Why You Should Be Watching TV’s Most Criminally Underrated Show

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Apple TV The long wait for a new James Bond continues, but who needs 007 when Gary Oldman’s veteran spy Jackson Lamb is here to save the U.K. from yet another threat in Apple TV’s Slow Horses ? OK, maybe Lamb doesn’t have the same sharp sartorial flair, personal hygiene, or devilish charm as Ian Fleming’s dashing hero.

Still, what he lacks in the grooming department he more than makes up for in sardonic retorts, espionage skills, and weaponized farts .

Not only is Lamb consistent in delivering results—despite a ragtag team and a lack of resources—but, unlike other Apple TV hits that make you wait at least three years for new episodes (hello, Severance and Ted Lasso ), Slow Horses, which premieres its sixth season on Wednesday, Sept.

16, is the most consistently excellent show in the game.

Despite its seemingly unheard-of annual release schedule and unparalleled quality, Slow Horses hasn’t quite hit the obsessive heights of Severance , Ted Lasso , and now Widow’s Bay for Apple TV.

That is not to say that Slow Horses is a niche title flying well beneath the radar.

It has chalked up 28 Emmy nominations over the last three years, including two wins (for directing and writing), and is in the running for more at the 2026 ceremony.

The sixth season had a flashy premiere at the Toronto Film Festival , and star Jack Lowden is on the shortlist to play the next James Bond.

Even with those accolades and glittering attention, the spy venture has never been part of the rare monoculture fervor of the aforementioned Apple shows, or something like The Pitt , another streaming hit that does not make audiences wait too long for more.

Based on Mick Herron’s best-selling novel series , Slow Horses blends high-stakes thrills with a workplace comedy tone.

Much like Succession , it is correctly categorized as a drama but never fails to make you laugh.

Part of that is Oldman’s note-perfect delivery, highlighting Lamb’s blistering contempt for his team of MI5 rejects, assigned to the rundown Slough House in central London because they screwed up on the job—they are called “Slow Horses” as a derogatory nickname.

And the show’s dialogue isn’t the only source of humor; action scenes also shift between tense interactions and funny reactions to the farcical nature that bubbles up amid a national crisis.

Throughout its run, Lowden’s perpetually frustrated River Cartwright constantly finds himself oscillating between failure and saving the day.