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You are here: Home / TV & Movies / Slow Horses Is a Hard Act to Follow!

Slow Horses Is a Hard Act to Follow!

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Damn, a few years ago after I finished Longmire a few years ago, I thought it would be hard to find a “treadmill” show as good as that.  But there have been some good ones, for sure.

But damn, I am about to start the last episode of Slow Horses, and I cannot figure out how I got through 23 episodes this quickly.  Cole is right, Slow Horses is a great show.

Any suggestions on a show that won’t feel lame after that?  Has to be gripping enough to keep me on the treadmill, so no comedy, and no subtitles.  But not creepy, no serial killers, no blood and guts at every turn.

Help Wanted. :-)

Reader Interactions

155Comments

  1. 1.

    Yutsano

    They made a series based off the movie The Man from Snowy River in Australia a while back. It might take some researching to find it, but it might be something you’d be interested in

    EDIT: ZUERST!

  4. 4.

    TheOtherHank

    The Expanse? It’s SiFi, with some blood and guts, but good characters and an interesting story

    ETA: Severence. Season 2 comes out in a couple weeks.

  6. 6.

    Big R

    A few things we’ve been working through that might qualify:

    Foundation

    The Serpent Queen

    Big Mood

    His Dark Materials

  12. 12.

    twbrandt

    No suggestions, but want to second your enthusiasm for Slow Horses. The cast, especially Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, are so good.

  14. 14.

    WaterGirl

    @twbrandt:

    Kristin Scott Thomas pissed me off too much at first to like her, but at some point in Season 2 I found that I was totally able to appreciate her.

    She looks so much older in Season 4 with her shorter hair.  I find myself wondering whether that was a deliberate choice for the show or if she aged that much in just tone year.

  16. 16.

    dnfree

    @Big R: I second “His Dark Materials”.  Loved the books and the serialization did a good job of casting and conveying the concepts.

  17. 17.

    zhena gogolia

    @WaterGirl: We enjoyed Dalgliesh. It has some bloody scenes, but always after death. And everyone has British accents. Bertie Carvel is great.

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia: Is that on Netflix, Prime, or Apple TV?  I know I had seen the title on one of those sites and wondered if it would be good.

    You and I have similar “not creep or scary” tastes, so I should look at that.

  23. 23.

    zhena gogolia

    @NotMax: Oh, I didn’t know that was available.

    I was intrigued by a TCM movie this morning — The Bachelor Father with C. Aubrey Smith, Marion Davies, and an impossibly young Ray Milland.

  30. 30.

    zhena gogolia

     

    @NotMax: Looking forward to Alfred Hitchcock! The nurse episode with Dana Wynter scared the s–t out of me when it first appeared. (I’ve seen it on YouTube since then, and it’s not quite as scary as it originally felt, but still pretty damn good.)

  33. 33.

    WaterGirl

    @TheOtherHank: I tried to watch the Expanse when it was on network TV a few years ago.  They went so long between seasons it took awhile to remember who was who and which planet was which.  I gave up after a few seasons.

    That’s probably a show that would really lend itself to streaming.

  37. 37.

    cain

    You could do some long running ones like “Monk” or “Seinfeld”

    I hear Gunsmoke is making a come back!

    There is also “Wheel of Time” on Prime. I liked that one.

  43. 43.

    FelonyGovt

    The Diplomat, if you haven’t seen it yet. On Netflix, I think. Season 2 came out a little while ago.

    And if you do have BritBox- Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise. Kind of “cozy” mysteries.

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    I tried to watch Brooklyn 99 as a show to fall asleep to – very different requirements than a show to watch on the treadmill!!!! – and I find it hard to understand why so many people here loved that show.  So over the top!  Or maybe that was the appeal?

  48. 48.

    trollhattan

    @WaterGirl: @raven:

    Yeppers, good bad. They scare me and I want to be their friend.

    They also make it seem common to have your front porch face the ocean. Want that, too.

  49. 49.

    RileysEnabler

    Black Doves. Similar in many ways to Slow Horses- little bit of blood/violence, a few spicy scenes but nothing over the top. Highly recommend!!

