Is ‘Slow Horses’ the best show you aren’t watching?

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who has moved at a glacial pace jumping on the “Slow Horses” bandwagon. ...

The AppleTV+ spy thriller broke through the TV glut with nine Emmy nominations for its third season, winning writing for a drama series when trophies were handed out earlier this month. If that isn’t enough to help the sleeper hit find a wider audience as it nears the end of its fourth season next week, maybe another reminder from an LAT-er — this time, staff writer Josh Rottenberg — that its pasture time to catch up, will help.

Plus, “Women in Blue” (Las Azules) co-creator Fernando Rovzar stops by for a guest spot, and we recommend two shows to stream this weekend.

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(Los Angeles Times photo illustration; Photos courtesy of NBC)

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Turn on

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody in “Nobody Wants This.”

(Adam Rose / Netflix)

“Nobody Wants This” (Netflix)

When I heard about “Nobody Wants This,” I feared the title of the new romantic comedy series was foretelling its likely fate. Thirty-minute episodes of television produced by the guy who made “Modern Family” and created by nepo baby Erin Foster (daughter of songwriter David Foster)? Woof. But it ended up being good. Like, my-favorite-show-of-the-year good.

Get ready to be Seth Cohen-level obsessed with Adam Brody all over again. He stars as Noah, a rabbi who falls for a sex-advice podcast host, Joanne, played by Kristen Bell. The problem: She isn’t Jewish. While he’s a progressive religious leader — he doesn’t object to perusing a sex shop or sharing a cigarette at a party — he isn’t looking to marry outside of the tribe. Still, the fledgling couple’s connection proves too difficult to ignore, leading them to question how far they’ll go for love. In addition to the leads’ next-level chemistry — note Brody’s hand on Bell’s cheek during every kissing scene — there are some delightful surprise performances from the supporting cast. Justine Lupe (Willa from “Succession”) and Timothy Simons (Jonah from “Veep”) each made me actually laugh out loud multiple times.

The show is based on the IRL romance between Foster and her husband. He’s not a rabbi, but she did convert for him. So, yeah, I think a whole lot of people are gonna want this. — Amy Kaufman

Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis and Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew in “A Very Royal Scandal.”

(Christopher Raphael / Blueprint / Sony Pictures Television)

“A Very Royal Scandal” (Prime Video)

The third installment in Prime’s “Scandal” series follows “A Very English Scandal” (the Thorpe Affair, too complicated to explain here) and “A Very British Scandal” (the Argyll divorce case, also too complicated to explain here). The focus here is the BBC’s 2019 interview with Prince Andrew over his connection to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre’s claims that the Duke of York was one of the men she was trafficked to when she was a teenager. Coincidentally or not, Netflix is also running “Scoop,” a 2024 movie on the same subject — though where that film concentrates on producer Sam McAlister, who secured the interview, “Scandal” teeter-totters between interviewer Emily Maitlis (Ruth Wilson) and Prince Andrew (Michael Sheen), progressing from preparations, to interview, to aftermath — something of a historical psychological drama. With fine performances, a cool tone and a glossy finish, and with much time spent within the royal halls, it plays like an appendix to “The Crown” or a preview of some future season. With Claire Rushbrook as the duchess called Fergie. — Robert Lloyd

Catch up

Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about

Gary Oldman in “Slow Horses.”

(Apple TV+)

As “Slow Horses” gallops down the final stretch of its fourth season, one stubborn question remains: Why hasn’t the mainstream audience caught on yet? For years, our own Mary McNamara has been telling anyone who will listen that the Apple TV+ series is hands-down one of the best things on TV. Sure, spy shows can feel like a lot, with morally murky characters and endless twists and double-crosses that demand a level of attention incompatible with folding laundry or cooking spaghetti. But now that the show is finally racking up Emmy nominations — nine this year, including a win for outstanding writing — there’s really no excuse to still be this slow on the uptake.

Thankfully, “Slow Horses” — as much a droll workplace comedy as an action-packed spy thriller — makes it easy to dive in without feeling overwhelmed. Based on Mick Herron’s “Slough House” novels, the show centers on a group of MI5 outcasts who’ve spectacularly blown their careers and now find themselves exiled to Slough House, where the agency hopes they’ll be forgotten. Leading this misfit crew is Jackson Lamb, played by a magnificently messy Gary Oldman, whose permanent hangover and unapologetic flatulence mask the fact that he’s still one of the sharpest minds in British intelligence.

Season 1 threw MI5’s D-team into the deep end when a far-right kidnapping plot spun wildly out of control, forcing them to prove their worth while cleaning up the Park’s messes. Season 2 tapped into Cold War paranoia, with Lamb and his team unearthing a Russian sleeper cell operation that exposed some of MI5’s deepest secrets. In Season 3, Slough House’s own Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) was kidnapped by a rogue group bent on getting their hands on the intelligence agency’s highly classified “grey books.”

