Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Season 1 – Dept. Q

Play trailer 2:23 Poster for Season 1 – Dept. Q 2025 Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 58 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.
Watch on Netflix Stream Now

Where to Watch

Dept. Q — Season 1

Dept. Q — Season 1

What to Know

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More (58)
Wenlei Ma The Nightly (AU) The vibes are creepy and gritty, the characters are gruff and direct, the puzzle is properly intriguing, and the English are frequently mocked. Jun 20, 2025 Full Review Chris Vognar Boston Globe As grim as it can get, “Dept. Q” offers a world of viewing pleasure. Jun 12, 2025 Full Review John Powers NPR 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. Jun 12, 2025 Full Review Ruben Peralta Rigaud Cocalecas 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] Aug 18, 2025 Full Review Karina Adelgaard Heaven of Horror 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... Rated: 4/5 Aug 11, 2025 Full Review Christopher Stevens Daily Mail (UK) What makes Dept Q stand out is its explosive plot twists. There's one in the opening scene and they continue to detonate, upending expectations. Rated: 4/5 Aug 5, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (419)
The Floydian D This is one of the best shows I've seen in a while. Great writing, acting, and character development. Lots of interesting plot twists and turns that keep you guessing. Highly recommend! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review Smiling D Extreme different take on this novel. It grew on me, and then just when it was getting good, they derailed the relationship between Sherlock & Watson. It's OK to have a short falling out or friction but the two go together or you have something other than wanted or expected. You can't bash veiwers heads a gainst the wall non stop and espect them to hang around when there are so many other binge options one click away. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review Niko K Great cast, amazing script, fresh. I loved the style of storytelling where the audience gets more and more of the backstory in small incerements sort of at the same time as the investigators. All-around excellent Netflix original series. I didn't like the implied cliché romance with the psychiatrist, so I hope that doesn't come to fruition. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review 누텔라 B- the first episode gets you hooked. the main character detective is likeable so keeps you interested. however, I found the ending scene(the discovery) a bit irritating and annoying. they seemed too chill about it like it wasn't too shocking or urgent so i had to keep yelling internally to the screen.. but its what it is. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review Troy R Very rarely do I give a show or a movie for that matter a 5 star, but this show was done really well. At the end I was excited, sad, worried, and happy. To be that emotionally invested in media is rare these days. The actors all do a splendid job, and despite how much I disliked her originally, even by the end I came around on Merritt. The duo between Matthew Goode and Alexej Manvelov was gold. I wish they both had done more work I know, but maybe I will change that after this show, though of course I loved Matthew Goode in Watchmen too. At first the three storylines going on can feel a bit disjointed, but quickly they begin to weave together and end together in a wonderful finale. Some minor criticism is that the series does waste a lot of time following on leads that ultimately can feel fruitless, but when it all ties in with the end it makes for a great build up. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/17/25 Full Review Julian P Quite simply amongst the very very best. Certainly top 3 series of all time though im not a big fan of ranking in great detail - I mean how do you separate or compare Shawshank v godfather v citizen kane? What I do know is that this is not far off that dramatic level. I haven't read the other reviews and I don't care. Do yourselves a favour and watch it. I prefer movies to series and like other great series I almost hope they don't make another one though they probably will. Matt Goode could do himself a long term favour and refuse a sequel- this would be financial unwise but would guarantee his name would be etched and not tainted by a sequel with a lower score, no matter how close it would get to the first series...I mean... come on..... how many people really talk about Godfather 2 at parties? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/15/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Dept. Q — Season 1

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

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
Criminal: UK 92% 87% Criminal: UK Watchlist TRAILER for Criminal: UK Happy Valley 98% 94% Happy Valley Watchlist TRAILER for Happy Valley River 100% 95% River Watchlist Giri/Haji 100% 87% Giri/Haji Watchlist Save Me 100% 86% Save Me Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

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
More Top TV Picks Netflix