Prepare for More Morck as 'Dept. Q' Renewed for Season 2
Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck and Jamie Sives as DS Hardy in 'Department Q' Season 1
Justin Downing/Netflix
In what may be the least surprising news of the summer, Netflix has confirmed a second season of Dept. Q has been commissioned. Hailing from Scott Frank, whose adaptation of The Queen's Gambit became an unlikely smash hit in the summer of 2020 for the streaming service, Dept. Q has been the sleeper hit of 2025, spending its first six weeks on the platform in Netflix's vaunted "Top Ten" row, and slowly spreading via word of mouth as more people watch and discover that Nordic Noir does very well when reset in Scotland.
Like The Queen's Gambit, Dept. Q is an adaptation of a major best-selling novel, which is nonetheless not well known on this side of the pond. Written by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, initially titled Afdeling Q (Department Q), it was retitled The Keeper of Lost Causes when it was published in English. The series, which features Detective Carl Mørck as the head of a quirky cold case division, comprises ten books thus far, with the latest installment, Locked In, published in late 2024.
Like the late, lamented Annika, Netflix's new series resets the show from its Nordic roots to Scotland; Season 2 will continue to be filmed and set in Edinburgh following the success of the location in the first series. The renewal announcement also included a quote from Frank, who said, “I’m grateful to the folks at Netflix, as well as our shining cast and crew, for once more risking their careers to enable my folly.”
Here is the series logline:
DCI Carl Morck heads up the maverick Dept. Q from the basement of an Edinburgh police station. Charged with cases previously deemed unsolvable, this darkly humorous, propulsive show delivers all the pleasures of a procedural, taking us into the complex mysteries not just of the cases but of the detectives themselves.
Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey) will return to lead the second season as DCI Carl Morck. Also returning from the show's first season from his chosen team of misfits: Alexej Manvelov (Before We Die) as Akram, Leah Byrne (Call the Midwife) as Rose, and Jamie Sives (Guilt) as Hardy. More cast for Season 2 is expected to be announced in due course.
“I'd like to thank Netflix for giving us the opportunity to further investigate Department Q's storylines," star Matthew Goode said. "We have a wonderful cast and crew, headed by our resident genius Scott Frank. I cannot wait to read what comes from his magic quill!”
Frank will once again pen all episodes of Season 2; directors are expected to be confirmed closer to the filming start date. Frank will also executive produce with Rob Bullock and Andy Harries.
All episodes of Dept. Q Season 1 are on Netflix. Season 2 is expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
