Carl Mørck is a mess. If you’ve read Jussi Adler-Olsen’s novels, you already know that. He’s cynical, he’s exhausted, and honestly, he’s the kind of guy who just wants to nap in his basement office until retirement kicks in. But the Dept Q TV series isn't just another police procedural. It’s a massive gamble by Netflix to capture that lightning-in-a-bottle "Nordic Noir" energy, but with a British twist that has fans of the original books both excited and a little bit nervous.
Matthew Goode is stepping into Carl’s shoes. Think about that for a second. It’s a departure from the Nikolaj Lie Kaas version we saw in the Danish films like The Keeper of Lost Causes. This new adaptation, helmed by showrunner Scott Frank—the guy who gave us The Queen’s Gambit—is moving the setting from the rainy streets of Copenhagen to the equally rainy but distinctly different atmosphere of Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s a move that makes sense if you’re trying to reach a global audience, but it changes the DNA of the story in ways we’re still trying to wrap our heads around.
The core premise remains a hook that never gets old. You’ve got a brilliant detective who’s basically been "promoted" to a basement to look at cold cases because he's too difficult to work with in the real world. Along with his mysterious assistant, Assad, and the chaotic Rose, he starts solving the unsolvable. It’s dark. It’s gritty. It’s exactly what people want to binge on a Sunday night.
What the Dept Q TV Series Gets Right About Cold Cases
Most crime shows focus on the "heat" of the moment. The sirens, the high-speed chases, the DNA results that come back in five minutes. The Dept Q TV series flips that. It’s about the silence of a file that’s been sitting on a shelf for twenty years. It’s about the slow, agonizing realization that someone was left behind and everyone else just moved on.
In the original books, the atmosphere is suffocating. There’s this sense of impending doom that lingers even when the sun is out. Scott Frank seems to be leaning into that Scottish fog to replicate the Danish "hygge" gone wrong. By shifting the location to Edinburgh, the series taps into a specific type of Gothic architecture and social history that mirrors the social critiques Adler-Olsen embedded in his writing.
The casting of Alexej Manvelov as Assad is perhaps the most critical piece of this puzzle. In the novels, Assad is the heart of the operation. He’s the one who pushes Carl, who makes the coffee (that terrible, thick coffee), and who carries a past that is arguably more interesting than any of the cases they solve. If the chemistry between Goode and Manvelov doesn't land, the show falls apart. Simple as that.
The Evolution of Nordic Noir into "Global Noir"
We’ve seen this before. The Bridge became The Tunnel. The Killing got an American makeover. Sometimes it works; sometimes it feels like a hollowed-out version of the original. The Dept Q TV series is trying to occupy a middle ground. By keeping a European sensibility but using English as the primary language, Netflix is aiming for that Slow Horses or Luther demographic.
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The production spent a significant amount of time filming across Scotland, utilizing the stark landscapes to emphasize Carl’s isolation. It’s not just about the city. It’s about the Highlands, the coast, and the places where people go to disappear. This isn't just a background; it's a character.
Wait. You might be wondering why they didn't just film it in Denmark.
Economics? Maybe. But creatively, there's a limit to how many times you can show a depressed detective in Copenhagen before it feels like a parody of itself. Moving it to Edinburgh gives the writers room to breathe. They can explore Scottish class systems and local corruption while keeping the skeletal structure of Adler-Olsen’s plots.
Why Matthew Goode is a Polarizing Choice for Carl Mørck
Let's be real. When people think of Carl Mørck, they think of someone who looks like he’s slept in his car for three days. Matthew Goode is, well, he’s Matthew Goode. He’s usually polished. He has that sharp, aristocratic edge.
But if you’ve seen him in The Offer or even his brief, chilling turns in thrillers, you know he can do "unhinged" remarkably well. The Dept Q TV series needs a Carl who isn't just sad, but someone who is actively vibrating with repressed trauma. The "Merck-ish" charm—if you can call it that—is his bluntness. He doesn't care about your feelings. He doesn't care about the Chief of Police. He cares about the truth, mostly because the truth is the only thing that keeps the ghosts in his head quiet.
- Carl Mørck: The lead, played by Goode. A man sidelined by his own brilliance and a botched raid that left his partners dead or paralyzed.
- Assad: Played by Alexej Manvelov. The mysterious "janitor" who turns out to be a better investigator than half the force.
- Rose: Played by Leah McNamara. She brings a chaotic energy that disrupts the brooding duo.
- The Setting: Edinburgh. It’s cold, it’s old, and it’s full of secrets.
The dynamic between these three is what made the books international bestsellers. It’s a dysfunctional family unit. They argue about folders. They argue about the smell of the office. They solve horrific crimes involving people locked in pressure chambers or sinister social experiments. It's great.
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The "Keeper of Lost Causes" and Beyond
The first season is expected to tackle the foundational stories that put Department Q on the map. If you're new to the series, the first major case involves a politician who vanished from a ferry. Everyone assumed she jumped. Carl, of course, thinks everyone is an idiot.
