My mom loves a survivalist show, preferably something about a family clad in waders taking place in Alaska. My dad likes anything with action. Plot, dumb plot or no plot will do. My husband and I watch the gamut of streaming options—everything from House of the Dragon to Love Island. So when we're all together, landing on a show that can pull each of us in can be quite the challenge...until my dad recommended we watch Slow Horses, a spy thriller series about a rag-tag group of demoted MI5 agents led by a brilliant-yet-jaded and frighteningly flatulent former officer. Here's why it's the series that suits both boomer and millennial tastes.
The One Show Me, My Millennial Husband AND Boomer Parents Are Equally Obsessed With
And there are 4 seasons!
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Published Oct 7, 2024
Apple TV+/Getty Images
Apple TV+
1. Spy Thriller Nostalgia
Slow Horses takes place in modern day, but it taps into classic Cold War spy tropes that both my husband and I and my parents appreciate. It's intense, but it's not high-octane, never-stopping, running-off-a-cliff-onto-a-plane a la Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible. The show takes a steady, methodical pace, that, combined with themes of government intrigue and traditional espionage, hits the cerebral-storytelling and the adrenaline-fueled action sweet spot.
2. Anti-Heroes & Dark Humor
The lead characters, especially Jackson Lamb, played by the incredible Gary Oldman, are flawed, cynical and original. Lamb in particular is darkly hilarious, ill-mannered and disheveled. The "hero" of a spy organization is more likely to be stuffing his face with greasy lo mein and swallowing it down with a swig of whiskey (during work hours) than doing, well, basically anything else. The comedy especially works with the prestigious and put-together Diana Taverner, Deputy Director-General of MI5 as foil, played by the ever-sharp Kristin Scott Thomas.
Apple TV+
3. Ensemble Cast with Intergenerational Dynamics
The cast of Slow Horses is tops. You have veteran actors like the aforementioned Oldman and Scott Thomas, as well as the Olivier-winning Jonathan Pryce. Then there are the younger agents, played by Jack Lowden (married to Saoirse Ronan!), Olivia Cooke (House of Dragon, anyone?), Rosalind Eleazar and the deeply creepy incel-adjacent Roddy Ho played to T by Christopher Chung. The chemistry between the older and younger characters not only appeals across generations, but it makes for great character development and storytelling, offering up different viewpoints, life stages and struggles.
4. There Are 4 Seasons
Well, the fourth season is being released weekly as I write this, but you get the picture. The first three seasons—six episodes each—are all available for streaming on Apple TV+. Who doesn't love having some content in the queue?
So yeah, the show, for as self-deprecating as its own characters are, has it all: dark humor, character-driven drama, spy thrills, great storytelling and fabulous talent. As for Jackson Lamb's hygiene, that's another story.
