The sheer abundance of spy series flowing onto streaming services is both a blessing and a source of frustration. Right now, Netflix’s Black Doves will serve as a tasty holiday snack, Peacock’s Day Of The Jackal is proving that there was a reason to reboot the classic film, and Netflix’s The Night Agent is looming for the New Year. Yet the most crotchety granddaddy of all is missed, even though Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb — the finest role of his storied and acclaimed career — hasn’t been gone too terribly long from Apple TV+.
Still, a few months feels like too long since this book, based upon Mick Herron’s Slough House book series, has served up a new episode. That might be the case because the smell of Jackson’s gas still lingers in the air, making it impossible to forget his stable of MI5 intelligence agents who also happen to be serving career purgatory. The fifth season is already in the can, according to showrunner Will Smith, with a sixth season in the works. Let’s chit chat about what we can expect in when Slow Horses returns.
Plot
This upcoming season will be based upon London Rules novel from Herron. We’ll get to that plot in a moment, but first, showrunner Will Smith provided a very crucial update to Collider. This has everything to do with the fact that Jackson Lamb cannot stop scarfing food, but instead of noodles, his fifth season obsession will include a cake overdose. Really:
“In Season 5, there’s a scene where he has to eat quite a lot of cake, and he ate too much cake. He had a bit of a sugar rush, and so we got it right. Sugar-free next time, or maybe Lamb has crudités, but nobody dares ask why.”
The suggestion there is that Lamb might turn towards healthy food someday, and nobody will be able to handle it. That interview with Smith took place in October, when the season was nearly finished filming and was “already into the edit.” Smith added, “Don’t worry, it’s coming.”
As viewers know, the fourth season finale was typically chaotic, but River Cartwright’s (Jack Lowden) allegiance appears to have grown clear. After receiving definitive word that his father is indeed Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving) and receiving a mercenary job offer from dad, River ended the season by having a drink with Jackson Lamb. So, we can assume that River will stick around with the Slough Horses, and there will be plenty for him to do. If the show sticks with the plot of Herron’s London Rules book, River will be a part of the fifth season, which will include him fretting over his grandfather and protecting a politician when the terror attacks keep coming. Otherwise, the fifth season will keep moving right along with its ensemble cast.
“It’s a good thing Jackson Lamb knows the rules. Because those things aren’t going to break themselves.” That’s how Penguin Random House sums up how Gary Oldman’s spymaster will respond to Slough House’s next challenges:
At MI5 headquarters Regent’s Park, First Desk Claude Whelan is learning the ropes the hard way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he’s facing attack from all directions: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat’s wife, a tabloid columnist, who’s crucifying Whelan in print; from the PM’s favorite Muslim, who’s about to be elected mayor of the West Midlands, despite the dark secret he’s hiding; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who’s alert for Claude’s every stumble. Meanwhile, the country’s being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks.
Over at Slough House, the MI5 satellite office for outcast and demoted spies, the agents are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. Plus someone is trying to kill Roddy Ho. But collectively, they’re about to rediscover their greatest strength—that of making a bad situation much, much worse.
Cast
In addition to Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb and Jack Lowden as River Cartwright, we can plan on seeing plenty of Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho, James Callis as Claude Whelan, Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner, and Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa Guy. We will not, as viewers know, be seeing more of Kadiff Kirwan as Marcus Longridge after his death, which came as an awkward surprise to Kadiff Kirwin’s family. Oh man.
Release Date
Unfortunately, an official date hasn’t surfaced. However, this show always returns in less than a year between seasons, so let’s look at the evidence:
Season 1 release date: April 2022
Season 2 release date: December 2022
Season 3 release date: November 2023
Season 4 release date: September 2024
So, we can expect the farty magic to happen again before September 2025. Late summer seems extraordinarily doable.
FWIW at the moment, the sixth season will cover the Joe Country and Slough House books.
Trailer
Gary Oldman has been ruling for decades, people. Yet there’s no question that Jackson Lamb is his favorite role.
Witness him cranking up an annoying song, The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles),” while pretending not to hear Nick Duffy: