OR

Email Address

Password

Forgot password?

Slow Horses

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 89 Critic Reviews

See All

82

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 49 Ratings

See All

7.2

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

7.2	Your Score
7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 49 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Slow Horses: Season 2

Now Playing: Slow Horses: Season 2

Slow Horses

Series Details & Credits

Apple TV | Release Date: April 1, 2022

Summary: A group of MI5 agents demoted to desk duty led by Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) seek redemption in the espionage drama based on Mick Herron's novels.

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Suspense

Recent Episodes

No episode information is currently available for this season

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

82

Positive:

84

Mixed:

5

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

100

The Telegraph Anita Singh

Sep 16, 2025

Season 5 Review: The six episodes are perfectly paced. .... Slow Horses is unusual: a long-running show that hasn’t had a drop-off in quality. Read full review

95

Paste Magazine

Kaitlin Thomas

Aug 21, 2024

Season 4 Review: Slow Horses has not only turned in another thrilling season full of excitement and intrigue but an emotionally affecting one, too. Read full review

90

Decider

Johnny Loftus

Nov 29, 2023

Season 3 Review: Slow Horses is sharply written at every twist and turn. Forceful, funny, and conspiratorial, it’s constantly finding new ways into spy thriller dynamics while showcasing the terrific work of its cast and letting Gary Oldman just completely go off as the jaded, aged spy at its center. Read full review

80

Wall Street Journal

John Anderson

Mar 29, 2022

Season 1 Review: “Slow Horses” is ostensibly a comedy, but it also works as a thriller, a terrorism procedural and a humanist study—there’s not an uninteresting character in the show, not even among the Albion offspring. Read full review

80

Decider

Joel Keller

Sep 4, 2024

Season 4 Review: Just like Season 1, those personalities are so strong that we love seeing them interact with each other, even if the cases they’re working on aren’t that intriguing. Read full review

80

IGN

Samantha Nelson

Nov 28, 2023

Season 3 Review: AppleTV+’s darkly comedic spy thriller Slow Horses continues to shine in its third season thanks to a strong mystery and dialogue sharply delivered by Gary Oldman and the rest of the show’s ensemble. Read full review

50

Chicago Tribune

Nina Metz

Nov 29, 2023

Season 3 Review: The show’s strengths remain, if somewhat downplayed. Gary Oldman is the walking embodiment of body odor and mental acuity as Jackson Lamb. .... The other slow horses remain too underdeveloped to really build out the show’s world in unexpectedly compelling ways. Read full review

SEE ALL 89 REVIEWS

Write a Review

7.2

User Reviews

10

VCS2022

Sep 24, 2022

Ignore OlivierPiel. He's a moron who gives literally everything a bad review. This is as good as spy thrillers get, it's that simple.

0 of 6 users found this helpful06

10

katezoe

May 23, 2022

Best spy thriller I've seen years. A fascinating story andGary Oldman does a terrific job as the lead character.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

9

r3506

Feb 3, 2023

En líneas generales es una excelente serie sobre espías con personajes perfectamente definidos por una destacada labor de sus actores.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

6

TVJerry

Apr 24, 2022

The titlular characters are British MI5 agents who have failed in some way, so they're relegated to a special house where they essentially do nothing. Expectedly, that changes when they get involved with a terrorist abduction that veers off course. The cast is headed by Gary Oldman, as theThe titlular characters are British MI5 agents who have failed in some way, so they're relegated to a special house where they essentially do nothing. Expectedly, that changes when they get involved with a terrorist abduction that veers off course. The cast is headed by Gary Oldman, as the sloppy, hard-drinking, often-farting head of this group. Oldman's character is certainly unpleasant and not in an enjoyably quirky way. The rest of the cast plays it straight, including Kristin Scott Thomas as the HQ boss. As a result, the people aren't especially appealing or interesting. Furthering the lack of impact is the investigation, which follows a typical spy/criminal route with plenty of betrayals. The first episode's opening scene is riveting, but that level of action never materializes again. This is a moderately well-made series, but not an original addition to the genre. (Review based on 4 of 6 episodes)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

6

bigb159

Jan 27, 2023

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Docking points for the least-believable-most-woke villain conceivable. Spoilers: The right-wing extremist sovereign bogeyman has finally had enough. Personified by ugly, uncouth white men in the roughest of UK brogues, these vewy bad nationalists spout racist tropes until they finally muster up the squiggles to begin performing what are all the terrorist tropes that have been perpetrated over and over again in reality for the past several decades.

Don't get me wrong, this is watchable, but annoyingly detached from reality and weirdly attached to woke talking points. I can get past all the role-reversals, to the point that I'm currently appreciating the action sequences, cast and pacing of the show. The mix between action/suspense and deprecative comedy creates a good balance between tension and fun.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

6

EludiumQ36

May 15, 2022

"Slow Horses" (S01, 6-eps, 40-50+ mins, Apple) is a British counter-terrorism drama with a tinge of comedic elements that derive from MI-5's Slough House, a dumping ground for washed out counter-spies affectionately, er derisively, referred to as slow horses. The nut of the plot is an Indian"Slow Horses" (S01, 6-eps, 40-50+ mins, Apple) is a British counter-terrorism drama with a tinge of comedic elements that derive from MI-5's Slough House, a dumping ground for washed out counter-spies affectionately, er derisively, referred to as slow horses. The nut of the plot is an Indian student in London needs to be rescued from domestic terrorists before he's beheaded, and the "slow horses" that should be sidelined with time-wasting paperwork endeavor to contribute to the rescue. The pacing is slow, production values are low budget, and you have to be inside British culture to get alot of the references. Gary Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, a horrible burned out curmudgeon who insults and denigrates almost anyone in his orbit. He's like "Dr House" without a filter. This turned me off initially but I grew numb to it later. It's a decent watch, and the case is resolved, so if there's a sophomore season, it'd feature a different storyline. I would be more enthusiastic if it had a more attractive cast and tripled its budget.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

2

Pogoscribe

Apr 12, 2022

Lots of racist comments, too much witty repartee. Gross comments about bodily functions. And plenty of blood. Also enough purely British language that will just confuse many US viewers. All of that makes it hard to appreciate Gary Oldman’s acting, let alone the plot.

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

SEE ALL 12 REVIEWS

More From Metacritic

What to Watch in December: 17 Notable TV Shows & Streaming Movies

Here are the most interesting TV shows and movies to watch at home...

The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2022 So Far

We rank the best-reviewed first-year TV shows (including limited series...

What to Watch in April: 24 Notable TV Shows & Streaming Movies

Get details on the most noteworthy TV shows (and streaming movies)...

What to Watch Right Now on Paramount+

Find a list of the best recent and upcoming film and TV titles added to...

Current TV Shows

By MetascoreBy User Score

1 92 The Pitt: Season 2

2 90 The Celebrity Traitors UK: Season 1

3 87 Hacks: Season 5

4 87 Industry: Season 4

5 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...

6 85 The Beatles Anthology

7 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4

8 85 Bait: Season 1

9 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!

10 83 Lord of the Flies

11 83 Riot Women: Season 1

12 83 For All Mankind: Season 5

13 81 The Muppet Show (2026)

14 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8

15 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1

16 80 The Mighty Nein: Season 1

17 80 The Comeback: Season 3

18 80 The American Revolution

19 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2

20 80 Dark Winds: Season 4

SEE ALL

Seasons & Episodes

82

Series Overview
Season 5

79
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: September 24, 2025
- No episode information is currently available for this season
Season 4

85
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: September 4, 2024
Season 3

85
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: November 29, 2023
Season 2

84
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: December 2, 2022
Season 1

78
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 1, 2022