Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Dept. Q stars Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck, an abrasive detective who is pushed into leading a new cold-case unit in Edinburgh. The Netflix crime series surrounds him with an unlikely team: Syrian police officer Akram Salim, desk-bound detective Rose Dickson and Carl’s former partner, James Hardy. Their first major investigation is the disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard, who has been missing for four years.
Dept. Q stars Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck, an abrasive detective who is pushed into leading a new cold-case unit in Edinburgh. The Netflix crime series surrounds him with an unlikely team: Syrian police officer Akram Salim, desk-bound detective Rose Dickson and Carl’s former partner, James Hardy. Their first major investigation is the disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard, who has been missing for four years.
This guide covers the principal Dept. Q cast and characters, the team’s relationships, the important supporting players and what is officially known about Season 2. It is written to remain broadly spoiler-light: Merritt’s disappearance is identified as the central case, but the season’s final answers are not explained.
Dept. Q cast at a glance
| Actor | Character | Role in the series |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Goode | DCI Carl Morck | The brilliant, confrontational detective placed in charge of Department Q |
| Alexej Manvelov | Akram Salim | A Syrian police officer who becomes Carl’s investigative partner |
| Leah Byrne | DC Rose Dickson | A police officer whose desk assignment follows PTSD and whose investigative ability resurfaces |
| Jamie Sives | DCI James Hardy | Carl’s former partner, who is paralyzed after the shooting that changes both men’s lives |
| Chloe Pirrie | Merritt Lingard | The prosecutor whose disappearance becomes Department Q’s first major case |
| Kate Dickie | DCS Moira Jacobson | Carl’s commanding officer and head of the Edinburgh police department |
| Kelly Macdonald | Dr. Rachel Irving | The police therapist assigned to Carl after the shooting |
| Mark Bonnar | Stephen Burns | Merritt’s boss in the prosecutor’s office |
| Shirley Henderson | Claire Marsh | The caretaker of Merritt’s brother, William Lingard |
Who plays Carl Morck? Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck
Matthew Goode plays DCI Carl Morck, the central detective in Dept. Q. Carl is exceptionally capable, but his sarcasm, aggression and refusal to maintain easy working relationships have left him professionally isolated. He is the kind of investigator who can see what others miss, while also making it difficult for anyone around him to work with him.
#1 Best Overall
Carl is reassigned after a shooting kills a young police constable and leaves his partner, James Hardy, paralyzed. Department Q initially looks less like a genuine investment in cold-case investigations than a public-relations solution for an under-resourced police force. Carl is nominally its head—and, at first, its only member.
The television adaptation also makes Carl English rather than Danish. That change gives the character an additional outsider status in Edinburgh and sharpens his friction with Scottish colleagues and institutions. It is one of the clearest examples of how the Netflix series reshapes the source material rather than reproducing it literally.
Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim
Alexej Manvelov plays Akram Salim, a Syrian police officer who fled his home before joining the Edinburgh police. Akram initially enters Carl’s orbit as an assistant, but his contribution quickly becomes much more substantial: he develops into one of Department Q’s core investigators.
Akram’s calm, practical approach provides an important counterweight to Carl’s confrontational instincts. The two form the unit’s principal investigative partnership, and their contrasting temperaments are central to the show’s working-group dynamic. Akram is not simply administrative support; he is one of the people who makes Department Q function.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Leah Byrne as Detective Constable Rose Dickson
Leah Byrne plays Detective Constable Rose Dickson, a police officer placed in desk work after experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. Her assignment to Department Q gives her a route back toward investigative work and allows abilities that had been sidelined to re-emerge.
Rose’s relationship with Carl is difficult, but productive. She does not fit comfortably into his preferred way of operating, and the friction between them is part of the point: Department Q works because its members bring different experiences and strengths, not because Carl has assembled a conventional elite squad.
Jamie Sives as James Hardy
Jamie Sives plays Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy, Carl’s former partner. Hardy is paralyzed in the shooting that also results in Carl’s reassignment, leaving both men to deal with the physical and emotional consequences.
