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With Dept. Q now out, “I’ve really started to understand how different a show I was in compared to everyone else,” admits Chloe Pirrie, who delivers an outstanding performance as Merritt Lingard. After all, in the Netflix drama, Merritt has been held captive in a hyperbaric chamber for four years before Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) begins working her cold case as part of a new department and eventually, working with Akram Salim (Alexej Manvelov) and Detective Constable Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne), finds her. While the series from Scott Frank is based on Jussi Adler-Olsen’s books, giving Pirrie some idea of what to expect, “there was a lot of departure from the books as well, so I didn’t really know what was in store for me,” since Frank hadn’t written all the scripts yet, she tells TV Insider. Below, Chloe Pirrie opens up about Merritt’s resiliency,...

“Dept. Q” is the latest gritty crime drama to land on Netflix, and it has a strong cast.

The new series comes from Scott Frank, whose past work at the streamer includes “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Godless.” His new show follows a guilt-riddled cop who gets sucked up in a cold case. The synopsis reads:

“Carl, a former top-rated detective, is wracked with guilt following an attack that left his partner paralyzed and another policeman dead. On his return to work, Carl is assigned to a cold case that will consume his life.”

Read on for our complete “Department Q” cast and character guide.

“Dept. Q” (Netflix) Matthew Goode as Carl Morck

Matthew Goode plays Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck, who’s still recovering from a traumatic event and has been tasked with heading up a cold cases unit in his Scottish police department.

Goode is most known for playing...

Why Dept. Q Is Netflix’s Best New Crime Drama (Photo Credit – Netflix)

With so many films and shows from around the world arriving every week on various streaming platforms, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with them all, let alone watch every one of them. To help solve this constant what-to-watch dilemma, we handpick underrated gems that often fly under the radar. One such lesser-known series is Dept. Q, which recently started streaming on Netflix. Read on to find out more about it and why it’s a must-watch for crime thriller fans.

Dept. Q – Plot & Cast

Based on the Danish Nordic noir crime novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen, the series has been created by Oscar-nominee Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) and Chandni Lakhani (Dublin Murders). The show’s plot follows the story of Dci Carl Morck (played by Matthew Goode), a brilliant but brash detective sidelined after an unfortunate incident.

Dept Q’s ending tried to resolve three different, but sort of interconnected, cases. The first and the most important one was that of Merritt Lingard, who had been missing for four years. The second involved determining the identity of the guy who shot PC Anderson, Dci James Hardy, and Dci Carl Morck. And the third one was about Lord Advocate Stephen Burns’ involvement in the acquittal of a high-profile businessman named Graham Finch. So, if I have to lay down the chronology of the events, here’s how it went. When Merritt was just a teenager, she planned to run away from her hometown of Mhor with her then boyfriend, Harry Jennings. They didn’t have money, so Harry “broke” into Merritt’s house and was discovered by Merritt’s brother, William. To help Harry out, his brother, Lyle, beat the living hell out of William, rendering him mentally...

It takes a particular type of tenacious human being to doggedly pursue clues long after things have stalled, and Netflix’s latest crime thriller, “Dept Q,” based on the book series by Jussi Adler-Olsen and adapted for television by “The Queen’s Gambit” creator Scott Frank, revolves around a brilliant but vexing detective. Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck (a brilliant Matthew Goode) is talented, sarcastic and wholly unlikable. Following a horrific incident that destroys what’s left of his emotional stability, he is assigned to a high-profile cold case that forces him to confront his inadequacies. Highly disturbing and thrilling, “Dept. Q” is both a mystery and a psychological examination of how personal pain points seep into our psyches and bleed out when least expected.

“Dept. Q” opens on a seemingly ordinary day in Edinburgh, Scotland. Carl and his partner, Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy (Jamie Sives), speak to a young...

The origins of detective fiction can be dated back to as early as the 8th century in the Arabian Nights. Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin is widely considered to be one of the first fictional detectives, at least in English literature. In France, it was Emile Gaboriau’s Monsieur Lecoq. And then along came Arthur Conan Doyle, inspired by both Poe and Gaboriau, with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, and the rest, as they say, is history. While it’s true that several literary geniuses and screenwriters have tried to do their own take on the Holmes-Watson dynamic, to varying degrees of success, nothing has quite surpassed the worldwide appeal of Doyle’s work. And one of the major reasons why I think that’s the case is because modern detective fiction is convoluted for the sake of being convoluted, with no satisfying payoff at the end of the ordeal.

