Apple TV officially finished Slow Horses season 6 with a game-changing finale, and the wait is now on for what’s next for Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb and the rest of the survivors. Adapted from a series of Mick Herron novels, Slow Horses is enough of a hit that it has officially become the streaming service’s longest-running series, and is already renewed through season 8. With such a high level of success, it’s no surprise that Apple TV produced a sister series for Slow Horses that’s just as star-studded.
Of course, Slow Horses has enough source material to last far beyond eight seasons, as Herron has published 15 books in the Slough House novel series thus far. The most recent was released in 2025, and the length of the TV show may depend on how long Oldman remains on board rather than the production team running out of source material. Adapting Slough House was clearly a smash success for Apple TV, but the streaming service’s second project based on his novels wasn’t just a carbon copy.
Down Cemetery Road stars Emma Thompson as private investigator Zoë Boehm and Ruth Wilson as art conservationist Sarah Trafford. The first season adapted Herron’s novel of the same name, with a criminal conspiracy bringing Zoë and Sarah together. The thriller was renewed for season 2 shortly after the first season ended, and there will be some key changes the second time around.
Down Cemetery Road Season 2 Is Adapting The Last Voice You Hear & Smoke And Whispers
Matt Towers /©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
Instead of adapting just one of Mick Herron’s books for season 2, the new season will adapt the second and fourth novels in his Zoë Boehm series: The Last Voice You Hear (2004) and Smoke and Whispers (2009). Interestingly, those two novels were not released consecutively in the book series. The TV adaptation is either skipping 2006’s Why We Die, or will circle back to it if renewed for season 3.
While no premiere date for Down Cemetery Road‘s second season has been released yet, Apple TV has revealed the basic plot for what comes next: Zoë Boehm and Sarah Trafford will be back together again to face their next twisted mystery.
This time, Zoë is called to investigate the curious case of a woman falling in front of a train. The case turns out to be more complicated than it originally seemed, and Zoë and Sarah will wind up in the world of black market antiquities. Throw in a serial killer, and the two women will have a lot on their hands from two books in one season.
In a reflection of how much the show is packing into one season, 12 new actors were added to the Down Cemetery Road season 2 cast: Martin Clunes, Fionn Whitehead, Paterson Joseph, Aasiya Shah, Dimitri Leonidas, Paul Chahidi, Liz White, Amanda Abbington, Jeff Rawle, Amber Grappy, Yali Topol Margalith, and Slow Horses‘ Ashley McGuire.
What This Means For The Future Of Down Cemetery Road On Apple TV
Matt Towers /©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
Down Cemetery Road was a successful adaptation of Mick Herron’s books, just like Slow Horses before it. Unlike Slow Horses, however, Down Cemetery Road doesn’t have enough source material to continue indefinitely on Apple TV. Herron has only published four books in the Zoë Boehm series, and none since Smoke and Whispers was released in 2009. With two books adapted into one season, Down Cemetery Road is quickly running out of adaptable story.
That said, it’s not unprecedented for TV shows to extend beyond the published source material. Apple TV even did just that with Dark Matter, which was based on a single novel by Blake Crouch but has run for two seasons so far. The sci-fi TV show hasn’t been renewed yet, but star/executive producer Joel Edgerton weighed in on the possibility of Dark Matter season 3.
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Down Cemetery Road adapting two of the series’ four books in one season isn’t necessarily a sign of a short run; it would just have to move past the source material in a way thatSlow Horses hasn’t had to. The streaming service hasn’t confirmed a release window forDown Cemetery Road ‘s second season, but it’s safe to say Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson won’t be back before the end of the year. For now, the eight-episode first season is available to stream on Apple TV.
