Slow Horses [AppleTV+]

edited July 2022 in General Movies & TV Posts: 440
Thought I might as well make a thread for this show in case anybody wants to discuss it.

First up, some good news. Series 3 and 4 have just begun filming.

Much like the first two series (though only series 1 has been released thus far) it's being shot as one big 10-11 month filming block.

Presumably to amortise the costs of filming, set construction and flying Oldman and Scott-Thomas out to the UK. (He lives in California and she lives in France.)
"A lengthy shoot on the second filming tranche of Apple TV+’s Slow Horses has just begun in London, to be delivered as Series 3 and 4.

From See-Saw Films, it is based on Mick Herron’s Slough House spy thrillers.

Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb, a washed-up spy who, after a botched mission, ends up in MI5’s dumping ground, Slough House, where the service rejects are known as ‘slow horses’. Jack Lowden and Kristin Scott Thomas are among the starry cast.

The third series centres on the disgraced group attempting to foil a rogue agent when one of their own team is kidnapped, and the fourth opens with a bombing.

As with the first run, which formed S1 and S2, the production will shoot for 10-11 months and then tx as two series of six episodes each."

https://www.theknowledgeonline.com/the-knowledge-bulletin/post/2022/07/18/slow-horses-begins-second-lengthy-uk-shoot-

Comments

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited July 2022 Posts: 18,348
    I've not seen this series (don't have Apple TV+) or read any of the novels by Mick Herron yet but I've heard that they're a bit like John Gardner's Boysie Oakes novels with the incompetent agent theme. For that alone I'd like to try them out some time and wouldn't mind seeing this series either if it was ever released commercially.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    I watched the first series a couple of months. A really nice, tightly written series with great performances all round. I was glad to hear that they'd already filmed the second series and that two more series have been ordered.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,181
    I love the novels and the TV series carries that ethos through really well. Looking forward to the second series!
  • HildebrandRarityHildebrandRarity Centre international d'assistance aux personnes déplacées, Paris, France
    Posts: 490
    I'm a little surprised that there is so little conversation about this terrific show, which has just completed its fourth series, with at least two more (one officially, the other already in active development) coming.

    It's not supposed to be Bond, River Cartwright is in many ways trying a little too hard to be an edgy agent like Bond, and failing often in the process, but if you wanted some tightly woven plots à la Len Deighton or a lighter version of John le Carré with a ton of dark comedy and good one-liners, that will definitely fill your itch. The cast is great, with Oldman having a blast at playing Jackson Lamb. So far the adaptations stick to the books or make reasonable adjustments, with a little more action mostly.

    Jonathan Pryce got a larger part this season, and delivered an absolutely heartbreaking performance that rang true to life. There was also major character development/growth for River.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    Love Slow Horses. I really enjoyed this latest season, and thought the finale was brilliant.
  • meshypushymeshypushy Ireland
    Posts: 146
    It’s bloody excellent! Personally, I have enjoyed each of the seasons more than the recent Bond movies. I do wonder why it hasn’t gotten more traction internationally - maybe the humour is too British for an international audience?
    It shows the value of having a great showrunner - I’d love to see what Will Smith could bring to Bond.
    Slow Horses is guaranteed quality at this stage - roll on the next season!
  • HildebrandRarityHildebrandRarity Centre international d'assistance aux personnes déplacées, Paris, France
    Posts: 490
    It's on Apple TV+, which few people have, despite the service having regularly offers for two or three months free without having to pay anything later, that kind of stuff. Slow Horses is slowly getting recognition. Will Smith won an Emmy a couple of weeks ago for best writing, but it's still one of the best keep secrets on streaming. But as it is one of the biggest hits on Apple TV+, they can't kill it and I think that they may even do the whole run of novels by Mick Herron.

    Besides Slow Horses and a few other "dramas" such as Criminal Record or Severance, they have a killer lineup regarding sci-fi. For All Mankind may be the best sci-fi show so far this decade, four sequels to The Right Stuff covering the 70s, 80s, 90s, etc. taking place in some alternate universe. Silo is solid, Constellation and Dark Matter worked, and even a very uneven show such as Foundation has its moments. Their comedies, outside of Ted Lasso (which isn't actually that good), are more niche, but the Bad Monkey miniseries, starring Vince Vaughn as a cop, was a great companion piece to Slow Horses, some version of Get Shorty taking place in the Florida Keys.

    Their movies, apart from a few exceptions, are lame however, and I plan to post here at some point a piece on Ghosted, The Family Plan and Argylle that shows how they consistently get big budget spy thrillers wrong. If a James Bond movie screwed up that badly…
  • Posts: 2,029
    meshypushy wrote: »
    It’s bloody excellent! Personally, I have enjoyed each of the seasons more than the recent Bond movies. I do wonder why it hasn’t gotten more traction internationally - maybe the humour is too British for an international audience?
    It shows the value of having a great showrunner - I’d love to see what Will Smith could bring to Bond.
    Slow Horses is guaranteed quality at this stage - roll on the next season!

