Dept. Q

This article is about the Scottish television series. For the Danish novel series, see Department Q.

Dept. Q
Genre	Crime thriller
Based on	Department Q by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Developed by	Scott Frank Chandni Lakhani
Starring	Matthew Goode Kelly Macdonald Chloe Pirrie Alexej Manvelov Leah Byrne Mark Bonnar Jamie Sives Shirley Henderson Kate Dickie
Music by	Carlos Rafael Rivera
Country of origin	United Kingdom United States
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	9
Production
Executive producers	Scott Frank Andy Harries Rob Bullock
Producer	David Brown
Running time	42–71 minutes
Production companies	Left Bank Pictures Flitcraft Sony Pictures Television
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)

Dept. Q is a British crime thriller television series created by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani, based on the book series by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. It premiered on 29 May 2025.

Plot

Former top-rated detective Carl Morck tackles a cold case while turning an Edinburgh basement office space into a well-oiled machine full of misfit officers dedicated to cracking whatever seemingly impossible cases come across their desks.

Cast

Main

• Matthew Goode as Carl Morck, an emotionally scarred detective charged with setting up Department Q, a cold case unit
• Chloe Pirrie as Merritt Lingard, a ruthless and ambitious prosecutor
• Jamie Sives as James Hardy, Morck's paraplegic former partner who finds a new purpose in life consulting Department Q on their cases
• Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns, Lord Advocate and Merritt's former supervisor
• Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim, a Syrian cop forced to flee to Europe who ultimately becomes part of the new department
• Leah Byrne as Rose Dickson, a cadet shaken by a breakdown and looking for a chance to prove herself in Morck's team
• Kate Dickie as Moira Jacobson, Morck's commanding officer
• Shirley Henderson as Claire Marsh, a housekeeper and attendant of William
• Kelly Macdonald as Dr. Rachel Irving, a police therapist handling Morck's mandatory post-shooting sessions
• Alison Peebles as Ailsa Jennings, mother of Lyle and Harry Jennings

Recurring

• Angus Yellowlees as Anderson, the patrol officer
• Patrick Kennedy as Liam Taylor, a prosecutor
• Douglas Russell as Graham Finch, businessman accused of murdering his wife
• Steven Miller as Lyle Jennings
• Kal Sabir as DCI Logan Bruce
• Aron Dochard as DC Clark
• Catriona Stirling as DC Wilson
• Tom Bulpett as William Lindgard, Merritt's disabled brother
• Aaron McVeigh as Jasper Stewart, Morck's stepson
• Sanjeev Kohli as Martin Fleming, Morck's housemate
• Gordon Brown as Fergus Dunbar, a detective investigating the Merritt case
• Michelle Duncan as Dr. Fiona Wallace, the director of the mental hospital and William's guardian
• Ellen Bannerman as Kirsty Atkins, witness in the Finch case
• James Macnaughton as Dennis Piper, a reporter
• Gilly Gilchrist as Constable John Cunningham
• Clive Russell as Jamie Lingard, father of Merritt and William
• Fraser Saunders as Harry Jennings

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	Episode 1	Scott Frank	Chandni Lakhani & Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
Following a near-fatal encounter, DCI Carl Morck resumes work as the leader of a newly established department. Meanwhile, a prosecutor faces a challenging day in court.
2	Episode 2	Scott Frank	Chandni Lakhani & Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
The cold case should be Carl’s only concern—but as he and his assistant peel back the layers, his own personal life claws its way back into the light
3	Episode 3	Elisa Amoruso	Chandni Lakhani & Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
Carl and Akram board the ferry to Mhor, retracing the same ill-fated journey. Back at HQ, Rose argues her way into their investigation—whether they like it or not.
4	Episode 4	Elisa Amoruso	Stephen Greenhorn & Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
Rose arrives on the island, determined to uncover what Carl couldn't. But it’s Akram’s discovery—a single, damning note—that sends the case spiraling in a direction no one expected.
5	Episode 5	Elisa Amoruso	Stephen Greenhorn & Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
When the vanished prosecutor is linked to a suspicious death, Carl’s investigation takes a darker turn. A violent altercation in a newspaper office lands him in the headlines—for all the wrong reasons. Meanwhile, Moira sits across from a therapist asking about Carl.
6	Episode 6	Scott Frank	Colette Kane & Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
Police finally collar a suspect in the Leith Park shooting, but Carl’s not convinced. Returning to the crime scene, he pores over the details—until a taunt from the press sends him into another explosive public outburst, jeopardizing the case.
7	Episode 7	Scott Frank	Colette Kane & Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
Carl goes rogue, making explosive accusations against powerful figures that could destroy careers - or get him killed. Meanwhile, Rose's discovery suggests Sam Heig was never who he claimed to be.
8	Episode 8	Scott Frank	Teleplay by : Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
They keep her alive just long enough to taunt her with clues, turning survival into a sick test. In the basement, Carl's team connects dots that reveal an even more disturbing pattern.
9	Episode 9	Scott Frank	Teleplay by : Scott Frank	29 May 2025 (2025-05-29)
Old tape. New truth. No time.

Production

Development

Filming took place at the City Chambers in Edinburgh

On 27 April 2023, Scott Frank was set to develop an English language eight-episode TV series adaptation of the first of Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q book series, with Frank co-writing with Chandni Lakhani, and Left Bank Pictures producing the series for Netflix. On 6 February 2024, Stephen Greenhorn and Colette Kane were revealed to be writing with Frank and Lakhani, while Frank will direct the first 2 episodes.

Casting

On 6 February 2024, Matthew Goode, Chloe Pirrie, Alexej Manvelov, Leah Byrne, and Kelly Macdonald, were cast for main roles in the series.

Filming

On 27 April 2023, it was announced that the series would be set in Edinburgh, Scotland, as compared to the Copenhagen, Denmark setting of the source novels. Filming took place in Edinburgh between February and June 2024.

Release

Dept. Q premiered on 29 May 2025.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 84% approval rating based on 43 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "In a sea of generic crime dramas, Dept. Q stakes its claim amongst the thrilling, enthralling, and sublime thanks to a winning cast and veteran creative Scott Frank." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 69 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable".

Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series an A- and said, "Broken people healing themselves by providing closure for crime victims" can be an especially effective sub-genre if the writing, directing, and casting align – and in Dept. Q everything gels beautifully." Lucy Mangan reviewed the series for The Guardian, giving it a rating of 4/5 and describing the script as "sharp and lean, and especially good at channelling Morck's spitting sarcasm". Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "Goode is an exposed nerve, ready to lash out at anyone around him for the slightest offense, which makes him a good match for Manvelov's understated cool as Akram, who is clearly much more dangerous than his reserved and polite demeanor would suggest." Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter commented, "Solid mystery, great ensemble, ample ongoing potential."

External links

• Dept. Q on Netflix
• Dept. Q at IMDb