(2025)
Created by Scott Frank, based on the novels of Jussi Adler-Olsen
Starring Matthew Goode, Chloe Pirrie, Jamie Sives, Alexej Manvelov, Leah Byrne, Katie Dickie, Tom Bulpett
IMDB Entry
I generally prefer cozy mysteries to dark ones, but something dark is well worth exploring. Dept. Q is clearly one of those.
DCI Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) has returned to the force after being shot and nearly killed and his commander, Moira Jacobson (Katie Dickie) gives him a special assignment to look up and try to solve cold cases. Morck hates the assignment, but a Syrian refugee and former policeman, Akram Salim (Alaxej Manvelov) starts to help, despite Morck not wanting him. Akram stumbles upon the case of Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie), who vanished off a ferry four years previously. Everyone things she drowned, but she had left her brother William (Tom Bulpett) -- who has aphasia due to a brain injury -- behind. Akram thinks it's more than just a suicide and prods Morck to look into it. Since he has to do something, he looks into the case, expecting to find that Merritt is dead.
Of course, it turns out she isn't and is trapped in a horrific situation. They are soon joined by DC Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne), who suffers from PTSD and wants to do more than just paperwork.
Matthew Goode is superb as Morck. He's super smart, but also sarcastic and insulting to other detectives. In many ways, he reminds me of Dr. Greg House. He carries the show brilliantly. Also excellent is Alexaj Manvelov as Akram, soft spoken, polite, and not one to be trifled with. He could be a star on his own.
The show can be hard to watch, especially where Merritt is involved. But Morcvk, Akram, and Rose are fascinating to watch. It's currently streaming on Netflix.