If it's good, a spy story doesn't need gimmicks. The more classic, the better. But if its foundation is in acclaimed novels, and its transition to television boasts a solid cast and the expertise that the Brits have for this, satisfaction is guaranteed. That's what Slow Horses offers.

Starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, this series is based on the award-winning series of novels Black Horses (published in Spain by Salamandra) written by Mick Herron, an author who has been said to have revolutionized and modernized the genre with his sarcastic and satirical sense of humor, and has been adapted by Will Smith, not the controversial recent Oscar winner, but a veteran British screenwriter who won two Emmys with Veep and was nominated for a BAFTA with The Thick of It.

Oldman plays Slow Horses' Jackson Lamb, who in his introductory scene wakes up to the explosive sound of his own gas. Lamb is the irreverent and jaded agent in charge of Slough House, the name given to the dump where MI5's discarded agents end up after committing an unforgivable mistake in their careers.

Their colleagues refer to them disparagingly as "slow horses", the laughing stock division of the British Secret Service. In the first season, some details about who these sidelined agents were in the past and why they ended up at Slough House will be revealed.

What becomes clear from the start is that in a world of betrayals, double-crossing, twists, and secrets, soon these horses will start running faster than the rest, because a spy is never not a spy and when they were good, they were the best.

Renewed for two more seasons

Apple TV+ has renewed it for a fifth season shortly after concluding the third season. 

The fourth season will include in its cast  Hugo Weaving as Frank Harkness, Ruth Bradley as Emma Flyte and James Callis as Claude Whelan. Also on board are Joanna Scanlan and Tom Brooke, but their roles have not been disclosed. The season will open with an attack that triggers personal secrets, shaking the already unstable foundations of Slough House. Filming began in the spring of 2023.

The fifth installment will adapt the next novel in the literary series: Jackson Lamb by Mick Herron, titled The Rules of London.

9 Emmy nominations

The series, a five-time BAFTA Award nominee, received its first Emmy nominations this year and is a contender in nine categories, including Best Drama Series, Best Leading Actor for Oldman, and Best Writing and Directing.

The three aired seasons have a rating of over 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and following its latest episode, released on December 27, the series continues to receive global acclaim from both critics and audiences.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence