Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Chris Revelle | TV | September 18, 2026
With the end of the summer and the slow creeping of fall, there comes the distinct waft of grimy spycraft and Jackson Lamb’s farts. Yes, friends, it’s time for Slow Horses, and the sixth season kicked the door right off the hinges. There were some shocks and some familiar faces coming out of the shadows in Wednesday’s premiere episode (“Circle of Life”), but perhaps the greatest shock was in how the episode departed from its usual ways of doing its dirty business.
What a cluster-bomb of a premiere. Actual ice goddess Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) made First Desk, and wow did she ever go on a tear making life hard for Slough House. While she was busy pulling real estate pranks and spilling big dark secrets, season one dweeb and former Slow Horse, Struan Loy (Paul Higgins), got murdered by mysterious strangers who might be targeting former Horses. Taverner hid it from Lamb (Gary Oldman), who will definitely figure out it was her anyway. All characters converge at the funeral of David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce), who passed away after developing dementia. River (Jack Lowden) is devastated, and matters are only made worse when his father, Jack Harkness (Hugo Weaving), swings by to punch him in the throat. Catherine (Saskia Reeves) struggles with her alcoholism, which will not be easier after learning who killed her traitorous mentor, Charles. It’s a parade of woes on Slow Horses!
Even recognizing that viewers will likely miss David more than they will Loy, lining up so many character deaths is a gutsy way to start the season. When taken with the appearance of old characters like Harkness, there’s a portentous tension in the air. The series’ gallows humor is still there; River bending over backwards to eulogize his grandfather according to his cover-job as a transportation bureaucrat is a high point. It’s that the mood feels heavier than usual. The truth of Charles’ death is a foundational secret to the show, in the same way that David felt like a foundational character. These elements give the series more sincerity than usual, and they’ve prompted Slow Horses to do something it hasn’t really done before: take River seriously.
River is an affectionate parody of the action hero: he more than looks the part, but more often than not, he falls on his face. He’s not a clown, but Slow Horses tends to dunk on River, as if the series is concerned he’ll get too big a head. This dynamic allowed River to be the ostensible lead while leaving room for co-leads like Lamb and the rest of the ensemble. With David dead, the series focuses on River’s grief, and naturally, that lends an emotional depth that wasn’t there before. There were minimal subplots (Does “Coe whacks a realtor with a keyboard” count?), which allowed less characterization for the supporting cast. Taken together, it made River feel more like the lead than ever. It’s surprising, and Lowden can crush it, but hopefully the other Horses will get time to shine too.
I trust Slow Horses can handle the shift and remain its gimlet-eyed self. Still, it feels like a turning point for the series, with the threats against Slough House seeming more targeted than ever. AppleTV+ renewed the series through season 8, so we can rest easy that at least some of the Horses will survive, but what absurd lengths will they go to do it?
