Down Cemetery Road

The new series has that show’s ["Slow Horses"] blend of caustic wit and ever-present danger, plus all of that tangy British slang. And it has Wilson and Thompson, as dynamic a duo as one could wish for.

“Down Cemetery Road” is chock full of sharp one-liners, but also some impressively staged action scenes.

The television show, starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, boasts a handsome production and strong performances that make up for the original novel’s weaknesses.

In many ways, it feels as though Down Cemetery Road is finding itself as much as Sarah and Zoë are. But the show’s brisk pace and unexpected humor help keep things surprising, and let’s not kid ourselves, we’d all watch actresses of this caliber read the phone book together.

Between the fantastic and tightly written scripts to the tension-building and suspense, Down Cemetery Road is a series you won’t want to miss.

The least convincing aspect of the show is the conspiracy itself, which seems oversimplified for a scandal of its magnitude. Yet the characters are so richly drawn and the plot twists—at least one bombshell per episode—so captivating, it’s hard to blame writer Morwenna Banks for emphasizing those elements instead.

Slow Horses it may not be, but Down Cemetery Road is its own beast: faster, funnier and unrelenting.

With Thompson and Wilson – two really brilliant women – at its heart, it is founded on two unforgettable characters.

While Ruth Wilson’s Sarah may be the way you’re drawn into this adventure, Emma Thompson’s delightfully acerbic Zoë Boehm is the reason to stay.

Though it’s not flawless and will at times raise more questions, the result is smart, stylish, and just shadowy enough to keep you glued.

If there are more shows like this coming down the pike—thrillers with heavy doses of humor, generally fantastic casting (Wilson, it’s worth noting, gives a very good and tricky star performance here), a sizable budget, and some smart narrative decisions (more refreshingly abrupt, life-goes-on endings like this one, please)—viewers should consider themselves pretty lucky.

The A-plus pairing of Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson powers this new Apple TV series.

Most of it is executed elegantly and acted more than competently (though Adeel Akhtar pushes the obsequiousness awfully hard). There is no reason not to enjoy “Down Cemetery Road” (the title comes from a Philip Larkin poem) as a high-grade dark-comic thriller that is as consistently enjoyable as the novel, probably more so.

Thompson is definitely the main draw on Down Cemetery Road, but good performances all around and a sense of humor that makes us snicker makes up for a mystery that might be frustratingly slow to develop.

At eight episodes, “Down Cemetery Road” lacks the drum-tight concision that makes “Slow Horses” such an addictive watch. But the show shares enough positive qualities with its predecessor, from a mordant wit to some riveting action once things heat up, that “Slow Horses” fans will find plenty to tide them over between seasons.

It’s no surprise that Down Cemetery Road is at its best when Thompson and Wilson share scenes.

It slowly sets up the nuanced characters and their interlinked lives, where tension simmers behind the middle-class facade. I expect the lack of clarity will lead some to switch off, but for those who don’t, the premiere builds enough excitement – and ends on an unexpected and gripping cliffhanger – to make it worth sticking with.

A cat-and-mouse game that has a light touch and is tonally off in places — but Thompson and Wilson manage to steer this into compelling viewing territory.

Down Cemetery Road’s first season starts off as a pulse-pounding journey that sadly hits a dead end.

Though some Slow Horses seasons are stronger than others, in general it makes translating Herron's stories, and toggling between moods, look effortless. Down Cemetery Road has its moments, but overall is a reminder that what Slow Horses does is a lot harder than it appears.

Thompson is on cruise control — enjoying every no-fucks line, even in redundancy, but Zoë lacks the specificity and command seen in Herron’s better characters. Meanwhile, Banks’ strained attempts to put Sarah on Zoë’s level leave Wilson stranded in a character unfit for the driver’s seat.