# Dept. Q
**Dept. Q** is a British crime drama television series created by Scott Frank for Netflix, adapted from the Department Q novels by Danish author [Jussi Adler-Olsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/jussi-adler-olsen). The series stars [Matthew Goode](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-goode) as Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck, a brilliant but abrasive Edinburgh detective placed in charge of a newly formed, basement-based cold case unit after a shooting leaves a young police constable dead and his partner paralyzed.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81487660) Season 1 premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2025, with nine episodes.[2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/) Netflix renewed the series for a second season in August 2025, with production underway in Edinburgh.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/thriller-shows/one-of-netflixs-biggest-2025-hits-with-a-great-rotten-tomatoes-score-has-been-renewed-for-season-2-and-fans-are-thrilled/) • [4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/dept-q-season-2-production-casting-announcement)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Series | Dept. Q, a Netflix crime drama adapted from Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q novels[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81487660) |
| Creator | Scott Frank, who wrote or co-wrote all nine Season 1 episodes and directed six[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F) |
| Season 1 premiere | May 29, 2025, nine episodes[2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/) |
| Lead cast | Matthew Goode (Carl Morck), Alexej Manvelov (Akram Salim), Leah Byrne (Rose Dickson), Jamie Sives (James Hardy), Kate Dickie (Moira Jacobson)[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F) |
| Setting | Edinburgh, Scotland, a change from the Copenhagen setting of the source novels[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F) |
| Reception | 88% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (60 reviews); Metascore 69 ("Generally Favorable")[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dept_q/s01) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/) |
| Season 2 | Renewed in August 2025; production underway in Edinburgh with ten new cast members, release date not announced[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/thriller-shows/one-of-netflixs-biggest-2025-hits-with-a-great-rotten-tomatoes-score-has-been-renewed-for-season-2-and-fans-are-thrilled/) • [4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/dept-q-season-2-production-casting-announcement) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The series follows DCI Carl Morck, described in Netflix's synopsis as "a brilliant cop but a terrible colleague" whose sarcasm has made him no friends in the Edinburgh police.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81487660) After a shooting that kills a young police constable and leaves his partner James Hardy (Jamie Sives) paralyzed, Morck is exiled to the basement as the sole member of Department Q, a newly formed cold case unit.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81487660) The unit is presented as a public relations gesture intended to distract from the failures of an under-resourced police force, but Morck gradually assembles a team of outsiders and begins investigating the disappearance of a prominent civil servant several years earlier.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81487660) The unit's central team includes Akram Salim ([Alexej Manvelov](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexej-manvelov)), a measured investigator who balances Morck's heated approach, and Detective Constable Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne).[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/dept-q-netflix-tv-review-2025)
### Season 2
Netflix announced a second season in August 2025, nearly three months after Season 1's release.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/thriller-shows/one-of-netflixs-biggest-2025-hits-with-a-great-rotten-tomatoes-score-has-been-renewed-for-season-2-and-fans-are-thrilled/) Goode, Manvelov, Byrne, and Sives return, along with [Mark Bonnar](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-bonnar), Kate Dickie, Aaron McVeigh, and [Sanjeev Kohli](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanjeev-kohli).[4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/dept-q-season-2-production-casting-announcement) New cast members include Aisling Franciosi, Greg Wise, Nicholas Rowe, Tony Curran, Hamish Clark, Alex Ferns, Ross Anderson, Rebecca Root, Isla Johnston, and [Amy Brenneman](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-brenneman).[4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/dept-q-season-2-production-casting-announcement) Kelly Macdonald is not returning; creator Scott Frank confirmed that the production schedule in Edinburgh, a roughly 20-week shoot through October, made it impossible for her to juggle both commitments.[12](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/why-kelly-macdonald-isnt-returning-for-dept-q-season-2/) Executive producer Rob Bullock said the new season involves "a terrible crime hidden in the highest echelons of Scottish society."[4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/dept-q-season-2-production-casting-announcement) As of the most recent announcements, no release date or episode count for Season 2 had been confirmed.[4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/dept-q-season-2-production-casting-announcement)