We're so excited for an all-new Matthew Goode series, and this time the actor is dipping his toes into the crime drama genre. Dept. Q arrives very soon, and we've got all the watch details for you so you don't miss out. Plus, keep reading for what the upcoming series is all about.

Let the countdown begin because it's not long now! Dept. Q premieres Thursday, May 29, 2025 onNetflix. If you're on the streamer often, then you know that the release time for the streaming service's new releases is always at 12 a.m. Pt / 3 a.m. Et. And this time, it's no different. The British crime thriller is also available in international territories where Netflix content is available. Check out the U.S. release times, as well as the global ones as well below.

Justin Downing/Netflix What is Dept. Q starring Matthew Goode about?

As seen in the trailer, it's...

At the turn of this century, a crime series titled Cold Case was quite a rage among viewers. Starring Kathryn Morris, a Philadelphia detective with her problems, who went on solving a cold case after another, the series ran for seven years. Dept. Q, a new Netflix series with a similar concept that will open its cold case files on May 29, 2025, might repeat such a success.

The new series is based on the books by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, and stars Matthew Goode as Edinburgh, Scotland, detective Carl Morck, who has quite a few personal demons to resolve.

During an attack, an officer was left dead, and his partner was paralyzed, and the guilt was pressing on Morck's shoulders. To regain his confidence, Morck is tasked with opening a cold case department - Dept. Q.

Scott Frank wrote and directed the series, insisting that Goode be cast in the main role.

If you were a fan of The Queen's Gambit on Netflix - the brilliant story, writing, and visionary aspects - then you'll be happy to know that the show's co-creator, Scott Frank, has another series at the streamer in store for us. And I'm definitely looking forward to it! Get ready for Dept. Q starring Matthew Goode. I mean, you had me at the lead star if I'm being honest.

Dept. Q premieres Thursday, May 29, 2025 on Netflix. The upcoming British crime thriller is based on the 10-novel series by author Jussi Adler-Olsen. There will be a total of 8 episodes. That's definitely an easy binge for us pros!

On the heels of the success of Adolescence on the streamer, this show is definitely a welcome addition. Even though the subject matter is quite different, there's just something about these British crime dramas I can't get enough of. And I think many of you are the same.

Netflix's latest gambit with Scott Frank looks to be a noir crime feast for the eyes. That is, at least, if these first look images from Dept. Q are to be believed. The latest drama series from The Queen's Gambitshowrunner is an adaptation of a popular, 10-book series of Nordic noir crime fiction by Jussi Adler-Olsen, a Danish author. And while the show may have swapped locales, moving its star Matthew Goode's Carl Morck to Edinburgh, Scotland from Denmark, it doesn't look like its lost anything else in this English-language on-screen translation.

Here's the official synopsis from Netflix:

Dci Carl Morck is a brilliant cop but a terrible colleague. His razor-sharp sarcasm has made him no friends in Edinburgh police. After a shooting that leaves a young PC dead, and his partner paralyzed, he finds himself exiled to the basement and the sole member of Department Q; a newly formed cold case unit.

Matthew Goode in ‘Dept Q’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)

Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) reunites with Matthew Goode for Netflix’s new crime drama Dept Q. The series, based on Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen’s books, will premiere on the streamer on May 29, 2025.

Goode (The Offer) stars as Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck, Chloe Pirrie (The Game) plays Merritt Lingard, Jamie Sives (Guilt) is Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy, Mark Bonnar (Operation Mincemeat) is Stephen Burns, and Alexej Manvelov (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) is Akram Salim. The cast also includes Leah Byrne (Nightsleeper) as Detective Constable Rose Dickson, Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones) as Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson, Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) as Claire Marsh, Kelly Macdonald (No Country for Old Men) as Dr. Rachel Irving, and Tom Bulpett (Father Brown) as William Lingard.

“Dci Carl Morck is a brilliant cop but a terrible colleague.

Between 2007 and 2021, Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen wrote ten novels in his noir crime series Department Q. Those stories have served as the basis for multiple Danish thriller films over the years, with more to come – and now, Netflix has shared a batch of first look images that give a preview of their upcoming 9-episode series Dept. Q, which stars Matthew Goode and changes the setting from Copenhagen, Denmark to Edinburgh, Scotland. Along with the unveiling of the images comes the announcement that Dept. Q is scheduled to premiere on May 29th.

Written and directed by Scott Frank, who previously created The Queen’s Gambit and Godless for Netflix, Dept. Q has the following synopsis: Dci Carl Morck is a brilliant cop but a terrible colleague. His razor-sharp sarcasm has made him no friends in Edinburgh police. After a shooting that leaves a young pc dead, and his partner paralysed, he finds...