“Dept. Q” is Netflix’s new crime drama set in Edinburgh. It stars Matthew Goode as Carl Morck, a detective who returns to work after a traumatizing incident to run a new cold case department.
The series comes from Scott Frank, who is best known for writing and directing the Netflix series “Godless” and “The Queen’s Gambit.” It’s based on the novel of the same name by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, and it is an ideal watch for those waiting for the next Harlan Coben adaptation to land on streamer.
“Dept. Q” starts as Morck and Detective Inspector James Hardy (Jamie Sives) investigate a crime scene with a younger officer when a masked man arrives and shoots at the trio.
Morck is injured in the attack, Hardy is paralyzed, and the younger officer is killed. When Morck eventually returns to work, he’s sent to run a new cold case department in the basement of the Edinburgh station to keep him out of the way. He’s joined by Salim (Alexej Manvelov), a Syrian police officer who fled his home and now works in Edinburgh.
They start digging into the disappearance of Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie), a prosecutor who went missing four years ago, and discover a sprawling mystery.
The nine-episode first season, which was released on May 29, has received mostly positive reviews online. The Guardian called it “a grimy, gothic treat,” while Variety described it as “an emotionally fraught crime thriller that never lets up.”
Here’s what to know about “Dept. Q” season two.
Netflix hasn’t announced “Dept. Q” season two yet, but there are more stories to tell
Jamie Simpson/Netflix
“Dept. Q” has not been renewed for a second season yet. The streamer may be waiting to see how many subscribers watch the series within the first few weeks before deciding whether to bring Goode back to solve more cold cases in Edinburgh.
A representative from Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.
The good news is the cast has already expressed interest in returning for “Dept. Q” season two.
In an interview with Yahoo UK, Goode said that he had told the director and writer that they “really need to do” a second season, and that the show could up its fight sequences in season two.
His costar Pirrie echoed this, telling the outlet, “I’d love to see more. When I watched the episodes I was just like, these characters are such fun to be with.”
“I want to see that team do more stuff together,” she added.
Fortunately, there are already a handful of other stories for Netflix to adapt for the show. There are 10 books in Adler-Olsen’s series, which means there are plenty of other mysteries to draw from if “Dept. Q” season two gets the go-ahead.
But for any Nordic noir fans, the first six books have already been adapted into movies in Denmark, with the other four set to arrive between 2026 and 2032.
“Dept. Q” is now streaming on Netflix.
