Fans of the hit Apple TV+ spy drama Slow Horses are eagerly awaiting the next mission after the explosive end of season five. The good news is that season six is definitely happening and has already been filmed. The bad news? You will need a bit of patience, as an official release date has not yet been announced.
The Renewal and Production Status
Apple TV+ officially renewed Slow Horses for a sixth season in October 2024, continuing its tradition of greenlighting new seasons well in advance. In a confident move, the streaming service has also confirmed a season seven is in the pipeline.
The production for season six is complete. This means that much of the work is already finished, putting the season on track for its future release. However, the show will have a new voice behind the scenes. Will Smith, the Emmy-winning writer and executive producer who many fans considered the showrunner, has stepped down after season five. He explained that the demanding schedule of simultaneously writing, shooting, and editing different seasons became too much of a juggling act.
“As the deadlines for Season 6 approached, it was clear I was never going to be able to get the scripts done, because it’s kind of a juggling act working on this show,” Smith told The Wrap.
The writing duties for seasons six and seven have been taken over by Gabby Chiappe and Ben Vanstone.
When Can We Expect Season 6?
While there is no confirmed premiere date from Apple TV+, we can make an educated guess based on the show’s past schedule. The series has settled into a reliable pattern of releasing one season per year.
Looking at the history of previous seasons, they have typically debuted in the latter part of the year:
- Season 2 premiered in December 2022
- Season 3 premiered in November 2023
- Season 4 premiered in September 2024
- Season 5 premiered in September 2025
Following this pattern, it is highly likely that season six will arrive in the fall of 2026, with a September or October release being a strong possibility.
The Story and Source Material
For the first time, a season of Slow Horses will adapt two of Mick Herron’s novels instead of one. Season six will weave together the plots of “Joe Country” and “Slough House,” the sixth and seventh books in the series.
The official premise from Apple TV states that the season “sees the Slow Horses on the run as Diana Taverner embroils them all in a fatally high-stakes game of retaliation and revenge.”
A teaser trailer shown after the season five finale provided some exciting clues. It revealed that a file containing the real names of the Slow Horses has been stolen, making them targets. Jackson Lamb is seen telling a character, “We don’t exist anymore.” The teaser also confirmed the return of a major antagonist: Hugo Weaving’s character, Frank Harkness, will once again come face-to-face with his son, River Cartwright.
The plot from “Joe Country” involves the Slow Horses dealing with painful memories and personal struggles while being sent into dangerous territory to settle a score. The story from “Slough House” raises the stakes even higher, as the Slough House office is erased from official records and its members start dying in suspicious circumstances, forcing them into a fight for their lives.
Who Is Returning for Season 6?
Viewers can expect to see all their favorite disgraced spies back on screen. The main cast set to return includes:
- Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
- Jack Lowden as River Cartwright
- Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner
- Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish
- Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho
- Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Shirley Dander
- Tom Brooke as JK Coe
Additionally, the teaser confirmed that Hugo Weaving is back as Frank Harkness. The future of some characters, like Rosalind Eleazar’s Louisa Guy, who left Slough House in season five, remains less clear as she was not shown in the teaser footage. New guest stars for the season include Lenny Rush, MyAnna Buring, Harry Lloyd, Kyle Soller, and Lucian Msamati.
