Slow Horses: Season 5

There aren't many modern television series that I truly regard as must-watch. Of the few that are, they typically have not run for many seasons, meaning suggesting Arcane or Andor is a bit of a strange selection as they have been great for two batches of episodes. Over on Apple TV+, the Slow Horses series has been great for four seasons already, four seasons that have debuted one year after another, and now it's time for a fifth. So, is Season 5 must-watch TV?

Simply put, yes. Slow Horses' fifth round of episodes is another example of television at its finest. It's intricately and cleverly put together, gripping and thrilling, never wastes your time or takes your investment for granted, has twists and turns that will surprise, and the signature razor-sharp wit too. It's Slow Horses as you would expect, but even more refined and entertaining, reflecting the trend that the series has experienced up to this point, where each season somehow manages to outdo the last.

This season is a little different to the one that preceded it, as it's back to what we know and love about the show. It's not about long-lost family members who are actually incredibly dangerous terrorists, it's espionage and the tug-of-war of cops and robbers-type thrill that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Who is the real mastermind here, what are the true motives, how will this situation get any worse, can MI5 and the Slow Horses prevail...? Each episode drip feeds you a little more and keeps you guessing all until the grand crescendo in the latter episodes where all the pieces fall into place. It's an astonishing jigsaw puzzle that once again goes to show that this is perhaps the consistently best-written series of television on Apple TV+ out there right now.

So while you can expect a story and plot that once again lives up to and even exceeds the high standards past seasons have laid out, you can also expect another batch of great performances, with the ever-amazing Gary Oldman leading the charge. Frankly put, Jackson Lamb might just be Oldman's best character to date, and that's saying a lot, and in this season we get a further taste as to why that could be the case in insightful nods into the character's past that Oldman delivers with such intensity and detail that you feel as though you lived these moments in Lamb's shoes. This character continues to be one of the most fascinating on-screen, because he's frankly an awful human being, and yet like the Slow Horses, you wouldn't hesitate to ride to the gates of hell and back for him, and that's in large part down to Oldman's top-of-the-line performance.

Otherwise, this season, as is the theme with Slow Horses in the past, allows some of the supporting characters to shine brightest, with Aimee-Ffion Edwards' Shirley and Tom Brooke's Coe becoming fascinatingly deeper personas. Jack Lowden's River is still crucial of course, as is Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana, and Christopher Chung's Roddy, but these two individuals who have felt a bit more overlooked in the past get the chance to thrive and they do steal the spotlight on occasions.

But the point is that the level of excellence and quality you have come to expect from Slow Horses in the four seasons prior continues to be carried forward here. It's outstanding and effortlessly entertaining television, massively enjoyable regardless of the type of TV you tend to consume, and simply put, truly unmissable TV. Bravo, Slow Horses, you continue to be the star in the sparkling television crown that Apple TV+ wears.