Netflix’s ‘Dept. Q’ Faces Heartbreaking Loss Behind the Scenes as Season 2 Production Winds Down
When ‘Dept. Q’ arrived on Netflix, it quickly became the kind of word-of-mouth crime drama that people recommended to friends. The Edinburgh-set cold case series spent 6 weeks on Netflix’s global top 10 list and was renewed for a second season 3 months after its May debut.
Season 2 became a much bigger undertaking. Production on the new episodes began around June or July 2026, with Edinburgh once again serving as the home base. The shoot also doubled as a training ground, as Screen Scotland, Sony, Netflix and Left Bank Pictures funded training for 60 young people.
By late October, it looked like the hardest part was behind the team. Filming on Season 2 reportedly wrapped on Oct. 24, and fans were already looking ahead to a 2027 premiere. Then came word of a tragedy that nobody on the production saw coming.
Variety reported that a crew member working on the series has died on set in Edinburgh after filming wrapped for Season 2. The man has not been publicly named, and specific details about what happened have yet to be reported. Left Bank Pictures, the production company behind the show, said it is “deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic death.”
Police have since provided a clearer timeline. According to a Police Scotland statement, officers were called around 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, to a report of a man seriously injured at an industrial premises in the Bath Road area of Edinburgh, and he was pronounced dead a short time later. Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious, though enquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances. The emergency response was reported at FirstStage in Leith.
The timing has understandably drawn attention. Because the death came after cameras stopped rolling, Variety noted the incident could have happened during the dismantling of sets, though that has not been confirmed. Until investigators release more information, it is best to treat that as an open question rather than an answer.
FirstStage is a major hub for Scottish screen production, and it has also hosted shows like ‘The Rig’ and the Bafta-nominated film ‘The Outrun’. The studio is also in the news for a separate matter. It is currently the subject of a Fatal Accident Inquiry following the July 2022 death of contractor Philip Ross. There is nothing in the reporting so far that links the 2 cases, and they should not be conflated.
For the ‘Dept. Q’ family, the focus right now is on the loss itself. The series stars Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck alongside returning favorites like Jamie Sives, Leah Byrne and Alexej Manvelov, but the people who make a show like this work extend far beyond the cast list. Crew members build the sets, rig the lights and keep the cameras moving, and they are often the last to leave a production.
On the release front, Netflix has yet to announce a premiere date, though reports point to the second half of 2027. Whenever Season 2 does arrive, it will land with the weight of this news behind it. For now, thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of the crew member who died, as police continue their inquiries.
