X
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
Slow Horses
5 Seasons
Season 1 Premiere: Apr 1, 2022
7.6
Where to Watch
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 52 Critic Reviews
82
96% Positive
50 Reviews
50 Reviews
4% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 52 Critic Reviews
82
96% Positive
50 Reviews
50 Reviews
4% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
They can be loyal to one another, and even heroic, if not in a way that their bosses will ever recognize. This might make for a depressing real-world status quo, but on Slow Horses, it translates into exemplary television: the most unlikely champions saving the day (and themselves) in ways that only we, the viewers, can truly appreciate.
Slow Horses’s first season is chock full of characters, lines, and moments that will work brilliantly for fans of spy thrillers—not gritty spy thrillers, not action-packed spy thrillers, but straight-laced, classic, by-the-book ones. ... This conventional addition to an already crowded genre counts as a confirmed kill.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 160 User Ratings
7.6
81% Positive
130 Ratings
130 Ratings
9% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
10% Negative
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 160 User Ratings
7.6
81% Positive
130 Ratings
130 Ratings
9% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
10% Negative
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
In some ways it feels like the show’s writers heard the faint criticism of the first season, attempted to course correct, and ended up with a narrative that tries to be sneaky and comes up just short. And yet, it does little to take away from the show’s innate charms.
This time, the action begins with a former MI5 Cold War agent dead on a bus, and it spirals out from there into twists involving the sleeper agents and a possible terrorist attack. It’s complicated, but it’s worth it in the end, just like Lamb’s crime-solving methods.
A show like this needs to find the right rhythm, a balance between character and espionage plotting, and it’s almost dead perfect here, at least when the show focuses on the Slow Horses—long scenes with the kidnappers, especially in later episodes, feel like they could have been shortened a bit, to be fair. It helps to have a cast who completely understood the assignment.
As these competitive, cynical spymasters keep changing the rules of the game, the Slow Horses maneuver through an increasingly fraught and dangerous series of challenges with an earnest, seriocomic clumsiness that keeps Spy Horses from taking itself too seriously.
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.
"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.
Report
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 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)
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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.
Report
Production Company:
- See-Saw Films
- 60Forty Films
- Apple TV+
- Pretty Pictures
Initial Release Date: Apr 1, 2022
Number of seasons: 5 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
BAFTA Awards
• 11 Nominations
British Society of Cinematographers
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
