Is Dept. Q on Netflix worth watching? Yes.
Netflix released Dept. Q on May 29, 2025, and I binge-watched it over the weekend. It’s a strong nine-episode crime thriller adapted for TV by Scott Frank, who also directed The Queen’s Gambit. The action moves from Copenhagen to a dark, rainy Edinburgh.
DCI Carl Morck, played by Matthew Goode, is scarred—physically and mentally—by a trauma. He’s given a newly formed department with no budget and is forced to work in a basement office that used to be a police shower room. He’s gruff, which brings some sharp humor, and the show is loud with swearing and features some grisly scenes, so it’s not for the faint of heart.
Morck pulls together an unlikely team, and their first case is the cold disappearance of Merritt Lingard, a Crown prosecutor who vanished years ago. The story moves between the investigators and Merritt’s own harrowing experience, gradually revealing a dark conspiracy.
Dept. Q nails its tone. The visuals, especially the Gothic architecture, create a chilling mood. You feel Morck’s anger and the other characters’ emotions. Scott Frank’s precise direction gives each lead emotional depth—from Morck’s PTSD to Akram’s unspoken trauma. I enjoyed watching Akram and Morck’s relationship develop. The first season is brilliant, giving you enough clues to keep you hooked without spoiling everything.
I wasn’t sure what would happen in each episode, and I really liked that. It has a Broadchurch-like vibe, but with a more melancholy tone, almost like a dark true-crime documentary. The writing is strong, and the cast is excellent. I do wonder how much of the swearing happens off screen too. Morck is a compelling character, the kind you’d like to know in real life, and it’s satisfying watching him and the team piece together the clues.
I hope there’s a Season 2. You can read more about the show and its characters on Wikipedia. What did you think of the series? You might also enjoy my review of Happy Face, a true-crime drama on Paramount+.
