Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas are disappointed spies in the Slow Horses trailer

The Apple TV Plus spy series follows MI5's outcasts on a quest to redeem themselves

Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas are disappointed spies in the Slow Horses trailer
Gary Oldman in Slow Horses Graphic: Apple TV+

After previously giving us a first look at Gary Oldman in costume, Apple TV+ has now shared the trailer for the new series Slow Horses, also starring Kristin Scott Thomas. Based on the book of the same name by Mick Herron, the six-episode show follows a group of reject MI5 agents on a mission that’s way out of their depth.

Oldman’s Jackson Lamb leads the Slough House office, and his charges include Jack Lowden as River Cartwright (Small Axe, Fighting With My Family), Olivia Cooke (Sound Of Metal, Ready Player One) as Sid Baker, and Rosalind Eleazar (The Personal History Of David Copperfield, Harlots) as Louisa Guy.

These characters have all been taken out of the field for their previous failures, and they’re all desperate to impress Lamb and his boss Diana Taverner (Scott Thomas). Investigating a hostage situation seems like a simple enough way to get back into MI5's good graces, but again, these are not the agency’s best and brightest. Accidentally killing a person of interest does not seem like it would lead to getting promoted, but hey, we’re not spymasters.

All six episodes of Slow Horses were directed by James Hawes (Black Mirror, The Alienist) and written by Veep alum Will Smith. While the series has the look of a tense, chilly crime drama, it also promises a healthy dose of dark humor, bravely considering the possibility that espionage could be deeply uncool and involve digging through garbage. Slow Horses asks the timeless question: how will this ragtag band of misfits come together to save the day?

The first two episodes of the series will be available on Apple TV+ on April 1, followed by weekly releases on Fridays. Mick Herron’s Slough House series consists of eight novels, but there’s no word yet on the adaptation of further books.

 
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