Slow Horses season 2: Release date, cast and latest news
When will we be returning to Slough House? **Warning: This article contains spoilers for Slow Horses season 1**
Slow Horses is returning for its second season and we can't wait to catch up with Gary Oldman's brilliant yet irascible Jackson Lamb and his Slough House team.
Season 2 is based on Mick Herron's second book in the Lamb series, called Dead Lions, which sees Russian sleeper agents in London reactivated.
Season 1 has come to an explosive end, with Hassan being freed, the kidnappers either killed or incarcerated, and Lamb and his team finally clearing their names, meaning most of them will be back for season 2.
The season was filmed back to back with season 1, explaining the quick turn-around after those first episodes arrived earlier this year.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com earlier this year, Herron teased big changes in the upcoming second season of the show, making clear that he’s happy for the series to deviate from his novels as long as it’s in line with the characters and tone.
"Slow Horses was very faithful to the plot of the original book. That's probably less true in the next one for a variety of reasons," he said. "All the big changes to plots have been made with either my happy agreement or, sometimes, at my suggestion."
With a release date for the new episodes now set, read on for everything you need to know about Slow Horses season 2 on Apple TV+.
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Will there be a Slow Horses season 2?
Yes, Slow Horses season 2 has been confirmed, along with seasons 3 and 4!
Season 2 has already been filmed and will adapt Dead Lions, the second book in Mick Herron's series of novels, with the first trailer for the new episodes revealed at the end of season 1 episode 6.
The show's third and fourth seasons were then confirmed in June of this year, and are expected to adapt Real Tigers and Spook Street.
Slow Horses season 2 release date speculation
Slow Horses season 2 will premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday 2nd December, with the first two episodes dropping at once, followed by a new episode being released each week.
The official synopsis for the new run says: "In season 2, long-buried Cold War secrets emerge which threaten to bring carnage to the streets of London. When a liaison with Russian villains takes a fatal turn, our hapless heroes must overcome their individual failings and raise their spy game in a race to prevent a catastrophic incident."
Considering that cliffhanger with Lamb and River's father David's history revealed, the new episodes can't come soon enough!
Slow Horses season 2 cast - who's set to return?
Most of the Slow Horses cast members are already confirmed to be returning, including:
- Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
- Jack Lowden as River Cartwright
- Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner
- Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish
- Jonathan Pryce as David Cartwright
- Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho
- Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa Guy
- Dustin Demri-Burns as Min Harper
- Freddie Fox as James 'Spider' Webb
- Chris Reilly as Nick Duffy
Meanwhile Samuel West, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Kadiff Kirwan are all also confirmed to be joining the series in currently undisclosed roles.
One cast member whose return is not guaranteed is Olivia Cooke, after her character Sid was shot in the head during season 1.
The finale left her fate uncertain, with Taverner suggesting she'd died, but Roddy confirming that her records had been wiped, meaning "she might still be alive somewhere".
Given this tease, we'd hazard a guess that Sid will be back at some point.
Is there a trailer for Slow Horses season 2?
There is! The show's first trailer was revealed exclusively at the end of the first season, while another trailer was released online in October 2022.
You can watch the full trailer, which features plenty of Lamb and River's usual bickering, right here now.
How many Slow Horses books are there?
There have been 11 books so far in the Slow Horses book series following Jackson Lamb by author Mick Herron.
They are listed as follows.
- Slow Horses (2010)
- Dead Lions (2013)
- The List (2015 novella)
- Real Tigers (2016)
- Spook Street (2017)
- London Rules (2018)
- The Drop (2018 novella)
- Joe Country (2019)
- The Catch (2020 novella)
- Slough House (2021)
- Bad Actors (2022)
So far, only the first two books have been confirmed for the series, although we know that seasons 3 and 4 are on the way, suggesting we will also get Real Tigers and Spook Street (assuming the series skips the novellas). Beyond this, it certainly seems that more could be on the way!
Slow Horses season 2 will premiere on 2nd December 2022 – you can sign up to Apple TV Plus here.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
