This underrated spy series gives an Oscar winner the role that defines his career

No one saw it coming. When audiences are first introduced to Jackson Lamb, played by acclaimed actor Gary Oldman, in the Apple TV+ series Slow horsesthe camera slowly pans over the debris scattered across the man's desk, only to find him waking up with a sudden bout of flatulence while sleeping on his office couch.

It's an unceremonious introduction, to put it mildly, and yet Jackson Lamb has become one of the most rewarding roles in Gary Oldman's celebrated career. In other ways, that introduction is entirely appropriate. Jackson Lamb is not your typical spy hero; on the contrary, he's an unlikely protagonist who is more than willing to berate, belittle and insult everyone around him, especially his colleagues. On the brink of Slow horses returns for season 4, as we discover how Gary Oldman's Emmy-nominated role as Jackson Lamb transformed into a career rebirth.

What is Slow Horses about?

A Hard and Direct Look at Britain's MI5

Based on a series of spy novels written by Mick Herron, Slow horses premiered in 2022 and follows a band of MI5 misfits who have made so many mistakes in the field that they have been relegated to Slough House, an office for misfit spies under the leadership of Jackson Lamb, played by Gary Oldman.

All those under Lamb's supervision were labeled “slow horses,” a play on the office's name, Slough House. Because these spies cannot be trusted with England's most critical missions, they have instead been relegated to shuffling paperwork and enduring Lamb's constant beratement, which he hopes will drive them to resign out of frustration or boredom.Of course, this being a spy series, somehow the fate of Britain always ends up falling on the shoulders of the slow horse.

After its debut on Apple TV+, Slow horses has become one of the streaming service’s top-performing series in terms of audience and critical acclaim. According to cumulative totals provided by Rotten Tomatoes, the series has never dipped below a 90% in either critics’ or viewers’ scores in all three seasons released to date, and based on early reviews of season 4, that doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon.

It cannot be overstated that the talented cast of actors contributes to Slow horse success. The series' incredible cast includes Jack Lowden, Rosalind Eleazar, Kristen Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, and Christopher Chung, to name a few. As memorable as they all were, none left quite the impression that Gary Oldman did as Jackson Lamb.

How did Gary Oldman come to act in Slow Horses?

Honestly, he needed a break.

After appearing in nearly three films a year between 2017 and 2019, actor Gary Oldman was looking for something a little more relaxed and easily digestible to continue building his incredible legacy as he approaches his fifth decade as a professional actor. After his Oscar-winning performance as Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hourwhich involved hours of prosthetics, Oldman sought a role that would allow him to appear as himselfWhile discussing what attracted him to the role of Jackson Lamb, Oldman told Variety,

“Here's the story: I told [my producing partner] Doug Urbanski, “Here's my wish list: I don't want to use an accent or wear a wig. I don't want prosthetic makeup. I don't want a lot of costume changes. Ideally, it would be well-written and set in the world of espionage.”

Shortly thereafter, Gary Oldman's producing partner discovered the pilot script for Slow horses and gave it to Oldman to read. When he learned that he would have to wear just one costume and not have to use an accent in a spy story set in England, he was sold. Even better, Oldman was blown away by how great the script was and signed on immediately.

What makes Gary Oldman's performance as Jackson Lamb so special?

He's a grouch with a heart of gold (sort of)

The best part of Gary Oldman's performance as Jackson Lamb in Slow horses is how annoying his ever-loving ass is. Lamb constantly alternates between being as sharp as a tack, capable of picking up on the slightest clue, and being completely irritating to his team of spies. Those who work under Lamb slowly realize that while you may want to belittle everything the man says, he often drops pearls of wisdom, as long as you are mentally strong enough to distinguish those revelations from his constant beratings.

It's a delicate balancing act, to put it mildly, with Jackson Lamb alternating between the roles of a violent asshole and one of England's most enterprising spy agents.The authors of Slow horse are well aware of the need to balance Lamb's behavior accordingly. When he frequently tests his colleagues, like when he buys a drink for Standish, a woman who has spent years in recovery from alcohol addiction, it's Lamb's way of testing whether he's still on the straight and narrow, according to showrunner Will Smith (who is definitely not the Will you're thinking of).

In other words, every quip, sarcastic comment, or disparaging accusation Jackson Lamb makes toward his subordinates is there to push a button, gauge reactions, throw people off, and generally let everyone know that Jackson Lamb is the smartest man in the room (at least, in his mind).

Much of today's pop culture is obsessed with heroes. Not just any heroes, but ones who appear to be good people. Gone are the days of the morally complicated protagonists of the '70s, '80s, and even the '90s. Jackson Lamb is a throwback to those days. Far from being a shining beacon of virtue, the man is a pernicious idiot who has been so hurt by the betrayals of his past that he refuses to form meaningful new connections. Instead, he often takes his frustrations out on those around him.

The irony is that, for Jackson Lamb, his abuse is also a kind of mercy. He sees it as a way to discourage the spies who work under him from being chewed up and spat out by the same system that destroyed him. After dedicating his life to MI5, all Lamb has to show for it is a guilty conscience and an even dirtier mouth. Of course, Lamb has a reason for all this bad behavior. In the past, he was forced to kill his mentor, Charles Partner, after Partner betrayed MI5. In exchange for this task, Lamb asked to be put in charge of Slough House, where he could spend the rest of his days without worrying about anything.

In this sense, Jackson Lamb is almost singularly unique in storytelling because when audiences first meet him, he’s already at the end of his arc, not the beginning. And through three seasons so far, there’s been little reason to think that’s going to change any time soon.

How long does Gary Oldman want to play Jackson Lamb?

Slow and steady wins the race

Jackson Lamb is the perfect cautionary tale of giving too much of yourself to your career. Having made that mistake, he is now a largely unlikeable man who the public still loves even if they never want to work with him. Probably because, as scruffy and angry as he often appears, if his colleagues are in dire straits and need his help, he is always up to the task, even if he would rather not.

Gary Oldman appreciates that a character like Jackson Lamb doesn't show up too often. There are nine books in Mick Herron's series, and season 5 of Slow horses has already been filmed. So far, the series has mostly adapted one book per season, which means there could be up to nine seasons of Slow horses at the very least. According to Gary Oldman, season 5 of Slow horses will give more prominence to Jackson Lamb than the previous ones and will make you understand why he is made the way he is.

How long does Gary Oldman hope? Slow horses will continue, well, as far as he's concerned, he may continue to play the character of Jackson Lamb for the rest of his careerConsidering the critical and popular reception of the show, there's a good chance that this could happen, and ironically, the only one who might complain about it is Jackson Lamb himself.