Hardy’s story gives Dept. Q an emotional thread that runs alongside the missing-person investigation. His connection with Carl is shaped by their history, the shooting and the difficult question of responsibility. He is therefore more than a character from Carl’s professional past: Hardy helps reveal the guilt and unresolved trauma beneath Carl’s abrasive exterior.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Chloe Pirrie as Merritt Lingard
Chloe Pirrie plays Merritt Lingard, a prominent prosecutor whose disappearance drives the first season’s main mystery. Merritt has been missing for four years when Department Q begins examining the case.
Because the investigation is built around her absence, Merritt functions both as the missing person at the center of the plot and as a link to Edinburgh’s legal and institutional world. Her professional connections include Stephen Burns, her boss at the prosecutor’s office, while her family circumstances connect the case to her brother, William Lingard.
Kate Dickie as Moira Jacobson
Kate Dickie plays Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson, Carl’s commanding officer and the head of the Edinburgh police department. Moira represents the institutional pressures surrounding Department Q: limited resources, administrative priorities and the need to justify the unit’s existence.
Her role places her between Carl’s methods and the police department’s expectations. The unit may be presented as a fresh initiative, but its basement location and improvised staffing make clear how little conventional support it initially receives.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchKelly Macdonald as Dr. Rachel Irving
Kelly Macdonald plays Dr. Rachel Irving, the police therapist assigned to Carl after the shooting. Rachel’s role connects the crime procedural to Carl’s psychological state, including his guilt, trauma and resistance to emotional accountability.
She provides a different kind of challenge from Carl’s police colleagues. Akram and Rose must find ways to investigate with him; Rachel’s task is to confront the personal damage Carl would rather treat as an inconvenience. Netflix’s Season 1 listing includes Macdonald. The officially announced Season 2 returning-cast list does not name Rachel, so her return should not be assumed.
Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns
Mark Bonnar plays Stephen Burns, Merritt’s boss in the prosecutor’s office. He belongs to the institutional circle surrounding the disappearance and helps connect Department Q’s cold-case work with the legal world Merritt occupied before she vanished.
Shirley Henderson as Claire Marsh
Shirley Henderson plays Claire Marsh, the caretaker of William Lingard, Merritt’s brother. Claire’s position places her within the personal and caregiving network affected by Merritt’s disappearance.
Additional Season 1 characters
- Tom Bulpett as William Lingard: Merritt’s non-verbal brother following a traumatic event.
- Michelle Duncan as Dr. Fiona Wallace: The doctor who takes over William’s care after Merritt disappears.
- Steven Miller as Sam Haig: A mysterious figure who becomes important to the season’s plot. His significance is best discovered while watching.
- Douglas Russell as Graham Finch: A wealthy businessman accused of murdering his wife in the case Merritt is prosecuting at the beginning of the series.
How the Department Q team works
Department Q is effective precisely because it is not a smoothly assembled specialist unit. The police department brings together what Netflix describes as “waifs and strays”—people with complicated histories, limited institutional status or abilities that have been overlooked.
- Carl and Akram: The core investigative partnership. Carl brings experience and instinct; Akram develops into a capable partner who can turn the unit’s ideas into practical investigation.
- Carl and Rose: A tense but increasingly useful professional pairing. Rose’s experience and investigative judgment challenge Carl’s assumptions.
- Carl and Hardy: Former partners whose bond is permanently altered by the shooting. Their relationship carries the show’s most direct emotional connection to Carl’s guilt and trauma.
- Carl and Moira: A detective and superior operating under different pressures. Carl wants room to pursue difficult cases, while Moira has to manage the police department around him.
The result is a character-driven procedural: the cold case supplies the mystery, but the team’s mismatched skills and unresolved personal histories supply much of the drama.
Rank #4
Is Dept. Q based on a book?