What follows is a harrowing race against time that spans years. This is where the Dept Q TV series will either win or lose the audience. The books are famous for their dual timelines—one following the detectives in the present, and one following the victim in the past. It’s a difficult balance to maintain on screen without feeling repetitive, but when it works, it’s devastating.
The show has to navigate the "torture porn" trap. Nordic Noir can sometimes lean too heavily into the graphic suffering of victims. Adler-Olsen's work is dark, yes, but it’s usually grounded in a very human anger against injustice. Scott Frank’s involvement suggests a more sophisticated, character-driven approach. He’s a writer who understands that the why is always more interesting than the how.
Addressing the Elephant in the Room: The Danish Films
You can't talk about this show without mentioning the Zentropa-produced films. They were massive hits in Europe. For many fans, Nikolaj Lie Kaas is Carl Mørck.
The Netflix Dept Q TV series isn't trying to replace those films. It’s a re-imagining. Think of it like the different iterations of Sherlock Holmes. There’s room for the gritty Danish version and the more expansive, serialized British version. The TV format actually suits the material better than film. Each book is dense. There are subplots involving Carl’s home life—his lazy stepson, his comatose partner, his guilt—that often get trimmed in a two-hour movie. A multi-episode season allows those elements to fester properly.
Realism vs. Drama in Modern Crime TV
There’s a lot of nonsense in crime shows. "Enhance that image!" No. That’s not how it works.
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The Dept Q TV series stays closer to the reality of grunt work. It’s about looking at phone records from 1998. It’s about interviewing a witness who has dementia and trying to find the one kernel of truth in their rambling. It’s tedious work, and the show succeeds when it makes that tedium feel like a high-stakes thriller.
Adler-Olsen himself has been quite vocal about his stories over the years. He’s a writer who cares about the "scars" left on society. Whether it’s the treatment of the mentally ill or the hidden fascistic tendencies in modern democracy, his books have a bite. The TV series needs to retain that edge. If it’s just another "whodunnit" with a grumpy lead, it’ll disappear into the algorithm.
Key Production Facts (The Real Stuff)
- Showrunner: Scott Frank (Queen’s Gambit, Logan, Godless).
- Lead Writer: Chandni Lakhani.
- Filming Locations: Primarily Edinburgh and surrounding Scottish regions.
- Episode Count: The first season is structured as an eight-part series.
- Production Companies: Left Bank Pictures (the same folks behind The Crown).
This isn't a low-budget production. Netflix has thrown significant resources at this. The choice of Left Bank Pictures suggests a high level of "prestige" polish. You should expect long takes, a muted color palette, and a haunting score.
What to Watch While You Wait
If you’re waiting for the Dept Q TV series to drop or if you’ve just finished the first few episodes and need more, there’s a specific vibe you’re probably looking for. You want something that feels heavy but smart.
- The Chestnut Man (Netflix): This is the closest you’ll get to the pure Danish DNA. It’s brutal, stylish, and involves a cold case.
- Slow Horses (Apple TV+): If you like the idea of "reject" detectives in a basement office, this is the gold standard. Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb is basically Carl Mørck if Carl stopped caring about hygiene entirely.
- Unforgotten (PBS/ITV): For the pure "cold case" procedural fans. It’s less violent but focuses heavily on the emotional toll of reopening the past.
- The Killing (Forbrydelsen): The show that started the craze. If you haven't seen the original Danish version, go back and do your homework.
Navigating the Expectations of Book Fans
There is always a risk when you change the setting of a beloved book series. Some purists will hate that it’s not in Copenhagen. They’ll miss the specific Danish references and the cultural nuances of Scandinavia.
However, the themes of the Dept Q TV series are universal. Loneliness, the failure of institutions, and the persistence of the truth don't require a specific GPS coordinate. If the show captures the "soul" of Carl and Assad—that weird, platonic love story between two broken men—the setting won't matter.
The real test will be how they handle the humor. People forget that Adler-Olsen is actually quite funny in a very dry, dark way. Carl’s internal monologue is full of complaints about the modern world. If the TV show is 100% grim-dark without that levity, it might feel too heavy to sustain over multiple seasons.
Actionable Insights for Viewers
- Read the books first? You don’t have to, but The Keeper of Lost Causes (also known as Mercy in some regions) is a quick read and gives you a great baseline for the characters.
- Watch the Danish films? Yes, just to see a different interpretation. They are excellent thrillers in their own right.
- Keep an eye on the background. Scott Frank is known for visual storytelling. In his previous works, the set design often mirrors the mental state of the protagonist. Expect Carl’s basement to feel more cramped as the pressure of the cases builds.
- Pay attention to Assad. He is the "Trojan Horse" of the series. Everything you think you know about him in the first few episodes is likely a layer of a much deeper mystery.
The Dept Q TV series represents a shift in how streaming platforms handle international IP. It’s no longer about just translating the dialogue; it’s about translating the mood for a global audience. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the novels or someone just looking for a new mystery to sink your teeth into, this production has the pedigree to be something special. Just don't expect it to be a happy ride. It’s Department Q, after all. The sun rarely shines in that basement.