Slow Horses Season 2 - Everything You Need To Know

The tale of misfit spies desperate to redeem themselves, "Slow Horses" is one of Apple TV+'s very best offerings. The espionage drama is based on Mick Herron's "Slough House" series, and Season 1 garnered an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fortunately for fans, Apple decided to renew the show, with Season 2 premiering on the streaming service on December 2, 2022. Of course, with the slovenly Jackson Lamb back in the field, we've got a ton of questions about what went down in the second season.

For example, does Season 2 compare to the impressive first installment? What cast members have returned, what do critics think about the season, and what conspiracies have our beloved heroes stumbled into this time? Well, thankfully, we've met in a very public location to exchange shady brown envelopes, and we've gathered all the vital intel required to get a hold of the situation before the Dogs do. Read on for everything you need to know about "Slow Horses" Season 2.

As "Slow Horses" is based on Mick Herron's "Slough House" series, each season so far has drawn inspiration from a corresponding book. The first season — appropriately enough — was based on 2010's "Slow Horses," while Season 2 is pulling from 2013's "Dead Lions." With everything happening in the world today, this one feels especially timely, as the plot involves Russian oligarchs and Cold War sleeper agents.

Season 2 starts off with the mysterious death of ex-MI5 agent Dickie Bow, a disgraced spy who seems to suffer a heart attack while taking a bus. But Jackson Lamb isn't so sure, and as he digs deeper into the case, he discovers the existence of the fabled cicadas, Soviet sleeper agents controlled by a Russian bogeyman no one's ever actually seen, a la Keyser Soze from "The Usual Suspects." With the help of his castaway agents, Lamb begins investigating the cicadas, with results that send shockwaves through Slough House.

After tackling a terrorist threat in the debut season, "Slow Horses" Season 2 sees its core cast back in action. The incredibly cranky yet still crafty head of Slough House, Jackson Lamb, is portrayed by Oscar-winner Gary Oldman, with Jack Lowden returning as his #1 agent/whipping boy, MI5 failure River Cartwright. Dustin Demi-Burns and Rosalind Eleazar are also back as Min Harper and Louisa Guy, struggling to balance their work life with their new relationship. Saskia Reeves returns as Lamb's overlooked but incredibly resourceful assistant, Catherine Standish, along with keyboard warrior Roddy Ho, played by Christopher Chung.

Season 2 also sees the addition of two new members to the Slough House group. Aimee-Ffion Edwards stars as Shirley Dander, a spy who could go incredibly far if not for her temper. Kadiff Kirwan also appears as Marcus Longridge, an agent with some serious personal issues who's drawn into a plot involving some very suspicious Russians. Of course, the MI5 types who've been sneering at Lamb's flock also return in Season 2. Kristin Scott Thomas is back as the exceptionally shifty Diana Taverner, along with Freddie Fox, playing Cartwright's office nemesis Spider Webb. Jonathan Pryce of "Game of Thrones" fame also returns as River's granddad, David Cartwright.

Rounding out the cast, we've got Samuel West as the insufferable Peter Judd, who's now the Home Secretary. Plus, Rade Serbedzija, Marek Vasut, Alec Utgoff, Catherine McCormack, Adrian Rawlins, Tamsin Topolski, and Phil Davis all play people wrapped up in a conspiracy involving sleeper agents, terrorist schemes, and Cold War intrigue.

When it comes to on-screen talent, "Slow Horses" Season 2 is absolutely stacked, and the same is true for all the creatives behind the camera. Every episode of "Slow Horses" Season 2 is directed by Jeremy Lovering, a man with a strong Edgar Wright connection. Lovering served as the second unit director on both "Hot Fuzz" and "Last Night in Soho," in addition to doing his own directing, with British TV shows like "Sherlock," "The One," and "Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned."

As for the writing crew, two episodes were written by Will Smith — no, not that Will Smith. Instead of punching aliens and slapping Chris Rock, this Will Smith has written for two of the best political shows of our era: "Veep" and "The Thick of It." Two additional episodes were written by comedian Morwenna Banks, whose voice you might recognize as that of Mummy Pig from "Peppa Pig." And two other episodes were penned by the writing duo of Mark Denton and Jonny Stockwood, who also created the eight-episode crime drama "Strangers."

"Slow Horses" Season 1 was a big hit with those who found it on Apple TV+. Critics lavished the series with praise, giving it a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So how does the second season hold up? Well, according to critics ... it's even better. At the time of this writing, Season 2 boasts a perfect 100% score based on 25 reviews.

As Jack Delingpole of The Spectator put it, "Like all those classic BBC Le Carré adaptations, it's a superb piece of ensemble acting. Gary Oldman is at the top of his game as Jackson Lamb, the grotesque but weirdly adorable station chief at Slough House." John Anderson of the Wall Street Journal concurred, writing, "The season has a determinedly cinematic quality that elevates it beyond most spy series, as does the first-rate writing. ... It straddles genres deftly, perhaps creating its own in the process."

The incredibly bingeable series also boasts a near-perfect audience approval rating. At the time of this writing, "Slow Horses" Season 2 has an audience score on Rotten Tomatoes of 95%, based on 251 reviews.

If you're wanting to visit Slough House, get yelled at by Jackson Lamb, and then stumble upon a plot involving reactivated Russian spies, where can you go? Well, there's only one place you can watch "Slow Horses" Season 2, and that's on Apple TV+. Not so coincidentally, that's also where you can find Season 1, which introduces us to these lovable misfits as they try to save a young man from his murderous kidnappers.