The basement of Edinburgh’s police station is about to get busier. Netflix has officially greenlit Season 2 of Dept. Q, the critically acclaimed crime thriller adapted from Jussi Adler-Olsen’s bestselling Department Q novels, and the misfit detectives are back on the case. With filming set to begin in July 2026 and a star-studded cast returning, fans can expect another gripping season of dark humor, complex mysteries, and the gritty charm that made the first season a global Top Ten hit.

Dept. Q Season 2: Release Date

While Netflix has not announced an official premiere date for Dept. Q Season 2, production timelines point to a late 2027 or early 2028 release window.
Filming is scheduled to commence on July 13, 2026, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and run through December 11, 2026, according to Production Weekly listings. Given the five-month shoot and standard post-production schedules for high-end drama series, a mid-to-late 2027 drop is the most plausible scenario.
Fans who hoped for a 2026 return will need to exercise patience, but the extended timeline promises a polished, cinematic final product worthy of the source material.

Dept. Q Season 2: Cast Updates

Matthew Goode will reprise his role as Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck, the brilliant but abrasive investigator who heads Department Q. Goode expressed enthusiasm about the renewal, stating: “I’d like to thank Netflix for allowing us to further investigate Dept. 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!”
Joining Goode for Season 2 are core cast members Alexej Manvelov as Akram, Leah Byrne as Rose, and Jamie Sives as Hardy. These characters form the backbone of Morck’s unconventional team, each bringing unique skills and personal baggage to the cold case unit.
Creator Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) returns as showrunner and director, ensuring tonal consistency and narrative ambition.
Netflix executives Mona Qureshi and Manda Levin praised Frank’s work, noting: “We are ready to return to Carl Morck and his band of glorious misfits at Dept. Q. Scott Frank brought us best-in-class storytelling and thrilled Netflix audiences worldwide.”
As of now, no new cast members have been officially announced, though industry insiders anticipate additional talent joining the roster as production approaches.

Dept. Q Season 2: Plot Details

While Netflix has kept specific Season 2 storylines under wraps, the narrative trajectory is clear. Season 1 concluded with Morck and his team rescuing Merritt Lingard from her kidnappers, but unresolved threads remain—most notably the Leith Park shooting that nearly killed Morck and his partner.
Morck remains convinced the attack was a coordinated hit tied to gangster Eugene Errington, suggesting this conspiracy will loom large in the new season.
Adapted from Adler-Olsen’s expansive novel series, Dept. Q has no shortage of source material to draw from. Potential storylines include:
  • Disgrace (Fasandræberne): A decades-old double murder linked to powerful figures from Edinburgh’s elite
  • Guilty (Journal 64): Institutional abuse and state-sanctioned cruelty, echoing Season 1’s themes of buried trauma
  • Buried (Marco Effekten): Human trafficking and financial crimes uncovered by a runaway teen
  • The Hanging Girl (Den Grænseløse): A chilling disappearance case with supernatural undertones
The series is expected to balance standalone cold case investigations with serialized character arcs, maintaining the propulsive pacing and darkly comic tone that defined its debut.

What to Expect: Edinburgh as Character, Morck as Antihero

Visually, Season 2 will once again leverage Edinburgh’s atmospheric architecture and moody landscapes as a narrative force. The city is not just a backdrop but a character—its hidden alleys, historic institutions, and social divides mirroring the moral complexities of the cases Department Q tackles.

Thematically, expect a deeper exploration of Morck’s personal demons alongside the procedural intrigue. The first season established him as a flawed but compelling antihero; Season 2 promises to test his limits further, both professionally and emotionally.
Production remains in the hands of Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television, with Frank, Andy Harries, and Rob Bullock serving as executive producers.

Bullock teased the creative freedom Netflix has afforded the team: “We at Left Bank Pictures nervously await what Scott has in store for his alter-ego Carl Morck, and the other enabling members of the team do-lally. We salute Netflix’s courage to let them loose once again.”

Dept. Q Season 2 represents a vote of confidence in character-driven crime storytelling. With Scott Frank at the helm, Matthew Goode delivering a career-defining performance, and a rich literary universe to mine, the series is poised to deepen its appeal while attracting new viewers hungry for intelligent, atmospheric drama.
Edinburgh’s cold cases aren’t going to solve themselves. Until the official premiere date is announced, fans can revisit Season 1 on Netflix and keep an eye on official channels for casting reveals, trailer drops, and the inevitable return of Morck’s sardonic one-liners.
Dept. Q Season 2 is in production and expected to premiere on Netflix in late 2027 or early 2028.