  50. 50.

    zhena gogolia

    @WaterGirl: I didn’t go for it either. Did you try The Diplomat? The second season was even better than the first.

    ETA: I see you already answered that.

  52. 52.

    zhena gogolia

    My latest obsession is different versions of Uncle Vanya. It’s amazing how basically the same text can be played in so many different ways.

  56. 56.

    kalakal

    You could try No Offence. Black comedy British police show set in Manchester.

    On Britbox

    Currently 2 episodes in to The Sticky. Crime comedy based on the true story of the theft of millions of $ worth of Maple Syrup from the Quebec Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve. Recommended by a fellow Jackal a few days ago, I’m enjoying it

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    @NotMax

    And since you say above you already have Acorn, Murdoch Mysteries. Starts out a bit shaky but once it finds its footing well worth the time. IIRC 17 seasons are available on Acorn at present.

    (Note for any who don’t have Acorn and may be currently watching it with ads on Freevee via Prime, series will be leaving in 16 days. AFAIK will still be available (also with ads) on The Roku Channel.)

  58. 58.

    hitchhiker

    I liked 1883, and (can’t believe I’m going to say this) but Landman has sucked me in. It has many issues (insanely dumb women characters, e.g.) but Billy Bob Thornton is such a talent. Sometimes I don’t need more than a good actor with a chewy role to play.

    Agree with the recommend for Bosch; that’s worth your time. I assume you’ve seen The Diplomat? I thought it was excellent. Also watching The Agency right now — a spy show that IMO works better for watching at your own pace than waiting week to week. It felt slow to me at first, but now on episode 9 (I think) it’s got me.

  59. 59.

    Celiadexter

    If you have Peacock, Homicide:Life on the Street. For Netflix, my best exercise viewing has been The Diplomat, Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, Cable Girls, Bridgerton, Grey’s Anatomy, Sex and the City, Lidia Poet, Borgen, Anatomy of a Scandal, etc. Some of these shouldn’t be watched with a male in the room.

  61. 61.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Beef- Incredible, touching comedy starring Ali Wong (Netflix)

    Fosse/Verdon

    Feud: Betty Vs. Joan

    Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans

    Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

  66. 66.

    Old Man Shadow

    Severance, Shrinking, Ted Lasso, Joe Pickett, The English, Obituary (has a serial killer as the main character, but it’s not gruesome as I recall.)

  67. 67.

    dmsilev

    Good news, Slow Horses is already confirmed for seasons five and six.

    Also on AppleTV, you might give Severance a try. It’s …weird, but incredibly well written and performed. Season two premiers in a couple of weeks, so watching S1 now would be a decent option.

  68. 68.

    NeenerNeener

    I went through a bunch of cop shows on Britbox over the last year. Line of Duty is pretty intense and gripping, and the actors turn up in other British cop shows so I had a lot of “Hey, it’s that guy” moments watching other Britbox shows.  You might like New Tricks. A lady police chief hires a bunch of retired misfit cops to solve old cold cases. Again, the actors pop up in other shows, including the Frasier reboot on Paramount+. Shetland is pretty good too. There are a lot of episodes of Silent Witness, about coroners.

  70. 70.

    kalakal

    Shetland is really good. Crime series set in the eponymous Islands. Great acting. gob smacking scenery, based on the books by Anne Cleves, the author of Vera ( also highly recommended). Both are on Britbox

  71. 71.

    NotMax

    Short-run series The Last days of Ptolemy Gray on Apple TV+ worth checking out, also too.

    Samuel L. Jackson. ’nuff said.

  80. 80.

    frosty

    We’re watching Professor T on PBS. Not as gripping as Slow Horses but your favorite characters don’t die either. I’m not a fan of British murder mysteries but this one is good. The Professor has some the same characteristics of Monk. .. which is one you should watch if you didn’t see it when it first came out.

    ETA the first season of Death in Paradise was good. The same actor plays Professor T. Subsequent seasons had different lead actors because the six month commitment to live in Jamaica was too much for them.

    ETA2 Wednesday. A spinoff of The Addams Family. Good setting, good actors. Only one season so far though.​

    ETA3: I really liked New Tricks.

  85. 85.

