Dept. Q is a 2025 Netflix crime drama about DCI Carl Mørck, an abrasive but brilliant detective assigned to lead a new cold-case unit in Edinburgh after a police shooting leaves one officer dead and another paralyzed. The series adapts Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q novels, but its Scottish setting and reworked version of Carl make it a distinct television interpretation rather than a scene-for-scene transcription.
Dept. Q is a 2025 Netflix crime drama about DCI Carl Mørck, an abrasive but gifted detective assigned to lead a new cold-case unit in Edinburgh. After a shooting kills a young police constable and leaves his partner paralyzed, Carl is pushed into a basement office and given the cases nobody else has solved. The result is a police procedural built around unresolved disappearances, damaged investigators, institutional politics, and a detective who is as difficult as he is effective.
Netflix lists the series as TV-MA and currently has one season available. The show was created, written, and directed by Scott Frank, with Chandni Lakhani credited as co-creator. Matthew Goode plays Carl Mørck, alongside Chloe Pirrie and Jamie Sives; Netflix’s press materials also identify Alexej Manvelov, Kelly Macdonald, and Leah Byrne among the principal cast.
What is Dept. Q about?
Carl Mørck is a brilliant detective whose abrasive personality and strained relationships make him a poor fit for conventional police work. Following the shooting that changes the lives of several officers, he is effectively exiled from the main operation and assigned to a newly created cold-case department.
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That department—Department Q—begins with little status, limited resources, and an office in the basement. Its purpose is to revisit old investigations involving missing people and unresolved crimes. Carl’s work gradually turns the supposedly abandoned unit into a functioning investigative team, although the cases are only part of the challenge. He must also learn how to work with colleagues, confront the consequences of the shooting, and operate inside a police institution that does not necessarily want its past failures examined.
The premise gives the series two connected engines: each cold case supplies a mystery, while Carl’s difficult return to meaningful police work supplies the continuing character drama. It is therefore not simply a succession of old crimes. The show is also about trauma, professional isolation, institutional dysfunction, and whether a detective who has become emotionally unreachable can still build trust.
Cast and creative team
- Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Mørck
- Chloe Pirrie in a principal role
- Jamie Sives in a principal role
- Alexej Manvelov, Kelly Macdonald, and Leah Byrne among the principal cast identified in Netflix’s press materials
Scott Frank created the series and serves as its writer and director, with Chandni Lakhani credited as co-creator. Their version emphasizes atmosphere and character friction as much as the mechanics of solving a cold case.
Is Dept. Q based on a book?
Yes. The Netflix series is adapted from the Department Q crime novels by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen. The clearest place to begin with the source material is The Keeper of Lost Causes, also published under the alternate English title Mercy. Penguin Random House identifies it as a Department Q novel and the inspiration for the Netflix series.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe Keeper of Lost Causes is the first Department Q novel and is the most useful choice for viewers who want to investigate the literary origin of the show. It is better understood as source material than as a television tie-in or episode-by-episode novelization. The series relocates the story from the books’ Danish and Copenhagen context to Edinburgh and makes deliberate changes to Carl’s nationality, history, and characterization.
That means the books and the show share a franchise identity and central detective, but they are not interchangeable versions of exactly the same production. Readers should expect a different cultural setting and a different interpretation of Carl Mørck. A useful comparison is to read the first novel after watching the series and examine how the two versions construct Carl, his colleagues, and the purpose of Department Q.
For viewers who want to start with the source material, read The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first Department Q novel. The specific format, seller, price, and availability can vary by market and edition, so check those details when purchasing.
The Department Q novels in order
Adler-Olsen’s official bibliography lists nine Department Q installments. English-language editions may use different titles depending on the market or publisher:
- The Keeper of Lost Causes / Mercy
- The Absent One / Disgrace
- A Conspiracy of Faith / Redemption
- The Purity of Vengeance
- The Marco Effect / Buried
- The Hanging Girl
- Selfies
- Victim 2117
- Natrium Chlorid
Because alternate titles reflect English-language publishing conventions, confirm the edition’s title and numbering before buying. The available information establishes the novels’ relationship to the television franchise, but it does not support treating every book as a direct adaptation of the first season.
