Dept. Q

When Netflix announced an English-language adaptation of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s bestselling Department Q novels, fans of the original Danish crime thrillers were rightly curious – and maybe a bit wary. Would it preserve the grit and brooding tension that made the books so compelling? Could a new setting capture the same shadowy atmosphere as Copenhagen? And would the all-important central character, Carl Morck, come across with the right balance of trauma, arrogance, and detective brilliance?

The answer, as it turns out, is a resounding yes.

Adapted by Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit) alongside co-writer Chandni Lakhani and produced by Left Bank Pictures, Dept. Q relocates the story to Edinburgh – a moody, granite city that proves to be a perfect stand-in for the series’ signature sense of gloom. The show is taut, atmospheric, and deeply human – and it wastes no time plunging us into the psychological wreckage of its main character.

Matthew Goode (A Discovery of Witches) stars as DCI Carl Morck, and he’s nothing short of magnetic – all jagged edges and buried grief. After a brutal ambush at a crime scene leaves one officer dead, his partner James Hardy (Jamie Sives - Shetland) paralysed, and Morck himself physically and emotionally shattered, the detective returns to work with barely concealed contempt for everything and everyone around him. Goode plays Morck like a man perpetually on the verge of snapping – dryly sarcastic, emotionally raw, and brilliantly intuitive. You want to like him, but you probably wouldn’t want to share a lift with him.

In an effort to shift public opinion in favour of the beleaguered Scottish police force, the government has decided to throw money at cold cases, hoping for a PR-friendly success. Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson (Kate Dickie, all frosty pragmatism) assigns Morck to head up the new “Department Q” – but with minimal support and a budget she clearly plans to spend elsewhere. His new "office"? A neglected basement that used to be a toilet.

Enter Akram Salim, played with steely restraint by Alexej Manvelov (Chernobyl). A Syrian former policeman now working as a civil servant, Akram quietly takes over the dusty case files, methodically combing through hundreds before suggesting they begin with the 2020 disappearance of high-profile advocate Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie). What follows is a slow-burn but compelling mystery, unfurling in parallel timelines that gradually converge.

Merritt (played with chilling poise in flashbacks) was last seen boarding a ferry with her non-verbal brother William – after a failed attempt to prosecute wealthy businessman Graham Finch for his wife’s murder and a barrage of death threats. Present-day scenes reveal her shocking fate: she's still alive, held captive for over four years in a grim hyperbaric chamber by unseen captors. It’s claustrophobic, unsettling stuff – and it gives the show real emotional weight.

The supporting cast rounds out nicely: Jamie Sives brings quiet depth to Hardy as he tries to find purpose post-injury, while Leah Byrne adds energy as the young, eager PC Rose Dickson. But the real dynamic worth watching is between Goode’s unpredictable Morck and Manvelov’s quietly forceful Akram. It’s a classic odd-couple partnership, with flashes of dry humour and simmering tension – you get the sense that Akram’s calm exterior is hiding something sharp and dangerous.

Stylistically, Dept. Q is sleek without being flashy. It’s sharp and lean, often letting silences and side glances carry the weight of a scene. Scott Frank’s and Elisa Amoruso’s direction favours mood over melodrama, and it pays off – especially when it comes to exploring Morck’s interior life. His mandatory therapy sessions with Dr Rachel Irving (Kelly Macdonald – Line of Duty) provide some of the show’s more introspective moments, as he struggles to process guilt, anger, and his fraught relationship with his teenage stepson Jasper (Aaron McVeigh).

Rotten Tomatoes reports a strong 87% approval rating from critics, and it’s easy to see why. In a market flooded with formulaic crime shows, Dept. Q stands out. It’s not just the solid mystery (though it is solid), or the excellent performances (which they are), but the way everything gels together – the tone, the characters, the sense of place. Edinburgh is a masterstroke of a setting: beautiful, bleak, and steeped in history.

And the best part? The story is just getting started. Netflix confirmed a second season in August 2025, which is excellent news for fans of complex characters and cold-case intrigue.

Laurence Marcus