While waiting for season 5 of Apple TV+’s acclaimed crime seriesSlow Horses, Netflix has just released the perfect replacement, and it is already getting great reviews.Slow Horseshas gained an impressive reputation throughout its four seasons so far, with critics praisingSlow Horses' cast, character and plot development, and tone. Unsurprisingly,Slow Horseswas quickly renewed for seasons 5 and 6by Apple TV+, with season 5 now slated to premiere in September 2025.
The series has followed Slough House’s group of rejected MI5 agents, led by Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, as they become increasingly involved in various criminal cases, including those that are shockingly connected to their own members.Slow Horsesseason 4 saw this play out on an even more extreme scale with River meeting his father, Frank Harkness, for the first time.Slow Horsesseason 4’s endingultimately saw Slough House’s agents make it through another case, setting up season 5, but, in the meantime, audiences should check out Netflix’s alternative.
Netflix’s Dept. Q Is Another Great Crime Thriller Show Like Slow Horses
The Two Shows Have A Lot In Common
Audiences who can’t get enough ofSlow Horses’complicated, imperfect characters and gripping cases will love Netflix’s newest addition to the genre,Dept. Q. Venturing north fromSlow Horses' London setting,Dept Q. takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The series opens with two detectives arriving at the scene of a crime, where a man has been found dead by the responding officer. Shortly after entering the home,a masked figure appears and shoots the officer and detectives, creating an intriguing set-up.
In the aftermath of the scarring shooting, the lead detective, Carl Morck, is relegated to the sidelines, much like the agents in Slough House.
In the aftermath of the scarring shooting, the lead detective, Carl Morck, is relegated to the sidelines, much like the agents in Slough House. Morck’s superior moves him into the basement, giving him his own unimportant department that will reopen old cold cases. While Morck, who shares some clear personality traits with Jackson Lamb, is not thrilled about the new assignment,he quickly becomes invested in a four-year-old missing persons case and uncovers important new clues.
Much likeSlow Horses, Dept. Qfocuses primarily on one particular case throughout its nine episodes, but the case comes close to several of its investigators' own past traumas.The series does a great job of slowly unraveling the secrets of its characters, allowing viewers to see the grieving man behind Morck’s angry facade or the sadness behind Rose’s happy one. At the same time, the series keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, trying to uncover why Merritt Lingard was really kidnapped, leading to the startling truth.
Dept. Q & Slow Horses Are Both Based On Hit Novel Series
Both Shows Have A Strong Fanbase From Their Source Material
BothSlow HorsesandDept. Qhave had great reception from critics and audiences, and it likely helps that both are based on great book series.Slow Horsescomes from Mick Herron’sSlough Houseseries, with each season so far focusing on a different novel. The book series begins with the 2010 novelSlow Horses, which follows the same plot as the first season of the show. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 useDead Lions, Real Tigers, andSpook Street, respectively, as their inspiration, andseason 5 seems set to follow the bookLondon Rules.
Likewise,Dept. Qmirrors the first installment of Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen’s seriesDepartment Q. The series currently has 10 books and was originally set in Copenhagen, but follows largely the same or similar characters and plotlines, including that of Carl Morck and his search for Merritt Lingard. The novels have also been previously adapted into Danish films, highlighting their popularity. While it remains to be seen whether the new series will find the same long-term success, it is certainly a good replacement forSlow Horsesright now.
Slow Horses
Cast
Slow Horses follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents led by the notorious Jackson Lamb. Set against the backdrop of the espionage world, the agents must navigate complex operations and defend England from sinister forces, all while dealing with internal struggles and their abrasive boss.
Dept. Q
Dept. Q follows a brash yet brilliant cop who is appointed head of a new police department in Edinburgh. Leading a team of misfits, he tackles cold cases, uncovering old mysteries and long-buried secrets.