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Where does the Netflix series take place?
The television version is set in Edinburgh, Scotland. It should not be described as a Danish-language production or as a straightforward Copenhagen-set adaptation. The books come from a Danish crime-fiction tradition, but Netflix’s series deliberately localizes the story and reshapes its central character for the Edinburgh setting.
That relocation is one of the adaptation’s defining choices. The city is not merely a substitute backdrop: it gives the series its own institutional, visual, and social context. Viewers approaching the novels should keep that distinction in mind rather than expecting the same geography or biography.
How many seasons of Dept. Q are there?
Netflix lists Dept. Q as a 2025 series with one season available and a TV-MA rating.
Netflix Tudum reported on June 25, 2026, that the series had been renewed for a second season. Matthew Goode is set to return as Carl Mørck, along with the established investigative team. The renewal report did not confirm a premiere date, so a specific release date should not be treated as official unless Netflix publishes a later announcement.
Who should watch it?
Dept. Q is a good fit for viewers who prefer crime dramas that combine a case-of-the-week or case-arc structure with difficult character work. Its central appeal is not a flawless detective operating in isolation. Carl is talented, antagonistic, and personally compromised; the new unit must solve cases while figuring out how to function around him.
The show may appeal particularly to viewers who enjoy:
- cold cases and missing-person investigations;
- morally complicated or socially abrasive detectives;
- police dramas shaped by trauma and institutional failure;
- Scottish settings and contemporary European crime fiction;
- adaptations that substantially reinterpret their literary source.
It is less useful to approach the series expecting a documentary-style account of police procedure. Despite its investigative subject matter, Dept. Q is a scripted crime drama, and its focus includes character conflict, atmosphere, and the emotional consequences of unresolved cases.
What to know before starting
- It is an adaptation, not a scene-for-scene translation. The Edinburgh setting and revised version of Carl Mørck distinguish the show from Adler-Olsen’s novels.
- The title names differ by medium. Netflix uses Dept. Q, while the book franchise is generally called Department Q.
- The subject matter is mature. Netflix rates the series TV-MA, and its premise involves a fatal police shooting, paralysis, missing people, trauma, and serious crime.
- There is no confirmed season-two release date in the cited renewal report. Treat future scheduling claims cautiously.
- The first book is a starting point, not a guaranteed season-one episode guide. Read The Keeper of Lost Causes to explore the source franchise, not to assume a precise episode mapping.
Bottom line
Dept. Q is a contemporary Edinburgh cold-case drama centered on a damaged, difficult detective and the unlikely team assembled around him. Its connection to Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Danish Department Q novels makes The Keeper of Lost Causes the natural next step for curious viewers, but the relocation and character changes mean the books offer a related interpretation rather than a transcript of the Netflix series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dept. Q based on a book?
Yes. It is adapted from Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q crime novels. The first and clearest book to read is The Keeper of Lost Causes, also known as Mercy in some English-language editions.
How many seasons of Dept. Q are available?
Netflix lists one season of the 2025 series. Netflix Tudum has reported a renewal for season two, with Matthew Goode returning, but the cited renewal announcement does not confirm a release date.
Where is Dept. Q set?
The Netflix adaptation is set in Edinburgh, Scotland. The novels are associated with Denmark and Copenhagen, so the television series should not be described as a Danish-language or Copenhagen-set production.
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Start with The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first Department Q novel and the book identified by Penguin Random House as the inspiration for the Netflix series. It is source material rather than a guaranteed episode-by-episode version of season one.
The Bottom Line
Dept. Q is a 2025 Netflix crime drama about DCI Carl Mørck and an Edinburgh cold-case unit created after a devastating police shooting. For the literary origin, start with Jussi Adler-Olsen’s The Keeper of Lost Causes; do not expect a scene-for-scene adaptation or a confirmed season-two release date yet.
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