s grief with a great vulnerability but also brings a brutality to the action sequences, while his scenes opposite Olivia Cooke’s Sid reignites the great chemistry they had in the first season and delivers some of the best moments of the entire season. Scott Thomas once again is brilliant as Taverner with her icy cold and calculating agent now in charge of MI5, for the first time finding herself backed into a corner by the consequences of her past actions that allows Scott Thomas to find a new side to the character while making her feel more ruthless than ever. The main supporting cast of Saskia Reeves, Christopher Chung, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Tom Brooke perfect their characters quirks and their banter amongst themselves to bring to life the dysfunctional charm of the Slough House team, while Cooke immediately slips back into the character of Sid, making her four season absence from the series feel like nothing at all. In terms of newcomers to the season, Rush turns into an absolute scene stealer performance as Reece, becoming an energetic bundle of unpredictability while sharing some brilliant moments opposite Oldman, easily creating a new fan favourite character.

It is incredibly hard for television series to maintain their quality over multiple seasons, but not only has Slow Horses done that, it does so with a propulsive energy and daring stakes that continues to make each season must watch television. With its wickedly funny one liners and brilliant espionage writing that calls back to the intricate narrative driven spy thriller novels of John le Carré and Ian Fleming, Slow Horses’ sixth season continues the series’ standard of excellence and incredible performances that delivers first rate television from start to finish!