IT’s hard to call AppleTV+’s British spy thriller Slow Horses a “sleeper hit” at this point. Now in the show’s fifth season, it’s earned numerous Emmy nominations and is lauded for its grounded reality. So what is it, exactly, that sets the show apart in the genre?  We got a little glimpse into what makes the series so special at yesterday’s New York Comic-Con (NYCC 2025) panel with some of the cast and the show’s director. (Although, sadly, the shows star, Sir Gary Oldman, could only participate in recorded video message.)

Part of the biggest appeal of the show, according to actor James Callis (Claude Whelan, MI-5 Director General), lies in its imperfection. He describes Slow Horses as a “deconstructed, ‘MacGyvered’ James Bond.” The horses will, eventually, get it right, he says, but they may not travel a straight path to reach their destination. Such is inevitable when, Director Saul Metzstein reminds us, every character “has very obvious character flaws that are not obvious to themselves.” This season that perhaps applies most directly to Slough House’s tech geek Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung).

Slow Horses revels in its imperfection

Sadly for Roddy, a major subplot of Season 5 is his improbable relationship with an extraordinarily beautiful women. “Roddy gives you something completely unexpected,” Chung told us of his character in this season of Slow Horses. “There’s a physicality” to Roddy as we seem him escape the confines of Slough House and make it into the field. There’s also much more depth to a character that thus has appeared exceptionally shallow.

Slow Horses
‘Slow Horses’ actors (l-R) Nick Mohammed, Ruth Bradley, James Callis, and Christopher Chung apepar at New York Comic-Con 2025. (Image: JJ Goodman for That Hashtag Show, LLC)

In a sneak peek scene from an upcoming episode, we see Roddy pleading to assist his girlfriend with an equally emotional Emma Flyte (Ruth Bradley). What makes the scene, and the series, work so well is not only the talent of the actors, but the bond they share on set. Metzstein calls them “the best crew in the world,” relating how much of a joy it is to work on Slow Horses after having directed some truly “painful television” in his career.

That all adds up to some of the best drama on television… evidenced by the fact that show was recently renewed for two more seasons. Seasons 1-4 of Slow Horses, and Season 5 to date, are currently streaming on AppleTV+.