Yes. The series is adapted from Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q crime novels. The first English-language book is The Keeper of Lost Causes, which introduces Carl Mørck and Department Q’s first case involving vanished politician Merete Lynggaard. The publisher identifies it as Book 1 and as the inspiration for the Netflix series.
The Netflix version makes substantial adaptation choices. The books are associated with Copenhagen and Denmark, while the series relocates the story to Edinburgh. The television Carl is English rather than Danish, and names, backgrounds and character details have been adapted for the Scottish setting. The show should therefore be viewed as a screen interpretation of the Department Q premise and characters, not as a scene-by-scene translation of the novels.
Recommended Free Tools
Read the first Department Q book: The Keeper of Lost Causes is the most direct starting point for readers who want to compare the source material with the Netflix adaptation. The publisher’s series page lists the Department Q books and available editions; availability and retailers can vary by country.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Season 2 cast and status
Season 2 is in production in Edinburgh, but Netflix has not announced a release date. Netflix’s official update dated August 11, 2026 confirms the returning core cast and announces new cast members. Production status and casting are confirmed; detailed roles and plot outcomes for the new characters have not been disclosed in the supplied official material.
Returning cast confirmed for Season 2
- Matthew Goode as Carl Morck
- Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim
- Leah Byrne as Rose Dickson
- Jamie Sives as James Hardy
- Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns
- Kate Dickie as Moira Jacobson
- Aaron McVeigh as Jasper Stewart
- Sanjeev Kohli as Martin Fleming
Kelly Macdonald’s Dr. Rachel Irving is not included in that announced returning-cast list. That omission is not confirmation that the character cannot appear, but there is no basis here for describing Rachel as a confirmed Season 2 return.
New Season 2 cast and characters
Netflix has announced the following additions:
- Aisling Franciosi as Kimmie
- Greg Wise as Derek Powell
- Nicholas Rowe as Thomas Fulton
- Tony Curran as Winnie Calderwood
- Hamish Clark as Christopher Herron
- Alex Ferns as Phil Allenbeck
- Ross Anderson as Ricky Daddario
- Rebecca Root as June Lovesay
- Isla Johnston as Agnes
- Amy Brenneman as Helen
The announced Season 2 case concerns a terrible crime hidden among the highest levels of Scottish society. Netflix has not supplied enough verified detail to explain the new characters’ individual roles, so descriptions beyond their names would be speculation.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhere to watch and what to expect
Dept. Q is a Netflix series. Its first-season setup combines a missing-prosecutor mystery with a police workplace drama about a unit created partly to distract from institutional failure. Viewers looking for a conventional detective squad should expect something rougher and more character-focused: the investigators are assembled for convenience, then gradually become a functioning team.
For official updates, use Netflix Tudum’s series coverage, the Netflix Media Center listing and Netflix’s official Season 2 announcements. A Netflix Shop exists as the company’s official merchandise channel, but a current Dept. Q product listing was not confirmed for this guide; readers should not assume that show merchandise is currently available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who plays Carl Morck in Dept. Q?
Matthew Goode plays DCI Carl Morck, the brilliant but abrasive detective placed in charge of Edinburgh’s new cold-case unit, Department Q.
Is Netflix’s Dept. Q based on a book?
The series is based on Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q novels. The first English-language book is The Keeper of Lost Causes.
How is the Netflix series different from the Department Q books?
The television adaptation relocates the story from Copenhagen to Edinburgh and makes Carl English rather than Danish. Several names, backgrounds and character details are also adapted.
Is there a Dept. Q Season 2?
Netflix has confirmed Season 2 production in Edinburgh, but it has not announced a release date. The returning cast includes Matthew Goode, Alexej Manvelov, Leah Byrne and Jamie Sives, among others.
The Bottom Line
The essential Dept. Q cast is Matthew Goode as Carl Morck, Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim, Leah Byrne as Rose Dickson and Jamie Sives as James Hardy. Their improvised cold-case team investigates the disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard, played by Chloe Pirrie, while the series explores Carl’s guilt, the police department’s institutional pressures and the relationships that gradually turn Department Q into a real unit.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
