Slow Horses fans take note: Netflix is bringing us a new must-watch Scandi crime drama – and it sounds somewhat similar to the Apple+ smash hit. Department Q is set to introduce us to a new team of misfits relegated to the basement and tasked with solving crimes. See what we mean?
An adaptation of the novels of the same name by Danish author, Jussi Adler-Olsen, the series revolves around Carl Morck, a former top-rated detective in Edinburgh who, following an attack that left his partner paralysed and another policeman dead, is tasked with setting up Department Q. Cue the arrival of a team of misfits and mavericks.
Here’s everything we know about the upcoming series, including the plot, cast – and if it’s actually any good…
What is Department Q about?
An adaptation of the novels of the same name from Danish author, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Department Q is a bit like the Netflix version of Apple TV+’s Slow Horses. Downton Abbey’s Matthew Goode plays DCI Carl Morck, who has his life turned upside down after a violent incident leaves his partner paralysed and an officer dead.
When he returns to work, he’s tasked with setting up Department Q – a new cold case department which, according to the official synopsis, “is little more than a PR exercise”. Initially, Carl doesn’t mind being sidelined, enjoying his days playing solitaire and skiving. But over the course of the series, his detective instincts are reawakened, and his new basement department becomes an unlikely magnet for the misfits and mavericks of Chief Super, Moira’s (played by Kate Dickie) police team.
The cast also includes Line of Duty’s Kelly MacDonald, who plays Dr Rachel Irving, the therapist charged with getting officers back on the front line. She quickly gets the measure of Carl, his trauma and his superiority complex and the pair develop a deep connection across the series.
Who’s starring in Department Q?
- Matthew Goode (The King’s Man, Downton Abbey)
- Chloe Pirrie (Under The Banner of Heaven, The Queen’s Gambit)
- Alexej Manvelov (Jack Ryan, Top Dog)
- Kelly Macdonald (Line of Duty, Operation Mincemeat)
- Leah Byrne (Call The Midwife, Nightsleeper)
- Mark Bonnar (Napoleon, Guilt)
- Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter, Bridget Jones)
- Jamie Sives (Guilt, Crime)
- Kate Dickie (Inside Man, The Witch)
Is Department Q any good?
Let’s just say we have a very good feeling about this one. We know that Adler-Olsen’s books are extremely popular and the series has already spawned a Danish Nordic noir film series, The Keeper of Lost Causes, The Absent One and A Conspiracy of Faith, which has been described as “flat-out superb”.
There’s also the rather major fact that Scott Frank, best known as the series creator behind Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit (the hit show about an orphaned girl’s rise to chess stardom) is behind this series. If that’s anything to go by, we’re onto something pretty brilliant here.
How can I watch Department Q?
While Netflix hasn’t released an official release date just yet, we do know that it will be released on the streamer at some point this year. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we’ll let you know.