Netflix just gave a renewal to its most underrated crime drama, which is great news for fans of fun cop shows. Dept. Q will get more time to grow and entertain us.
Netflix is sadly infamous for cutting too many good shows short after just one season. While that’s mostly for sci-fi and fantasy shows, there have been several good crime dramas that the streamer has ended too soon, such as The Brothers Sun. Then again, the streamer can offer some surprising renewals, such as to the supposed limited series Untamed.
Netflix renews Dept. Q for season 2
Now, thankfully, Netflix has given out a renewal many were hoping for as Dept. Q will be getting a second season. The Matthew Goode-starring police drama had premiered earlier in 2025 and quickly won critical praise and spent six weeks in the Global Top Ten. Many were hoping it would get a second year, and it’s coming with Goode himself issuing a statement, according to Deadline.
“I’d like to thank Netflix for giving us the opportunity to further investigate Department Q’s storylines. 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!”
Scott Frank, the show's creator, writer, and director, added, “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.”
Rob Bullock, executive producer for Left Bank Pictures added, “So, we are going downstairs to Dept. Q for a second season. We at Left Bank Pictures nervously await what Scott has in store for his alter-ego Carl Morck, and the other enabling members of team do-lally. We salute Netflix’s courage to let them loose once again.”
This is great news for viewers as the show is one of the best of 2025 and a second season can bring more eyes to it, especially given how the first year ended.
What could happen in Dept. Q season 2?
For those who don’t know, Dept. Q is based on the novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen and follows Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck (Goode), a detective who’s shot in the line of duty. He’s “promoted” to Dept. Q, a lowly division stuck in the Edinburgh police basement that handles cold cases. Despite a lack of funding, Morck works on a case involving a missing reporter while looking into who shot him.
The cast also includes Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns, Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim, Leah Byrne as Detective Constable Rose Dickson, Kate Dickie as Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson, Shirley Henderson as Claire Marsh, Kelly Macdonald as Dr. Rachel Irving, and Tom Bulpett as William Lingard.
Without giving away major spoilers, season 1 ended with Morck helping Dept. Q get more funding and himself better pay (and a car). It also indicated Morck’s partner, Hardy (briefly paralyzed in that same shooting), was now joining the unit.
There are hints that Dept. Q season 2 will explore the overall arc of who shot Morck and Hardy, with the possibility that it will adapt the second book in the series, The Absent One, which has Morck investigating the murder of siblings in an upscale private school. It’s expected that the main cast will return, and maybe some new characters to spark things up.
The first season was a great watch thanks to the compelling characters, the unique mystery and Goode’s fine performance. A second season can only add more eyes to it and make Dept. Q one of Netflix's best sleeper successes.
Dept. Q streaming on Netflix.