Apple TV+ finally locks Slow Horses season 6 premiere date as Gary Oldman returns
Gary Oldmans Slow Horses has a date: Season 6 hits Apple TV+ on September 16, 2026, with Jackson Lamb corralling MI5’s castoffs for another chaotic run.
If you’ve been itching to see more of Gary Oldman’s curmudgeonly Jackson Lamb and his ragtag bunch of MI5 outcasts, here’s something to stick on your calendar: 'Slow Horses' will be back for its sixth season on Apple TV+, and they've actually given us a proper date this time.
When's it Back, Then?
Season 6 of 'Slow Horses' drops on 16 September 2026, and Apple are keeping to their weekly trickle-drip format – so you’ll get one episode each week, with the finale landing on 21 October 2026. Why 2026? Not entirely clear, but apparently no sense of urgency in Slough House or at Apple HQ.
What’s The Story This Time?
This series is raiding material from two Mick Herron novels: 'Joe Country' and 'Slough House' (that's book six and seven in the series, if you're counting).
This run sees Kristin Scott Thomas’s MI5 boss Diana Taverner apparently dragging the slow horses yet again into, quote, “a high-stakes game of retaliation and revenge.” Vague? Yes. Promising? If past seasons are any indicator, almost certainly.
Who’s Still Stuck in Slough House?
- Gary Oldman returns as the ever-grubby Jackson Lamb
- Jack Lowden as River Cartwright, the most idealistic agent in the building (not much competition)
- Christopher Chung as the ferociously irritating tech whiz Roddy Ho
- Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish, who you’d trust far more than your own co-workers
- Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Shirley Dander, with that unsettling stare
- Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa Guy – tough, with actual MI5 competence
- Tom Brooke as the twitchy J.K. Coe
- Jonathan Pryce as River’s not-so-trustworthy grandfather David Cartwright
- Hugo Weaving still menacing as Frank Harkness
- Joanna Scanlan as Moira Tregorian
- Samuel West as Peter Judd MP, all politics and side-eye
- Ruth Bradley as Emma Flyte
- New face: Lenny Rush in a mystery role
Backroom Brigade
If you’re interested in the sort of names who appear at the BAFTAs looking stressed, 'Slow Horses' is still being steered by Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Julian Stevens, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Adam Randall, and Gail Mutrux. Gary Oldman is executive producing now, with Douglas Urbanski in tow – which probably means plenty of scenes with Oldman slumped in a chair looking like he means it.
How Did We Get Here?
'Slow Horses' first hit Apple TV+ back in 2022, and, unlike most spy capers, seemed to win everyone over by being both properly British and absolutely miserable at times. The critics liked it; the BAFTAs noticed it; Emmy nominations followed, and the streaming service gave it some actual marketing. Plus, the fan base is frighteningly loyal for a series where every government employee is basically damaged goods.
As For Season 7…
In case you were worried, the ride isn’t ending soon. Season 7 is already officially confirmed, with Apple eyeing a 2027 window. Given their current release strategy, that’s probably a very literal window – you’ll be able to see it, but it’ll be a while before you can get through.