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Down Cemetery Road is on the way to Apple TV+ with a release set for October 29, 2025. The season will have eight episodes in total. Two arrive on day one, then the rest roll out every Wednesday until December 10. The series adapts a novel by Mick Herron, the same author whose Slow Horses has already become a mainstay for the streamer.
This launch is not being presented as an isolated project. Apple has been leaning on Herron’s material, and the choice to adapt his earlier work fits into that direction. A thriller built around mystery, disappearance, and political undertones, it positions itself as another piece of the platform’s growing slate.
Origins in literature
The story began on the page in 2003. Herron published Down Cemetery Road as the first book in a sequence that introduced Zoë Boehm, a private investigator with her own arc. That book was followed by three more featuring the same character. The television adaptation is starting at the beginning, with the Oxford setting, the explosion, and the missing child that drive the plot forward.
Herron’s novels are often described as intricate, with twists layered across a familiar landscape. The new series takes that same foundation and translates it into an episodic format.
From page to screen
The adaptation is credited to Morwenna Banks, who previously wrote episodes of Slow Horses. Direction is led by Natalie Bailey, whose past work includes Bay of Fires. Production is handled by 60Forty Films. Executive producers include Emma Thompson, Mick Herron, Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Tom Nash, and Morwenna Banks.
These details place the project firmly within Apple’s established creative partnerships. The involvement of figures already tied to Herron’s other adaptation keeps a direct line between book, earlier series, and this new one.
Cast and characters
The cast is anchored by two highly recognized names. Emma Thompson plays Zoë Boehm, the investigator drawn into events after an explosion. Ruth Wilson plays Sarah Tucker, a neighbor who cannot let go of the search for a missing girl.
The supporting cast adds more familiar faces: Adeel Akhtar, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Darren Boyd, Tom Goodman-Hill, Tom Riley, Adam Godley, Sinead Matthews, Ken Nwosu, Fehinti Balogun, and Aiysha Hart. Each of them takes a place in the surrounding story, filling in the community and the wider conspiracy.
How the conspiracy unfolds in Down Cemetery Road
The official synopsis outlines the central thread. A house in an Oxford suburb explodes. In the aftermath, a girl disappears. Sarah, shaken by the event, seeks out Zoë to uncover what happened. Their search moves from the personal to the political, leading to a larger plot.
The trailer underscores that escalation. Sarah is seen saying I think someone’s hiding something. Another moment confirms Two bodies. And a disappeared child. Later, Zoë delivers one of the most striking lines: You have found your way to the heart of something huge. There is a massive government cover-up. These scenes set the tone and give a clear sense of the stakes.
Connection with Slow Horses
The release of Down Cemetery Road aligns with the finale of the fifth season of Slow Horses. Both come from Herron’s novels, both sit inside the Apple TV+ lineup, and the timing creates an overlap for viewers. Anyone following Jackson Lamb and his team will immediately have another Herron story waiting.
Release schedule
Apple confirmed the rollout. Two episodes arrive October 29. After that, one each Wednesday. The final episode is scheduled for December 10, closing the first season. The structure mirrors what the platform has done with other originals, spacing out weekly discussions and keeping momentum through the end of the year.
Final notes
Down Cemetery Road marks another chapter in Herron’s ongoing presence on Apple TV+. The combination of a bestselling novel, a proven creative team, and a cast led by Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson sets a clear profile. Official material frames it as a thriller that begins with a single explosion and expands into a wider conspiracy.
Trending
The first season covers eight weeks, from late October into December. Within that window, the adaptation establishes Herron’s Zoë Boehm on screen for the first time. With the novel already part of a four-book sequence, the introduction of the character signals a new thread for Apple to explore. For now, the focus is on this opening season, the dates already set, and a story that moves from an Oxford street to questions far larger than a single neighborhood.
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