Will there be Dept. Q season 2? Renewal status and more

Dept. Q season 2 has not been officially renewed yet, as viewers may have to wait for a while for a confirmation after the suspenseful finale of Netflix's newest crime drama. Season 1 of the show premiered on May 29, 2025, and it tracked Detective Carl Morck and his new cold case squad as they solved the haunting disappearance of a well-known solicitor, Merritt Lingard.

The season finale provided closure while quietly seeding grounds for a possible future continuation, most notably with Detective James Hardy joining the team again and Morck facing unresolved trauma.

Dept. Q is based on Jussi Adler-Olsen's bestselling book series, and there is certainly enough source material to carry Dept. Q season 2 forward, but so far, Netflix has not announced a renewal.

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Is there going to be a Dept. Q season 2? Details explored

As of early June 2025, Dept. Q season 2 has yet to be greenlit by Netflix. That said, there are indications of a plausible return. Reviews from both viewers and critics were positive, registering an 8.3/10 on IMDb and 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Although Netflix prefers to gauge a show's reception before committing to additional episodes, the initial response seems promising.

Creator Scott Frank has shown definite enthusiasm for continuing the series. In an interview with the BBC, he explained that although his more recent shows were intended to be one-season long, Dept. Q is different.

"I’d love to do more with this, and the next book in the series is even more interesting and relevant," he said.

Lead actor Matthew Goode also voiced his enthusiasm, suggesting that if a season 2 happens, his co-star Alexej Manvelov (who plays Akram) should prepare with Krav Maga training to up the action.

These words, along with a dedicated cast and plenty of source material left, make Dept. Q season 2 seem underway.

The initial season adapted Adler-Olsen's Department Q series debut novel, The Keeper of Lost Causes. If the producers stick to book order, Dept. Q season 2 would most probably take its cues from The Absent One. In this novel, Morck and his team reopen a case from decades earlier involving privileged boarding school students and a string of unsolved murders.

With the darker, more psychological tone of the second book, season 2 might explore even further character trauma and institutional corruption, both themes introduced in season 1.

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What happened in Dept. Q season 1?

The initial season of Dept. Q made us familiar with the brilliant but emotionally wounded detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode). He is still recovering from the traumatic shooting incident that left his colleague, James Hardy (Jamie Sives), temporarily paralyzed.

Morck is tasked with leading a new cold case department in Edinburgh and soon gets entangled in Merritt Lingard's four-year disappearance as she went missing on a ferry trip she took with her disabled brother.

As the plot unravels, Morck is assisted by Syrian former cop and IT specialist Akram (Alexej Manvelov), and cadet Rose (Leah Byrne), looking for redemption after a mental breakdown. He also takes mandatory therapy sessions with police therapist Dr. Rachel Irving (Kelly Macdonald).

The whole team uncovers layers of corruption and lies that go from top legal authorities to an abandoned coastal shipping complex with an abominable secret.

The inquiry finds that Lingard was taken from Jennings, a man who had taken on the name of her previous boyfriend and kept her captive for years in a hyperbaric chamber. The team finally finds and rescues her, and Morck uses the revelation of government corruption to get more money for the department.

The season wraps up on a softly optimistic note with Hardy back on the job and the team preparing for their next case, an ending that may be crafted to set up Dept. Q season 2.

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Interested viewers can watch Dept. Q season 1 only on Netflix.