Slow Horses Season 5 Debuts With 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score on Release Day
Apple TV+ spy thriller returns with a two-episode premiere and a new cast member as critics hail its continuity and brisk storytelling
Slow Horses returned with a bang, as Apple TV+’s acclaimed spy drama earned a flawless 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes on the day its fifth season premiered. The two-episode debut was released Wednesday, signaling another brisk, darkly comic run from Mick Herron’s Slough House universe.
Based on Herron’s bestselling novels, season five continues to follow Jackson Lamb, the brilliantly shambolic MI5 operative played by Gary Oldman, as his team of disgraced agents navigates London’s shadowy world of espionage. The new season adapts the London Rules storyline and keeps the core ensemble at the center of the action, with Jack Lowden returning as River Cartwright and Kristin Scott Thomas resuming her role as the steely MI5 chief Diana Taverner. Hugo Weaving reprises his menacing villain, Frank Harkness, after debuting in season four, and the cast welcomes Nick Mohammed, best known for Taskmaster and Ted Lasso, as Zahar Jaffrey, the mayor of London.
Ahead of the season’s release, Mohammed teased fans with hints of an explosive ride. In an interview with RadioTimes, he said the season delivers “explosive” twists and stressed that the finale features a standout action sequence that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats. His comments were echoed by early critics, who applauded the new energy a fresh cast member brings to the long-running series. The two-episode premiere immediately drew praise for maintaining the show’s distinctive voice even as it expands its cast and stakes.
critics have framed season five as a continuation that respects the show’s DNA while pushing its boundaries. CBR lauded Slow Horses for continuing to test audience expectations and edging closer to becoming truly iconic. The Daily Telegraph highlighted the series’ consistency, noting that it remains a long-running program with no drop-off in quality and a strong sense of confidence in its execution. Metro echoed that sentiment with enthusiasm, declaring that there was nothing the reviewers did not like about the new episodes, praising the cast, the engaging story, and the sharpened dialogue. Collider, meanwhile, argued that even in its back-to-basics mode, the show remains indispensable viewing for fans of the espionage genre.
Since it first premiered in 2022, Slow Horses has carved a reputation as one of television’s most stylish thrillers, blending razor-sharp dialogue with high-stakes espionage and a darkly comic edge. The latest season brings back Oldman’s Lamb and his Slough House team, with familiar faces like Lowden and Thomas reassembling to navigate a London-centered plot. The Daily Mail’s Roland White offered a four-star take, writing that the series wastes no time, with a tense opening sequence and a blunt look at the peculiar world of intelligence work; he described Slow Horses as dark rather than overtly comedic, noting that the humor tends to come from the absurdities of the profession rather than jokes in the traditional sense. White’s review framed the fifth season as a return to form for a show that thrives on its dry wit and punchy dialogue.
Season five is now available to stream on Apple TV+.