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Season 1 – Dept. Q

Play trailer 2:23 Poster for Season 1 – Dept. Q May 2025 Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 59 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A brash but brilliant cop becomes head of a new police department, where he leads an unlikely team of misfits in solving Edinburgh's cold cases.
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Dept. Q — Season 1

Dept. Q — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

In a sea of generic crime dramas, Dept. Q stakes it's claim amongst the thrilling, enthralling, and sublime thanks to a winning cast and veteran creative Scott Frank.

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Critics Reviews

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Wenlei Ma The Nightly (AU) Jun 20
The vibes are creepy and gritty, the characters are gruff and direct, the puzzle is properly intriguing, and the English are frequently mocked. Go to Full Review
Chris Vognar Boston Globe Jun 12
As grim as it can get, “Dept. Q” offers a world of viewing pleasure. Go to Full Review
John Powers NPR Jun 12
Goode has a gift for portraying charismatic unlikability... Here, he captures Carl's reflexive haughtiness yet also lets us glimpse the revealing moments when he registers the existence of people other than himself. Go to Full Review
Hannah Brown Jerusalem Post Aug 22
This is the perfect series for those Slow Horses fans who want something to watch while waiting for the new season. Go to Full Review
Ruben Peralta Rigaud Cocalecas Aug 18
Dept. Q addresses the impossibility of burying the past, how the dead are never truly dead as long as someone remembers them, and how even the most abandoned basement can become a place where justice is reborn. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Karina Adelgaard Heaven of Horror Aug 11
4/5
Having watched the Danish movies based on the same book series, I was extra curious about the casting of this UK adaptation for Netflix. Fortunately, I was never worried as... Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Torben E @Torben May 23 A great, entertaining detective series with quirky, interesting characters, an amazing cast, morbid sense of humor and a (cold) case that keeps you guessing. This one is especially for an audience that likes fleshed-out characters, black humor and a slow-burn mystery story. As great as it is, it has some flaws. The story takes a bit too long to get to its conclusion and the conclusion itself is a bit far-fetched. And ask yourself: if someone is imprisoned in extremely dire circumstances for a very long time...would this person then still have a clear attitude of mind and the will to escape? I doubt that. But one way or the other: this series is definitely recommendable and I'm already looking forward to season 2. See more Ry N. @RyGuy May 20 After being shot on a case, DCI Carl is reassigned to the cold case unit to find a missing prosecutor while also tracking down his own shooter. See more Liam B. @PowerLiam Apr 3 Dreary and dull. No likeable characters in the first two episodes. Normally I love crime and mystery stories but this just wasn't interesting. See more Joshua M @Flameon Mar 27 Crackerjack detective series. I love the Scottish accents, but man do they swear a lot. See more David D @David2026 Mar 12 I worry about season long cop series that are more about the characters paths than the underlying mystery. This does take a couple of episodes to get going, but I can't deny it's a story well told and well worth watching. Let's see where season 2 takes it. See more andyth55 T @AndyTh55 Feb 24 You know it's going to be good when Mark Bonnar and Kelly MacDonald are almost reduced to bystanders and it certainly didn't fail to deliver. High quality drama. See more Read all reviews
Dept. Q — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired May 29, 2025 DCI Carl Morck returns to work after a near-fatal incident and finds himself head of a new department; a prosecutor faces a tough day in court. Details Episode 2 Aired May 29, 2025 As Carl and his new assistant start digging into their first cold case, he can't stop his personal demons encroaching on his professional life. Details Episode 3 Aired May 29, 2025 Carl and Akram recreate the fateful ferry journey on their way to the Isle of Mhòr; a frustrated Rose makes her case for joining their department. Details Episode 4 Aired May 29, 2025 Rose goes to the island to find out what Carl couldn't; Akram finds a note which sends the investigation in an entirely new direction. Details Episode 5 Aired May 29, 2025 The prosecutor's disappearance becomes connected with a death; a scuffle in a newspaper office sees Carl making headlines; Moira sees a therapist. Details Episode 6 Aired May 29, 2025 The police detain a suspect for the Leith Park shooting; Carl returns to the scene of the crime, before losing his temper in public once again. Details Episode 7 Aired May 29, 2025 Carl makes some dangerous allegations to some powerful men; Rose takes a fresh angle to uncover more information about Sam Haig. Details Episode 8 Aired May 29, 2025 The kidnappers give their victim a clue as they press her for an answer to their question; Dept. Q gets closer to unravelling its own riddle. Details Episode 9 Aired May 29, 2025 A decades-old recording helps all the clues to fall into place; but as the pressure rises, in and out of the chamber, can Carl get there in time? Details
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Season Info

Director
Scott Frank
Screenwriter
Chandni Lakhani
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Release Date
May 29, 2025