    Slow Horses presents interesting supporting characters. That's an area where Bond films could do a better job. Does the next M need to be another Lamb? No. But giving characters more character wouldn't be a bad thing.
  • meshypushymeshypushy Ireland
    Posts: 146
    It's on Apple TV+, which few people have, despite the service having regularly offers for two or three months free without having to pay anything later, that kind of stuff. Slow Horses is slowly getting recognition. Will Smith won an Emmy a couple of weeks ago for best writing, but it's still one of the best keep secrets on streaming. But as it is one of the biggest hits on Apple TV+, they can't kill it and I think that they may even do the whole run of novels by Mick Herron.

    Besides Slow Horses and a few other "dramas" such as Criminal Record or Severance, they have a killer lineup regarding sci-fi. For All Mankind may be the best sci-fi show so far this decade, four sequels to The Right Stuff covering the 70s, 80s, 90s, etc. taking place in some alternate universe. Silo is solid, Constellation and Dark Matter worked, and even a very uneven show such as Foundation has its moments. Their comedies, outside of Ted Lasso (which isn't actually that good), are more niche, but the Bad Monkey miniseries, starring Vince Vaughn as a cop, was a great companion piece to Slow Horses, some version of Get Shorty taking place in the Florida Keys.

    Their movies, apart from a few exceptions, are lame however, and I plan to post here at some point a piece on Ghosted, The Family Plan and Argylle that shows how they consistently get big budget spy thrillers wrong. If a James Bond movie screwed up that badly…
    Yes - I fully agree with all of this. They have produced at most a handful of above average movies but (unlike Amazon) their strike rate on tv shows is exceptional. I would also recommend Sugar, which has been confirmed for a second season. I have yet to watch Hijack but it is on my list.
    They have recently announced a physical release for Severance - I think the same for Slow Horses would expose it to a whole new audience.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    Slow Horses is top to bottom the best series at the moment. The humour is on point. The stories are bloody thrilling, and this past season exceeded the greatness that came before.

    And Gary Oldman is a magician-genius (and I swear I can smell him through our TV screen)….
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    Bad Sisters is another gem on Apple TV+
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    Denbigh wrote: »
    Bad Sisters is another gem on Apple TV+

    I've been told. My wife loved it. Is that the one with Bono's daughter?
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    peter wrote: »
    Denbigh wrote: »
    Bad Sisters is another gem on Apple TV+
    I've been told. My wife loved it. Is that the one with Bono's daughter?
    That’s the one!
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    Denbigh wrote: »
    peter wrote: »
    Denbigh wrote: »
    Bad Sisters is another gem on Apple TV+
    I've been told. My wife loved it. Is that the one with Bono's daughter?
    That’s the one!

    I’ll put it on the ever-growing list!!
  • HildebrandRarityHildebrandRarity Centre international d'assistance aux personnes déplacées, Paris, France
    Posts: 490
    Bad Sisters is an exhilarating dark comedy, based on a Belgian miniseries. This is about four sisters plotting to kill the husband of the fifth (who is an awful human being) and failing miserably each time one of them makes an attempt. As the husband is shown dead in the first scene of the first episode (it's told through flashbacks), you know that one of them will eventually succeed, but who and how?

    The key person here is Sharon Horgan, who had previously written and starred in Pulling and Catastrophe, and who had a large supporting part in Game Night, as the smart co-worker that simpleton Billy Magnussen brings as his partner for a game night (Jeffrey Wright also has an uncredited cameo there). She's the one who looks aghast when Magnussen tries to bribe someone by passing… $5 banknotes. Here, she wrote the adaptation and plays the lead part.
    Claes Bang (The Square, The Northman, Dracula, and likely Bond villain in the future because he's a Danish actor) is the villain and he has a blast there playing this extremely sketchy guy, who's shown at the beginning to be just an annoying and bossy bigot, but who gets gradually exposed as much more than that.
    Horgan made a few changes to the plot of the Belgian miniseries, and it was so well received that she's now developing a second season with an original plot.

    Also, it looks like Bad Monkey may get a sequel. Carl Hiaasen wrote a second novel with Andrew Yancy as the lead character, and showrunner Bill Lawrence really, really wants to adapt it.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,396
    Denbigh wrote: »
    Bad Sisters is another gem on Apple TV+

    Seconded.
  • CharmianBondCharmianBond Pett Bottom, Kent
    Posts: 558
    For All Mankind is my favourite Apple TV+ show (favourite full stop actually) apart from Slow Horses. It has some espionage elements but it's really about how history develops if the Soviets won the race to the Moon.
  • HildebrandRarityHildebrandRarity Centre international d'assistance aux personnes déplacées, Paris, France
    Posts: 490
    Slow Horses has been renewed for season six.
  • meshypushymeshypushy Ireland
    Posts: 146
    Slow Horses has been renewed for season six.
    Great motivation for Herron to keep writing the novels, now that they’ll almost have caught up!
  • HildebrandRarityHildebrandRarity Centre international d'assistance aux personnes déplacées, Paris, France
    Posts: 490
    Mick Herron has announced a ninth Slough House book for next year, but it also looks like he's close to finishing the series (as you can't reasonably make a character such as Jackson Lamb live that long).
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