Why did Slow Horses creator Will Smith leave the Apple TV thriller post Season 5? Here's what we know so far

Aashna
Why did Slow Horses creator Will Smith leave the Apple TV thriller post Season 5? (Image via Apple TV)
Why did Slow Horses creator Will Smith leave the Apple TV thriller post Season 5? (Image via Apple TV)

Slow Horses creator/writer Will Smith is stepping away from the Slough House after Season 5. Recently, he announced his departure from the spy thriller Apple TV show, which will premiere its Season 5 on September 24, 2025.

Will Smith, who won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for the series in 2024, was also recently nominated for another Emmy for Season 4.

While this adaptation of Mick Herron’s spy novels is renewed till Season 7, Will Smith is stepping away as the creator for Slow Horses after Season 5, as he revealed to Deadline:

“Series 5 doesn’t end things by any means...but it concludes certain story arcs that started in Season 1, so it felt like a good moment to hand over the show.”

More on this in our story.


Why did Slow Horses creator Will Smith depart after Season 5?

Slow Horses creator Will Smith is handing off the reins of his Apple TV show, as he announced his departure from the series. According to the creator's interview with Deadline, there is no bad blood between him and the cast, but he feels that this is the right time to bring in fresh energy into the project.

While Apple TV has renewed the show till Season 7, Will Smith has passed the baton to Gaby Chiappe (Shetland) for Season 6 and Ben Vanstone (All Creatures Great and Small) for Season 7. He will not be involved in the production of the show in any capacity beyond the upcoming season.

Discussing his decision to leave Slow Horses, Will Smith said to Deadline:

“I think it’s a big show and it’s an intense process. And I suppose I didn’t want to lose the sense of fun of it...there’s the risk that you’ll start to run dry or repeat, which you have to watch. And then it’s likely that the schedule of it just becomes something that can be slightly daunting after a while.''

He added:

''It feels like I might not be giving you my best work if I continue at this pace…I do want to emphasize, it’s not in any way that I thought I’m now too good for Slow Horses. It’s much more that I want to keep being good enough for it...''

Since Will Smith revealed that Season 5 will conclude many arcs from Season 1, the creator felt it was the right moment to move on from the project. In addition, he also revealed that the process of working on many seasons simultaneously was a daunting (but 'brilliant') task, and he is ready to move on to new projects now.


Will Smith is interested in a Slow Horses spin-off

While Will Smith is moving away from Mick Herron's adaptation after five seasons, he is keen on working on a Slow Horses spin-off. Smith is fond of Herron's The Secret Hours, a companion read and a standalone novel to Slough House that uncovers corruption from 90s Berlin to the Cabinet office.

Talking about his plans for a spin-off, Will Smith added:

“It’s a kind of Lamb/ Molly/ David prequel, as well as a book set in the present....I think that could be a great standalone film or a three-episode miniseries.”

While Smith has stepped back from the Apple TV show, he currently has many projects lined up in his schedule. Some of these projects include Andrew O’Hagan’s Caledonian Road TV adaptation and Ben Macintyre's book The Siege's adaptation, which will start filming next year.


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Edited by Aashna