The basement dwellers of Edinburgh's police force are getting another shot at glory. Netflix has officially green-lit a second season of Dept. Q, the darkly comic crime procedural that proved audiences have an insatiable appetite for maverick detectives and unsolvable cases. Based on Jussi Adler-Olsen's bestselling novels, the series struck gold with its unique blend of Scottish atmosphere and twisted storytelling.
The renewal comes on the heels of remarkable success for the debut season, which spent an impressive six weeks climbing Netflix's Global Top 10 charts as viewers worldwide became obsessed with the complex psychological puzzles at the heart of the show.
Writer-director Scott Frank, the creative mastermind behind the adaptation, will return to helm the second season with his characteristic blend of wit and darkness. Frank's vision transformed Adler-Olsen's Danish detective stories into a distinctly Scottish noir, capturing Edinburgh's moody atmosphere while maintaining the source material's psychological depth. '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,' Frank said in an official statement.
Read Next
Who will star in 'Dept Q' season two?
Matthew Goode will return as the brilliantly flawed DCI Carl Morck, leading his ragtag team of investigative outcasts back into the shadows of Edinburgh's most baffling cold cases. Joining him once again will be Alexej Manvelov's sharp-witted Akram, Leah Byrne's enigmatic Rose, and Jamie Sives' steadfast Hardy – a quartet of misfits who somehow make perfect sense together in the show's basement setting.
What will the plot of 'Dept Q' season two be?
While plot details remain tightly under wraps, creator Scott Frank has confirmed his intention to adapt Jussi Adler-Olsen's second novel, The Absent One, which centres on 'the brutal double-murder of a brother and sister two decades earlier' where someone is already serving time, but Morck suspects there's more to uncover.
Frank described it as 'another cold case and also a current case, at the same time, that they're looking into,' suggesting the dual timeline structure that made the first season so compelling will continue.
Meanwhile, Matthew Goode has expressed hopes that viewers will 'see a bit more of what Carl's life is and his home life' including the awkward domestic situation with his stepson and lodger.
Most intriguingly, both Goode and breakout star Alexej Manvelov have hinted at exploring Akram's mysterious past more deeply. 'I want to see what it's like back at Akram's house with his daughters,' Goode told Collider, while Manvelov himself has described his character as 'multi-layered, with the backstory we came up with makes him a mystery, but also very human.' Given that season one deliberately left Akram's former profession in Syria and the circumstances of his wife's death suspiciously unexplained, season two seems poised to finally reveal what makes this quietly dangerous man tick.
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
