Season 5 Showrunner Drops Surprising Take on Slow Horses Spinoff — The Verdict May Shock Fans
Slow Horses fans hoping for a Secret Hours spin-off may need to temper expectations: as Season 5 lands, creator Will Smith offers a lukewarm update on the adaptation’s prospects and says he’s exiting the Gary Oldman-led series after this installment.
If you were hoping Apple would fast-track a Slow Horses spin-off based on Mick Herron’s The Secret Hours, temper expectations. Right as Season 5 lands, series creator Will Smith says that idea isn’t moving forward right now — and he won’t be the one to shepherd it even if it does.
What Will Smith actually said
Speaking to SlashFilm, the Emmy-winning creator — who is stepping away from the Gary Oldman-led series after Season 5 — made it pretty clear where things stand with The Secret Hours adaptation.
"It’s not happening. There’s no plans to do it, but I would just love to see it."
He also went out of his way to praise the book. In his words, it’s one of his favorites from Herron because it’s inventive, full of surprises, and pushes the author in ways that don’t feel indulgent to readers. He’d love to watch someone else make it — he just isn’t planning to be involved.
In fact, Smith sounded confident the larger Herron-verse will eventually get mined more broadly. He expects the mainline novels, the side stories, and even the novellas to make their way to the screen over time — just not under his watch.
Wait, what is The Secret Hours?
Herron’s The Secret Hours is one of his three standalone novels. It exists in the same universe as the Slough House books that inspired Slow Horses, but it isn’t part of the main series. Think same world, different angle — which is exactly why fans pegged it as a natural spin-off.
Where the franchise is headed
Despite the spin-off speed bump, Slow Horses itself isn’t slowing down. Apple TV+ has already renewed the show for Seasons 6 and 7. So the franchise is expanding — just not via The Secret Hours right now, and not with Smith steering.
- Slow Horses Season 5 is out, and creator Will Smith is exiting after this installment.
- Smith says a The Secret Hours spin-off has no plans in place; he won’t oversee it.
- He still wants someone to adapt it eventually and thinks Herron’s wider universe will keep getting tapped for TV.
- The Secret Hours is a standalone set in the Slough House world — one of three such novels.
- Apple TV+ has renewed Slow Horses for Seasons 6 and 7.
- For now, whether The Secret Hours ever becomes a spin-off is unclear.
Short version: the door isn’t closed, but no one’s reaching for the handle yet.