On the surface, Slow Horses doesn’t do anything radically different than any television show that was on the air 10 years ago. This shouldn’t make AppleTV+’s spy series sound outdated or old-fashioned; on the contrary – it’s a refreshingly modern and reliable adaptation of Mick Herron’s series of novels that makes its mark in the spy thriller genre. But in an age where new seasons of TV shows can take 2 or 3 years between releases, Slow Horses has churned out 4 solid seasons – the latest of which releases its season premiere of the 6 episode season today – in just 2 years.

As ever, Gary Oldman remains the show’s guiding force as Jackson Lamb, the drunken, slovenly head of the titular rejects from MI-5. Season four is no different, as his team is pushed slightly further to the sidelines this go around. There’s still compelling bits of characterization to be found, and Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Saskia Reeves, Kadiff Kirwan, and Kristin Scott Thomas turn in engaging supporting performances. But it’s Jonathan Pryce who nearly steals the show as David Cartwright, the retired former head of MI-5 and grandfather to River (Jack Lowden) continues to slip into dementia and lose his wits. Whereas previous seasons saw him occasionally pop in to help River, he’s more critical to the plot here.

The story in season 4 maintains the show’s penchant for spy thrills, but it’s much more straightforward, with less intriguing twists and turns. When I had reached the end of the penultimate episode, I was surprised to reflect on how little had changed from the premiere til then. Which is a shame, because Slow Horses starts off with a bang, literally and figuratively. It’s hard to discuss the mechanisms of the season without spoiling things, but there are some shocking developments within the opening moments with lingering repercussions throughout the rest of the season.

The show has always found success in portraying the contrast in how Lamb and the Slow Horses approach the seasons’ overall story. It’s kind of impressive how showrunner Will Smith can fill each episode with a James Bond level of intrigue, stakes, action, humor, and world-building without feeling wholly derivative.

There are some new additions to the season that don’t totally gel as well as they have in previous installments. There’s always office intrigue at the Park, where Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) grapples with Claude (James Callis) the new head of First Desk, taking over after Sofie Okonedo’s departure. Callis works well enough as a bumbling fool who failed his way to the top, but too often it feels like Slow Horses is adding drama for drama’s sake. Or, worse, it feels like an outlandish bit of humor when everything else feels realistic. One spectacular bit of running humor comes in the form of Tom Brooke as a new member of the Slow Horses, who mostly just appears in the background with his hoodie on, an unremarkable, silent observer. Hugo Weaving makes a splash as the season’s Big Bad, whose evil superpower seems to be melding nearly every global accent together into one, though he shows up a little late in the season for my liking.

Through workmanlike efficiency, Slow Horses continues its stellar track record in the fourth season, even with some relatively minor hiccups. Like the James Bond franchise, it’s often at its best when it weaves together British spycraft of the past, present, and future with its uniquely rendered characters. Season 4 isn’t without its flaws, and it likely won’t rank as my personal favorite when all is said and done, but it gains major points for leaning away from the tropes of the genre. As Mick Jagger croons in the series’ theme, it is indeed a strange game, but it’s played better than most shows on the air today.

The first episode of Slow Horses premieres on AppleTV+ on September 4, with subsequent episodes releasing each Wednesday.