Season 4 introduces the closest thing “Slow Horses” has had to a Bond villain in high-level mercenary Frank Harkness, played by a scenery-chewing Hugo Weaving. The coldly menacing Harkness proves a worthy foil to the shambling but shrewd Lamb as they engage in a deadly cat-and-mouse game involving former senior MI5 officer David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce), the increasingly senile grandfather of perpetually in-over-his-head River (Jack Lowden).

Even if you’re the sort of person who finds John Le Carré intimidating, have no fear. With Oldman hinting that “Slow Horses” may be the capper to his legendary career, there’s no better moment to finally get on board this sly, seat-of-the-pants thriller that, as McNamara writes, “has something for almost everyone.” — Josh Rottenberg

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Bárbara Mori, Ximena Sariñana and Amorita Rasgado in “Women in Blue” (Las Azules), now streaming on Apple TV+.

(Apple TV+)

If discovering under-the-radar AppleTV+ shows is your thing, consider adding “Women in Blue” (Las Azules) to the watch list. Set in 1970 and inspired by true events, the crime drama is the streamer’s first Spanish-language series and tells the story of four women who join Mexico’s first female police force, only to discover its all a ruse aimed at improving the image of police and to distract from the serial killer targeting women. The series concluded its first season this week; all 10 episodes are available to stream. (Each one begins with a reminder for viewers to turn on the subtitle function, should it be desired.) Fernando Rovzar, the show’s co-creator, stopped by Screen Gab recently to discuss the series, what he’s watching and more. — Yvonne Villarreal

The series is the first show on the streamer that is entirely in Spanish. With the success of shows like “Shogun,” which is mostly in Japanese, and as television becomes more international with global series, do you think enough U.S.-based studios and programmers have realized viewers are willing to see past language and cultural barriers if the storytelling is compelling?

Back in the pre-streamer days, every filmmaker in Mexico was told that American audiences would never read subtitles, so anything that we did in Spanish would automatically be limited in its international distribution. Even in terms of story, international filmmakers everywhere would often shy away from local stories out of fear that American audiences would immediately tune out. Nowadays, however, times seem to be changing. American audiences are not only reading subtitles but are curious for international stories. Latin America is also seeing a growing regional unity. Our shows and films are being seen all over the region, which is something that wasn’t possible in the pre-streaming days, even though we speak the same language. I believe that the industry has shifted dramatically because stories are now destined for global audiences from the outset. One of the most incredible things about “Women in Blue” (Las Azules) is Apple TV+ from the very beginning asked us to keep the story local, to portray the characters and their environment with honesty and understand that a specific story does not alienate people if the human values are universal.

“Women in Blue” is rooted in the past, but current events make it feel familiar. Mexicans recently elected their first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum; at the same time, femicide in Mexico remains an urgent issue. How do you expect the realities of those extremes to influence the types of stories or themes you’re interested in exploring in a possible Season 2 of this period series?

I think that one could absolutely draw a line from the women in blue of 1971 to our first female president. Women such as these are trailblazers, and it is through their perseverance in a society that makes it very difficult for them to thrive that they become icons. I think it’s impossible to create any season of “Women in Blue” (Las Azules) without considering the struggle that the women in blue face on a daily basis, not only in society, but also in their homes. One doesn’t have to go very far to look for conflict and drama in those areas because they were everywhere. That being said, I believe the “Women in Blue” (Las Azules) in any subsequent season, would make phenomenal detectives against any criminal, and not just a criminal like in Season 1, who strictly murdered women. It is their particular method and the way they approach their investigations (through psychology, empathy and a capacity to find patterns where others can’t) that make them a valuable addition against any criminal.

What have you watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone you know?

There are two shows that I recently watched that blew my mind. The first is “La Mesias” (The Messiah) [Movistar Plus+] by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo. This Spanish series is the kind of show that trusts its audience with an unconventional and ambitious story that dives into the darkest and most intimate regions of the human being. It’s character development and character analysis at its finest. The other show that I’ve been watching is “Drops of God” on Apple TV+. It mixes French and Japanese culture in such a perfect way, without taking sides, without judgment. It beautifully portrays both cultures in all their light and dark, united by flawed characters who strive for the same approval. I believe this show opens the door for many more collaborations between countries, for if we aim to truly create global content, we must also look to these kinds of stories that can bring people from different countries and cultures together creatively.

What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the film or TV show you return to again and again?

My comfort watch for sure has got to be “The Sopranos” [Max]. I can watch any episode of any season at any given time and it fills me with inspiration to write character.