Apple gives all Slow Horses fans a treat after the epic season 4 finale

Apple might seem like a more benevolent streamer than the likes of Netflix, but that doesn't mean it renews shows on a whim - they clearly have to prove their worth with good viewer numbers. It looks like Slow Horses just cleared that bar for a fourth time, though, with the release of its latest season finale.

Hot on the heels of the season ending, reports are confirming that Apple is renewing the show for a sixth season - with a fifth already in the can and on the way, confirmed by a teaser trailer after the finale. It's great news for anyone who's been enjoying the British spy show over the last couple of years.

It looks like there will be some continuity from Season 4, too, with the same director returning for the sixth season, and Apple gave Variety a comment on the renewal: "Audiences around the world have fallen in love with the Slow Horses, and I’m delighted that Gary Oldman will be leading this star-studded cast on another acerbic and action-packed adventure," said Jay Hunt, creative director for Apple TV+ in Europe.

Season 6 will apparently see the Slow Horses (or whichever members of the team are still alive at that point) on the run in a game of cat and mouse with Kristin Scott Thomas' acid and arch Diana Taverner at MI5. That should give us plenty more chances to see her and Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb jabbing at each other in dialogue, one of the show's biggest highlights.

It'll also see Jack Lowden return as fan-favourite bumbling but competent hero River Cartwright, who suffered through quite a lot of emotional turmoil as Season 4 unfolded, with his parentage and upbringing coming to light in a big way. Whether the season's villain, played by Hugo Weaving, is truly done and dusted will also doubtless be a long-term question.

We don't have a timeline on when the show's fifth and then sixth seasons will start streaming, but they've followed a fairly quick schedule so far, with new seasons coming roughly every year, so there's every reason to imagine that'll continue. That schedule has marked Apple TV+ out for its efficiency in the race to be the best streaming service bar none. Meanwhile, you can always rewatch the first four seasons on Apple TV+ now.