    WaterGirl

    @frosty: Steeplejack tried to get me to watch Professor T.  I watched part of an episode but it kind of creeped me out for some reason.

    Loved Monk.  But definitely not gripping enough for the treadmill.

    I always wondered why they changed leads so often on Death in Paradise!  My favorite was season 5 or 6 when it was the young guy whose wife didn’t join him after all.

  87. 87.

    thruppence

    Second Black Doves and Reservation Dogs. I just started watching Cross on Prime, first episode was really good,  but I haven’t watched enough of it yet to know if it will be to your taste.

  88. 88.

    sixthdoctor

    On Acorn there’s 19-2, a Canadian police series starring Jared Keeso of Letterkenny in a dramatic role. It’s very good and steers into occasional surreality like the Denis Leary firefighter series Rescue Me. Might be a little too violent and bloody, though.

  92. 92.

    patrick II

    My vote is for Andor, a Star Wars series for adults.  It is a prequel to my second favorite Star Wars movie — Rogue One.  It is not so much a science fiction story but a story of rebellion and the causes and psychology of the movement. It stars Diego Luna and Stellan Skarsgard in a brilliant turn as the rebel leader.  It is in its second year on the Disney channel.

  94. 94.

    kalakal

    @WaterGirl:

    They’re British cop shows. Vera is set in Newcastle ( NE Britain ) Great acting, fantastic performance by Brenda Blethyn as the main character. A Detective Chief Inspector coming up for retirement, somewhat dishevilled and cranky but very sharp.

    Shetland is different in that the total population of the islands is only about 20,000 people. How do you solve crimes when everybody knows everybody? Different from Vera in that each season is one main story and the plots can get very tangled.

    Both have fantastic cinematography and beautiful landscapes, particularly Shetland which is hauntingly beautiful

  96. 96.

    Miss Bianca

    @WaterGirl: I loved it! The OTT quality, that is

    ETA: I don’t stream so I don’t know what’s out there, but I just saw Season 1 of Poker Face and it was really fun. But since you *do* stream, you’ve probably already seen it.

  98. 98.

    Gretchen

    @WaterGirl: Amazon Prime gives you Britbox, or do you have to pay extra for it? I’ve seen some interesting things on it but not enough to pay extra for.

    How long does it take to get into Slow Horses? I’ve tried a couple of times since so many people love it, but I couldn’t get into it.

    I’m loving Bad Sisters, halfway through Season 2. Kind of impatient with how some of them could use more good sense, though.

  99. 99.

    raven

    @Gretchen: You have to pay for it and, as far as getting into Slow Horses, I’d say if you’ve tried a few and can’t, give it up. There is nothing subtle about Gary Oldham

     

    eta

     

    you know Eve Hewson is Bono’s daughter?

  101. 101.

    kalakal

    The Last Detective on Britbox is rather fun and if you’ve never seen Inspector Morse you are in for the treat of a lifetime

  104. 104.

    Poe Larity.

    Well, presuming you weren’t hip before, I’d say Foyle’s War and George Gently.

    Second for Shetland, but I haven’t the latter seasons.

    Also, too, Bron. The original Bridge. Second only to The Wire.

  105. 105.

    jackmac

    I rather liked Monsieur Spade (which debuted earlier this year on AMC and is now on Netflix). It picks up Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade character some 20 years after The Maltese Falcon. Spade is now a widower living in a small town in France. The six-episode series opens with the murders of six nuns and Spade gets involved in increasingly complicated story that includes a child prodigy that every intelligence agency is after, France’s war in Algeria and Spade learning he’s a father. Plus there are callbacks to Spade’s days as a San Francisco PI (as portrayed by Humphrey Bogart).  Beautifully shot with a plot that sometimes bogs down a bit and an ending that felt rushed but did tie up loose ends.

    Clive Owen was great as a world-weary Spade. The series was co-produced with France’s Canal+ and there’s a lot of French spoken (with subtitles).  No word if a second season is planned.

    Dean Winters (Mayhem in Allstate commercials and Liz Lemon’s sleazy ex-boyfriend in 30 Rock) has a small role as an American Catholic priest.

  107. 107.