## Adaptation and development
Dept. Q is based on the Department Q series of novels by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, which centers on Copenhagen detective Carl Mørck and his assistants.[8](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/229/a-department-q-novel/) [Scott Frank](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-frank), known for The Queen's Gambit and Godless, had held the rights in mind for more than two decades before writing and directing the series.[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F) The adaptation relocates the stories from Copenhagen to Edinburgh, which Frank called "the perfect combination between the modern and the medieval."[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F) Frank also changed the lead character's nationality: because Goode is English, he made Morck an English detective in Scotland, using his friction with his adopted city as a comic and character thread.[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F) Frank co-created the series with Chandni Lakhani.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/critic-reviews/) Executive producers are Rob Bullock, Scott Frank, and Andy Harries.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81487660) The novels had previously been adapted into a series of Danish films; reviewers and readers have noted that the Netflix series is faithful to the source material while making substantial changes.[2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/)
## Cast
The principal cast of Season 1 includes:[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F)
- Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck
- Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim
- Leah Byrne as DC Rose Dickson
- Jamie Sives as DCI James Hardy
- [Chloe Pirrie](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-pirrie) as Merritt Lingard
- [Kate Dickie](https://www.edgepedia.org/kate-dickie) as Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson
- Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns
- [Shirley Henderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/shirley-henderson) as Claire Marsh
- Kelly Macdonald as Dr. Rachel Irving
- Tom Bulpett as William Lingard
Goode had previously worked with Frank on [The Lookout](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-lookout) (2007), and Frank said he wrote the character with the actor in mind.[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F)
## Reception
Season 1 received generally favorable reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, Season 1 holds an 88% Tomatometer score from 60 reviews, with a critics consensus crediting the cast and Scott Frank, and a 90% audience score.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dept_q/s01) On Metacritic, Season 1 has a Metascore of 69 based on 22 critic reviews, categorized as "Generally Favorable," with 14 positive and 8 mixed reviews and none negative.[2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/) Many reviewers drew comparisons to the Apple TV+ series [Slow Horses](https://www.edgepedia.org/slow-horses), another adaptation of a long-running book series featuring a misanthropic lead; Radio Times praised Goode's performance while criticizing the pacing, and [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) called Goode's lead performance terrific while noting the story could have been told more efficiently.[10](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/dept-q-review/) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/critic-reviews/) [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly) scored the series 91, writing that "everything gels beautifully."[9](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/critic-reviews/)
Commercially, the series was a notable success for Netflix: Season 1 spent six weeks in the platform's Global Top Ten shows.[11](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-renews-mystery-thriller-dept-q-for-season-2-heres-what-we-know-so-far)
## References
1. [Dept. Q – Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81487660)
2. [Dept. Q Reviews – Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/)
3. [One of Netflix's biggest 2025 hits has been renewed for season 2 – GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/thriller-shows/one-of-netflixs-biggest-2025-hits-with-a-great-rotten-tomatoes-score-has-been-renewed-for-season-2-and-fans-are-thrilled/)
4. [Dept Q season 2 begins production as Netflix confirms returning cast – TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/dept-q-season-2-production-casting-announcement)
5. [Dept. Q: Cast, Release Date, Photos, Plot of New Matthew Goode Series – Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dept-q-release-date-cast-news?inapp=true%2F)
6. [Dept. Q: Season 1 – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dept_q/s01)
7. [Excellent Cast Struggles to Hold Together Plodding "Dept. Q" – RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/dept-q-netflix-tv-review-2025)
8. [A Department Q Novel – Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/229/a-department-q-novel/)
9. [Dept. Q critic reviews – Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dept-q/critic-reviews/)
10. [Dept. Q review: Matthew Goode is phenomenal but sluggish pacing is a problem – Radio Times](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/dept-q-review/)
11. [Netflix renews mystery thriller 'Dept. Q' for season 2 – Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-renews-mystery-thriller-dept-q-for-season-2-heres-what-we-know-so-far)
12. [Why Kelly Macdonald Isn't Returning for 'Dept. Q' Season 2 – What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/why-kelly-macdonald-isnt-returning-for-dept-q-season-2/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Literary and classic serial adaptations › Thriller and crime adaptations › Premiered 2024 to 2026*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license