Emma Thompson & Ruth Wilson's Apple TV Series Is A Must-Watch For Slow Horses Fans

"Slow Horses" is the sort of infinitely watchable show that makes fans sad when they run out of episodes. With season 6 of the Apple TV series set to arrive soon — likely in 2026 — those fans will no doubt be looking for something to tide them over. Well, now they have a solution: "Down Cemetery Road." This adaptation of Mick Herron's debut novel is not only full of "Slow Horses"-like wit, it's a damn fine thriller in its own right, has garnered positive reviews across the board, and has proved to be a mainstay on the global Apple TV charts since its October 2025 debut.

Before he became known as the man behind the "Slow Horses" novels, Herron debuted on the literary scene with 2003's "Down Cemetery Road," the first of what would become a four-book series focusing on Oxford private detective Zoë Boehm. At the time, the British author was working for a trade journal on U.K. employment law but was eager to break away from what honestly sounds like a kind of dull drudgery befitting the Slow Horses themselves.

The series was hardly a hit. Herron was unable to quit his desk job and continued writing in his evenings, hoping he'd one day be able to do so full-time. As the author told the Wall Street Journal, the books "hadn't set the world alight," and as such, he was, in his own estimation, close to becoming as derelict as the residents of Slough House. Now that those Slough House misfits have become so massively popular, however, Herron has very much left his trade journal job behind. All of which means there's no better time for his early, pre-Slough house books to finally get the attention they deserve via a premium TV drama.

"Slow Horses" has taken far too long to become as popular as it is. The best spy show on TV has been consistently great since its 2022 debut, and despite season 5 leaning a little too hard on the more comical aspects of the series and suffering as a result, "Slow Horses" was easily one of the best Apple TV shows of 2025 (so far). In fact, it remains better than 99% of anything else you'll see in the streaming age. That alone should have you excited for "Down Cemetery Road," which retains much of the Mick Herron wit that found its way into the "Slow Horses" adaptation.

The new eight-part crime thriller is streaming on Apple TV and stars Emma Thompson as private investigator Zoë Boehm, who's hired by Ruth Wilson's Sarah Trafford to look into the circumstances surrounding an explosion in her otherwise quiet Oxford neighborhood. The blast, which is initially blamed on a gas leak, seems much more suspicious than the authorities claim, especially since it killed Sarah's friend Maddie. Adding to the intrigue, Maddie's young daughter goes missing that very same night. The series follows Sarah and Zoë as they try to track down the missing youngster, uncover the truth behind the explosion, and eventually unravel a mystery that involves a military conspiracy.

Without Gary Oldman's unreasonably good performance as slobbish Slough House boss Jackson Lamb, you might be wondering how "Down Cemetery Road" could possibly match up to "Slow Horses." But with Thompson in the lead, it seems we're getting yet another British legend delivering a standout performance that has got the critics raving.

Two episodes of "Down Cemetery Road" hit Apple TV on October 29, 2025, with six more set to arrive weekly until December 10, 2025. According to FlixPatrol, the show charted in 100 countries the day following its arrival, hitting number one in two of them before achieving the same feat in several more countries. At the time of writing, "Down Cemetery Road' has been at number two in its native United Kingdom for a week and managed to snag that same position on the U.S. charts as of November 5, 2025. It's now charting in 102 countries, making it yet another success for one of the best streaming services nobody is subscribed to.

Apple TV is losing a ridiculous amount of money in a market dominated by Netflix, which won the streaming wars long ago. That's a shame because the service is packed with top-quality shows, and "Down Cemetery Road" is just the latest example. At least, the critics think so. While "Slow Horses" showrunner Will Smith (who departed the show at the end of season 5 and was a big part of its overall success) isn't involved in the Emma Thompson-led show, it's still managed to impress reviewers. The series has a solid 81% rating over on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics have almost unanimously praised Thompson's performance as well as the show's pacing and intensity. The Guardian's Lucy Mangan described it as a "pacy, twisty thriller," while Variety's Alison Herman thinks it "shares enough positive qualities with its predecessor, from a mordant wit to some riveting action once things heat up, that 'Slow Horses' fans will find plenty to tide them over between seasons." With all that in mind, there's frankly no reason why you shouldn't be watching.