    Gretchen

    Hacks with Jean Smart as an older comedian who hires a young writer to freshen up her act is good

    I loved Lincoln Lawyer. I assume Bosch is an adaptation of books by the same author? I didn’t know that they had been made into a series. The books were good, so I’ll have to check it out.

  108. 108.

    tobie

    Severance may feel too dark right now but it’s a great show.

    If you want a wistful but also touching show with beautiful acting, I highly recommend the Korean series “My Mister.” I lost myself in it after the election and have now become somewhat addicted to Korean TV.

  109. 109.

    Gretchen

    @raven: Yes, I just found that out when watching an interview about Season 2. She said her dad didn’t want her to go into acting but she’s really good.

  113. 113.

    WaterGirl

    @thruppence: Parts of Cross were definitely too creepy for me.  I watched it through to the end, though in the creepy parts i sometimes had to press the jump ahead 10 seconds but 10x in a row.

  114. 114.

    WaterGirl

    @RevRick: I love everyone on Suits!

    That’s one of my watch  it on my iPad as I am falling asleep, which is more like listening.  But when you’ve seen it before and you know the stories and the characters, listening can be just as good. :-)

  116. 116.

    Colette South

    @zhena goolia: We might be separated at birth!   Uncle Vanya remixes and Cherry Orchard remixes are my thing!  What’s your favorite Vanya?  I love Vanya on 42nd Street

  117. 117.

    WaterGirl

    @Gretchen:

    How long does it take to get into Slow Horses? I’ve tried a couple of times since so many people love it, but I couldn’t get into it.

    YES!  I watched it because Cole kept telling me it was the best show on TV.  I think I called him when I was slogging through Season 1, episode 2, and asked him if it’s a really slow start because it was sooooo boring.  He promised it would get better and then I would be hooked, which I was.

    So try again and give it a good 3 episodes.

    edit: And yes, you have to pay extra for Acorn and Britbox on Amazon, but they are maybe $5 apiece, and it’s worth it.  (to me)

  118. 118.

    WaterGirl

    @kalakal:

    The Last Detective on Britbox

    Ha!  I put that on last night as i was trying to fall asleep.  I mostly listened but followed enough that I knew he had solved it and for sure saw the ending.  Then I fell asleep and a few episodes must have continued while I was sleeping.

    His boss is an ass! :-)

  121. 121.

    WaterGirl

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    “This is a fast-paced young adult fantasy novel full of action and imagination. Winsor has a gift for foreshadowing just enough to keep you hooked.”

    Wow, that’s high praise, indeed!

    But not surprising because when you do an author’s post, you make intriguing comments as you’re describing the story, and they pull us in.

  123. 123.

    piratedan

    Brokenwood Mysteries (10 seasons of New Zealand settings)

     

    Sex Education, seriously underrated stories and topics

  125. 125.

    Miss Bianca

    @WaterGirl: A young woman who can tell when you’re lying – built-in BS detector. This makes her valuable to her employers at a casino, who want her to help them fleece a customer at a high-stakes poker game, until they thoughtlessly murder her best friend. She figures out whodunnit, and ends up hitting the road with the casino owners’ muscle after her.

    Along the way as she’s on the lam, she ends up figuring out whodunnit in a whole lot of places. It’s Rian Johnson-produced (Knives Out). Think “Columbo” with a young, hipster, female lead, and you’ve got the vibe. Great guest stars.

  128. 128.

    WaterGirl

    @Miss Bianca:  So your description is about Poker Face, not Knives Out?  You referenced Knives out because it has the same producer?

    I thought one was kind of a sequel to the other?  And I had the impression that both were kind of creepy.  Did I have that totally wrong?

  131. 131.

    kalakal

    @WaterGirl: As are his colleagues!

    It’s not a detective show but Friday Night Dinner is hilarious, it just ocurred to me because it starred the wonderful Paul Ritter who was in No Offence and Vera

  132. 132.

    Miss Bianca

    @WaterGirl: same producer, nothing to do with Knives Out except the snarky vibe. Like I said (or didn’t say), it’s structured like Columbo, in that you meet the murderer and the murderee and you see it all go down and then see how Charlie (the “Poker Face” girl) figures it all out with her magical BS detection. Only one episode was really creepy, and it was more suspenseful than bloody.

    tl/dr: If you liked Knives Out, same dude who directed it directed this. If you like Columbo too, you’ll really like this.

