Slow Horses season 5 has come to an end, and now it’s time to look ahead at what the future of the show holds for season 6 and beyond. The popular British espionage drama starring Gary Oldman has been going strong since 2022 on Apple TV.
Throughout, the show has been following closely along to the story as established in the book series, Slough House, by author Mick Herron. That saga consists of nine novels, and a series of novellas and collections that fill in some gaps between each entry.
Slow Horses Has Already Been Renewed For Seasons 6 & 7
As a result of the popularity of the series, Slow Horses has already been renewed for seasons 6 and 7. This renewal was announced back in July 2025.
Since early 2022, when the show premiered, Slow Horses has managed to release a new season during the latter half of each subsequent year. And considering the renewal status, it appears as though 2026 will continue this trend, debuting Slow Horses season 6.
Slow Horses Season 6 Latest News – Pending Release Date
While Slow Horses returning annually has become a trend for the show, it has departed from earlier seasons in a couple of meaningful ways. For one, the previous showrunner, Will Smith (not to be confused with the Hollywood actor), has stepped away from working on the series as confirmed by Deadline in July 2025.
On top of that, Slow Horses season 6 will be the first season of the show to incorporate elements of two of the Slough House novels, Joe Country, and Slough House. Gaby Chiappe has taken the reins to spearhead season 6, while another creative, Ben Vanstone, is focused on leading season 7.
Despite all the changes, it does seem as though Slow Horses season 6 is on track to be released in the Fall of 2026.
Slow Horses Season 6 Production Status
Fans of Slow Horses will be pleased to know that Slow Horses season 6 is actually already in the process of post-production. Gary Oldman, the Oscar award-winning actor who plays leading man Jackson Lamb in the series, confirmed that filming on season 6 has wrapped, and season 7 was due to begin filming in late October 2025.
This means there is plenty of time for the creatives responsible for delivering season 6 to refine the show and ensure it is made to a high standard. However, it may also result in some frustration for fans to know that season 6 is so close, but still in a phase of holding ahead of any official release date.
Slow Horses Season 6 Cast
Slow Horses season 6 will likely include much of the cast that has formed the foundation for the series so far. Gary Oldman, speaking out about his involvement, assures that he will, of course, return as Jackson Lamb, and assuming no major shake-ups in the season 5 finale, the rest of the team at Slough House should also return.
That includes Jack Lowden, who plays River Cartwright, Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner, Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish, Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho, Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Shirley Dander, Ruth Bradley as Emma Flyte, and Tom Brooke as J.K. Coe.
Others who have made repeated appearances throughout the series’ run are James Callis, who plays Claude Whelan, Jonathan Pryce, who plays David Cartwright, Samuel West, who plays Peter Judd, and Rosalind Eleazar, who plays Louisa Guy.
Slow Horses Season 6 Story Details – What Season 5 Sets Up
Fans of the novels will likely have a much clearer idea of what to expect in the upcoming series of Slow Horses, but for those only following the Apple TV original series, there are a number of things we can expect to happen during Slow Horses season 6.
It has become a certainty that the Slough House agents will be targeted or punished in some way, likely by both MI5 and whatever group of criminals threatens the peace in London. In addition, there is almost certainly going to be mayhem and mismanagement over at MI5.
According to the books, it does appear that the plot will thicken as pressure intensifies for Slough House, and for MI5 as they zero in on a new target in Joe Country, the sixth book. Book seven, Slough House, sees the team further expelled from MI5 when the agency wipes any trace of their existence from official records.
Of course, with a new showrunner at the helm, and covering the subject matter of two books while following five seasons of previously aired episodes, it will mean the show is likely to evolve and move in some unique directions, but the foundations appear to be fairly steady at this point in the show.
Slow Horses season 6 is certain to delight and excite fans of both the books and the show, and with further renewals and filming already under way, there is a lot more that Slow Horses will dive into before the story ends.
