Slow Horses is back on Apple TV with a sixth season that wastes no time in raising the stakes. The premiere episode, titled “Circle of Life,” dropped on September 16, 2026, and immediately plunged Jackson Lamb and his team of misfit spies into a deadly conspiracy that targets current and former members of Slough House. The episode also brought back a familiar and dangerous face: Frank Harkness, the estranged father of River Cartwright.
The season adapts two of Mick Herron’s novels, “Joe Country” and “Slough House,” and marks the first season produced without original showrunner Will Smith. With a mix of grim violence and the show’s signature dark humour, the premiere sets up a season where nobody at Slough House is safe.
A Former Slow Horse Is Murdered in Cold Blood
The episode opens with the brutal death of Struan Loy, a former Slough House agent who was last seen in Season 1. Struan now teaches karate to children and lives in a converted shipping container, hoping to turn the containers into tiny homes. Two people posing as investors gain his trust, but their true intentions are deadly. They break his arm, lock him inside the container, and set it on fire, leaving him to die.
The murder is not an isolated incident. A second former agent, Kay White, is killed by the same pair of assassins. They throw her from her houseboat and prevent her from escaping the water. During their conversation, the killers reveal that River Cartwright is next on their list, making the threat deeply personal for the remaining Slow Horses.
“He’s been losing his grandfather slowly, hasn’t he, over the past couple of seasons, to dementia? And with his grandfather gone… he’s unanchored and he is vulnerable.” — Gaby Chiappe, co-executive producer, told TV Insider.
Slough House Is Erased from MI5 Records
While Jackson Lamb investigates the murders, the team discovers another disturbing problem. Nobody at Slough House has been paid, and Roddy Ho finds that the entire department has been erased from the Park’s official database. Catherine Standish visits the Park to investigate and learns that the deletion was not a computer error; it was ordered deliberately from high inside MI5.
Diana Taverner, now First Desk, claims ignorance when confronted by Lamb, but her position is complicated by Peter Judd, who has been pressuring her to cooperate with wealthy donors. The funding that supports her role appears to come from an anonymous third party, raising questions about who is really pulling the strings at the Park. An estate agent even arrives at Slough House to assess the building’s value, a visit that ends with J.K. Coe hitting him in the face with a keyboard.
David Cartwright’s Funeral Brings Frank Harkness Back
The emotional centre of the premiere is the funeral of David Cartwright, River’s grandfather, who has died after a long decline from dementia. River is grieving and frustrated by the Park’s decision to bury his grandfather under his old cover as a Department of Transport employee. He delivers a eulogy that pays tribute to David’s real work as a spy while maintaining the cover, a moment that sends Lamb into fits of laughter.
The funeral also becomes the setting for the episode’s biggest reveal. Frank Harkness, River’s father and a dangerous American mercenary, is watching from a distance. River confronts him, but Frank only says he is there for “business” before hitting his son in the throat and driving off. River tries to hang onto the front of the car but falls off, a moment that blends tension with the show’s characteristic dark humour.
“I thought that Jonathan’s performance in his death scene, it was like a miracle. We pulled focus to him at the very end, and just the one tear trickles down his face, and the magic of that was just incredible.” — Adam Randall, director, told Radio Times.
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Olivia Cooke Returns as Sid Baker
Olivia Cooke is back as Sid Baker, a character believed to have died in Season 1. Her return was confirmed in the trailer and adds another layer of complication to River’s already chaotic life. The season also introduces new cast members, including Kyle Soller and MyAnna Buring as the assassins, Lenny Rush, Lucian Msamati, and Harry Lloyd.
Release Schedule and Where to Watch
Slow Horses Season 6 premiered on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, with new episodes released weekly on Apple TV. The six-episode season will conclude on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The show is available to stream globally in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and other regions where Apple TV is available. All five previous seasons are currently streaming on the platform.
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