  135. 135.

    zhena gogolia

    @Colette South: My favorite one is one I can never see, the Moscow Art Theater production with Andrei Myagkov as Vanya and Oleg Borisov as Astrov (there’s one fragment on YouTube). But of the ones I’ve seen as a whole, I’d like to take pieces out of each one and splice them together. Wallace Shawn’s angry speech in Act 3, Richard Armitage’s scenes with Marina and Sonya in the Ian Rickson version, and Smoktunovsky’s first scene with Elena in Konchalovsky’s very pretentious film. I haven’t seen a perfect one yet! Open to suggestions. (Going to bed now, though!)

  136. 136.

    dlwchico

    Blue Lights – British cop show. I enjoyed it a lot.  A critic quoted on it’s wikipedia entry “We could be watching The Wire; Blue Lights is that gritty and aspires to be that great”.

    Bad Monkey – on Apple TV.  Odd little crime drama (with humor but not exactly a comedy) set down in Florida and that area.  Based on a book by Carl Hiaasen.

  137. 137.

    eclare

    For a completely different recommendation, Queer Eye, on Netflix.  Five guys, each specializing in a different area such as fashion or interior design, transform a struggling individual and their world.  True, heartwarming.

  138. 138.

    NotMax

    @zhena gogolia

    Unrelated to Uncle Vanya, recently watched something British in which one Russian character’s name is Nikersoff.

    (To get the joke, pretend it starts with “Kn.”)
    ;)

  140. 140.

    Craig

    Just rewatched season 1 of The Wire with my 85 year old mum while home for the holidays. I’d recommend that. All the cussing was a little off for her, but she’s used to it at this point, and she really dug the characters and the way they build the story. Super trippy, cause the whole premise of the show could never work now. Pagers? Pay Phones?

  141. 141.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @kalakal: now I need to go check Ravelry and see how many other knitters are trying to figure out the sweater patterns from that show.  I didn’t even have to see a single scene, I know how they’re all going to think.

  142. 142.

    Laura

    On acorn – The Brokenwood Mysteries set in New Zealand. My Life is Murder and Darby and Joan. Darby and Joan is set in Australia. My Life is Murder is set in Australia for season one then moves to New Zealand. Signora Volpe is set in Italy. The Madam Blanc Mysteries is set in the south of France.

  143. 143.

    kalakal

    @Kayla Rudbek: Oh yes, a knitters paradise. Maybe it should have been called Fairisle

    Fun background to the show is Anne Cleves’ books all have a great deal of local knowledge but the locales are scattered all over the British Isles. Turns out her husband was an ornithologist and while he was doing his field research she’d be wandering around absorbing the atmosphere, the landscape, and plotting murders.

  145. 145.

    Liminal Owl

    The Green Glove Gang, on Netflix.  Not for the treadmill, because unless you understand Polish, you’ll need the captions (well, there is a dubbed option, but the dubbing is awful).  We have enjoyed Season 1 with great enthusiasm and are looking forward to 2 and 3.  Three older women pull off a heist and hide out in a retirement home.

    Also chiming in on Severance: yes, weird and excellent.

    From a couple of years ago, but I don’t remember if it was discussed here:  The Queen’s Gambit.

  146. 146.

    mrmoshpotato

    But not creepy, no serial killers, no blood and guts at every turn.

    Well, there goes my recommendation of Bones!  LOL!

  149. 149.

    TiredOfItAll

    WG, have you watched Dark Winds? Two seasons are out and Season 3 begins in March. You’ll recognize one of the main characters from Longmire. (I like that, too, but I like Dark Winds more.)

  153. 153.

    way2blue

    Just started watching ‘Treadstone’ on Hulu; a bit choppy at first getting all the plot threads going (based on Bourne series books).  Also watching ‘Person of Interest’ on Amazon Prime and ‘Discovery of Witches’ on Netflix.  Fun.

  154. 154.

    The Lodger

    @piratedan: Brokenwood. Definitely leave CC on for that one. I had it off for some early episodes and was convinced Sgt. Breen’s last name was Brain.

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