Slow Horses Season 5: Six-Episode Run Sets Stage for Future Seasons, New Cast

Apple TV+ is bringing Slow Horses back for a fifth season, its longest-running series, with six episodes and a star-studded cast led by Gary Oldman. The new season adapts the fifth Mick Herron novel London Rules and adds Nick Mohammed to the ensemble as the show returns to the espionage-soaked streets of London. The rest of the ensemble includes Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Ruth Bradley, James Callis, Tom Brooke, and Jonathan Pryce.

Season 5 follows a string of suspicious events across the city after Roddy Ho, played by Christopher Chung, introduces a glamorous new girlfriend. The ensuing chain of bizarre incidents tests the Slow Horses as they work to understand how everything connects under the London Rules: cover your back. Apple TV+ has laid out the release plan, with the six-episode run rolling out weekly. The first episode, Bad Dates, premieres on Sept. 24, with subsequent installments arriving on Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15, Oct. 22, and Oct. 29. Historically, Apple TV+ releases episodes on Wednesdays, though fans have occasionally seen early Tuesday drops, with episodes typically available around 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Beyond the current season, Apple TV+ has signaled continued expansion. Deadline reports that Season 6 will adapt two Herron novels, Joe Country and Slough House, which together comprise the sixth and seventh entries in the Slough House sequence. In July 2025, Apple renewed Slow Horses for Season 7, signaling a longer arc as Lamb and his team pursue a mole at the heart of the British government.

Fans can read Herron’s Slough House books in order, starting with Slow Horses (2010) and ending with Bad Actors (2022), a slate that now loosely underpins the TV adaptation. The books in order are Slow Horses (2010), Dead Lions (2013), Real Tigers (2016), Spook Street (2017), London Rules (2018), Joe Country (2019), Slough House (2021) and Bad Actors (2022). The showrunner has indicated openness to continuing the series beyond Season 7, while aiming to preserve momentum and avoid repetition. He has also suggested that Mick Herron’s additional material, including The Secret Hours, could offer opportunities for shorter runs or related projects if the material proves adaptable.

Viewers can watch Slow Horses exclusively on Apple TV+, which offers a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. The service provides an ad-free plan at $13.99 per month. Slow Horses Season 5 will stream on Apple TV+ after its premiere, and Seasons 1 through 4 are already available on the platform.