I just binged all 18 episodes of ‘Slow Horses’ in one week — and now it's one of my favorite shows ever

Opinion
By published

'Slow Horses' is one of the best shows on TV

Gary Oldman in Slow Horses
(Image credit: Apple)

"Martin, how have you not watched “Slow Horses” yet?!" That’s a question I have been asked a lot. Since I've never had a good answer, I've been bombarded with a laundry list of reasons why I must drop everything and start watching the Apple TV Plus hit ASAP. 

As ridiculous as it might sound, I do take my job seriously. If I’m going to be recommending, reviewing or collating lists of shows and movies that you need to watch, I feel like I should be cramming in as much stuff as I can so I’m ahead of all the great stuff on offer on all the best streaming services. Alas, those, streamers’ ever-expanding content libraries make this an all-but-impossible task, meaning that some shows have inevitably fallen by the wayside.

Given its reputation — the series currently holds a formidable 98% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes — I was ashamed to admit that I hadn’t checked “Slow Horses” out for the longest time. For the record, I was interested,  but being three seasons behind (and with “Slow Horses” season 4 just on the horizon), I was struggling to see where a catch-up would fit in my weekly show rotation.

'Slow Horses' is truly addictive TV — and that's why I love it

River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) on a train platform in "Slow Horses" season 4

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

If you're not in the know, "Slow Horses" is a British spy thriller that centers on a very particular MI5 department: Slough House. What's so special about this particular group? Well, it's staffed by spies who've made career-ending mistakes but who have miraculously not yet been fired. 

There, they undertake tedious tasks and frequent verbal abuse from their disgruntled, flatulent boss, Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). And yet, somehow, they still manage to get caught up in some conspiracies that threaten to destabilize the nation. 

That might sound like the set-up for a workplace comedy and yes, "Slow Horses" is very funny, but make no mistake, each six-episode season could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best spy thrillers ever made. 

"Slow Horses" is a compelling, well-written mixture of sardonic British comedy and high-octane action, one which contains a gang of screw-ups you'll quickly warm to, and that deftly veers from comedic bits to tense moments with ease. 

Roddy (Christopher Chung), Standish (Saskia Reeves), Louisa (Rosalind Eleazar), and Min (Dustin Demri-Burns) looking at a laptop in "Slow Horses" season 1.

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

The inevitable firefights, hand-to-hand brawls, and high-speed street chases that spring up are always well-executed, edge-of-your-seat moments ... but they're almost outshined by the show's comic timing. 

Watching our agents go toe-to-toe with their foes is no more entertaining than, for example, watching promising young agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) awkwardly manufacture a (bad) cover story for himself, or seeing the team exchange foul-mouthed barbs during one of their (many) arguments.

I think the expert way the show negotiates narrative tension is quite possibly what drove me to race through it quite so quickly. Each episode contains plenty of laughs, but weaves in just enough world-building, twists and info about the current case to keep you hooked. There's also, inevitably, a killer cliffhanger that'll leave you desperate to see what comes next. 

British TV churns out a ton of police and crime capers, but "Slow Horses" is seriously top-tier stuff. Even if your job doesn't hinge on watching TV, I'd urge you to get into "Slow Horses" as soon as possible. As I've proved, you can easily get up to speed before the fourth season drops next month.

If you've already seen Slough House's antics and need a new show to tide you over. check out our guide to the best Apple TV Plus shows to find your next watch.

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Martin Shore
Martin Shore
Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.