Mick Herron is quietly becoming one of Apple TV’s not-so-secret weapons. The adaptation of his best-selling novel, Slow Horses, gave the streamer one of its sharpest shows while also letting Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb become a small-screen landmark. But long before that, Herron was writing about another kind of investigator: Zoë Boehm, a pragmatic detective with a complicated past. As the streamer is now expanding that multiverse with Emma Thompson in the lead of its new series, its latest Down Cemetery Road pulls the author’s signature sensibility out of MI5’s basement and into a much smaller, stranger domestic chapter of middle-class Oxford.
But what’s striking here is how easily Herron’s tone translates. Anchored by Thompson and Ruth Wilson, Down Cemetery Road is funny without being glib, and dark without being grim. The eight-episode seriestrades covert missions for cul-de-sacs and intrigue, but it’s still very much preoccupied with guilt, secrecy, and the quiet absurdity of English life. Herron’s world may look neater with trimmed lawns and symmetrical houses, but that very surface feels intentionally deceptive — a choice that makes every crack in its facade land harder. While it never quite reaches the rhythm of Slow Horses, it’s still a very confident and twisted, slow-burning mystery that’s equally well-acted and well-observed to dismiss.
What Is ‘Down Cemetery Road’ About?
With vibes of an Agatha Christie mystery meets Mare of Easttown, Down Cemetery Road starts like one of those cozy BBC-stylized dramas, but evolves into something much darker. Art conservator, Sarah (Wilson), is “happily” married to Mark (Tom Riley), a finance bro who charms everyone but his wife like it’s some sort of performance review. The couple has a very polished, sterile life right up until the moment it all blows up, literally. Not even 20 minutes into the premiere, a massive explosion tears through the quiet Oxford neighborhood during a dinner party hosted by the pair.
Worried about how this all happened so suddenly, Sarah discovers that a child appears to be missing — the very same one she saw earlier that day, chasing a butterfly through a tunnel. It’s at this moment that Sarah can no longer compartmentalize the tragedy, even if Mark urges her to drop it. What follows is a slow unraveling of someone who can’t get over their instincts that something is very wrong. While the police call it a gas leak and friends tell her to leave it alone, Sarah’s persistence leads her to private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson) and her estranged husband Joe (Adam Godley), who each realize the case has much sharper edges than expected. From there, the story takes a rather twisty turn as what seems like a simple accident slowly widens into a web of conspiracies hiding in plain sight.
Without giving too much away, Down Cemetery Road brilliantly expands from a neighborhood tragedy into something shadier and much murkier than expected, especially with a 5-year-old at the center of it all. What starts with a run-of-the-mill search for answers becomes a world that is less than ordinary as those neat Oxford streets suddenly feel staged with every passing smile. By the end of the second episode, it’s clear the series isn’t just about a single disaster but more about a chain reaction that leads to a massive government cover-up that goes all the way to the top.
‘Down Cemetery Road’ Trusts the Viewer to Sit in the Unease
Though the writing in Down Cemetery Road may not have the same razor-sharp edge of Oldman’s series, it still carries a sly awareness of what it means to be human and at your lowest. Written by Slow Horses’ Morwenna Banks, this is a series that unfolds at a slow, deliberate pace that fits the story’s growing paranoia and mystery. Having watched the entire show for review, it’s clear every episode feels like a progression to a deeper conspiracy — even when there is nothing explosive for long stretches, but that one little detail changes the entire tone. Not to mention, there is a good level of intrigue and suspense with its unpredictable government cover-up plot that builds in every episode, keeping you equally engaged through its twists, whether it be between the characters’ pasts or the present they are confronting.
Visually, it’s also a series that leans into its very contradictions. Oxford is meant to look tidy, but the camera catches the imperfections perfectly. This is all thanks to award-nominated director Natalie Bailey (Run, The Unusual Suspects) setting the tone in the first two episodes, giving the series a painterly precision that mirrors Sarah’s own fixation with restoration. It’s an elegant work, though occasionally you can feel the pacing drag in a few moments, whether that be conversations with side characters or lingering shots that seem more interested in creating mood rather than movement.
But that’s part of what makes it so compelling. It’s very grounded and aware of its story in every frame. Even when the mystery hurdles to something bigger and leans into the Ministry of Defense playing games, the writing never loses sight of that emotional throughline and the slow erosion of certainty in every stone Sarah and Zoe turn over. It’s not at all a flashy series. It’s still quietly assured and sharp, but it is confident enough to let its leads take us to some dark places as we get into some diabolical territory. Moreover, it is funny in the right places and will genuinely make you laugh. It is this balance that plays well to its story without ever feeling tacky or unwelcome.
‘Down Cemetery Road’s Cast Keeps the Show on the Right Track
For all the reasons Down Cemetery Road works, it’s because of its tight casting that refuses to let any interest drift away. Wilson is phenomenal and one of those actors who can turn a breakdown into a masterclass in restraint. You can practically see the thoughts flicker behind her eyes before she says anything, especially in scenes she shares with Thompson and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, a man who will stop at nothing to find the young girl.
Meanwhile, Thompson walks the fine line between detached and deeply wounded. Her Zoë Boehm is funny in the driest possible way and amazing to watch, really. She’s a legit force in our industry, and watching her kick ass in some of the most delightful ways is absorbingly fun to watch, especially when she gives us very pointed glimmers of Zoe being raw and vulnerable. Not to mention, the chemistry she shares with Wilson in particular is prickly, which is exactly what it should be, and makes the show incredibly fun to watch.
The supporting cast adds its own eccentric edges, like Adeel Akhtar’s strikingly nervous bureaucrat, who is someone we know is trying to just do his job to stay alive, but is equally irritating to everyone around him. Darren Boyd’s charmingly sinister government man is a delight to watch, especially on the heels of Apple TV’s Trying, where he is usually so nonchalant and a bit of a himbo. Stewart, who shares the most scenes with Wilson, elevates the mystery of the young girl and humanizes so much of the conspiracy. But one of the most captivating roles is by Fehinti Balogun as an unnervingly calm government assassin who adds texture to Herron’s offbeat world. He is cold, calculated, and someone whose mind you cannot read, which adds to the fears we have for our leads.
In the end, Down Cemetery Road isn’t aiming for fireworks or to be the next Slow Horses. It’s more interested in the slow burn left behind and the impact of Herron’s morally gray worlds that usually nestles itself inside these suburban streets. With Thompson and Wilson making sure every silence feels loaded, it’s a deliciously twisted thriller that never forgets to be human, even when it’s tangled in secrets. Though it’s not flawless and will at times raise more questions, the result is smart, stylish, and just shadowy enough to keep you glued.
Down Cemetery Road premieres with two episodes on October 29 on Apple TV, with a new episode every Wednesday.
- Release Date
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October 29, 2025
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Showrunner
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Carlton Cuse, Ryan J. Condal
- Directors
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Natalie Bailey
- Writers
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Morwenna Banks
- Ruth Wilson and Emma Thompson deliver magnetic performances that elevate every quiet, uneasy moment.
- The writing captures Mick Herron?s knack for dry wit and moral ambiguity without leaning too heavily on exposition.
- The show?s slow-burn pacing builds genuine tension, rewarding patient viewers with emotional payoff.
- The pacing occasionally lingers too long on atmosphere, causing a few episodes to lose momentum.
- Some subplots, particularly around secondary characters, feel underdeveloped or abruptly resolved.
