Netflix’s ‘Dept. Q’ Season 2 Reveals First Plot Details, Major New Cast Additions and First Look

Netflix’s hit crime drama Dept. Q is officially returning for season 2, and production is already underway in Scotland. The streaming giant has revealed new details about the upcoming season, including the first hints about the new mystery, returning cast members and several major new additions joining the team.

The series is based on the popular Danish crime novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen and was adapted for Netflix by Scott Frank, known for creating The Queen’s Gambit and working on Godless, alongside writer Chandni Lakhani. After its debut in May 2025, Dept. Q quickly became a global success, spending six weeks on Netflix’s Global Top Ten list and earning a second season renewal just a few months later.

Season 2 will once again follow DCI Carl Morck, played by Matthew Goode, as he leads the unusual Department Q team from the basement of an Edinburgh police station. The group specializes in solving cases that were previously considered impossible to crack, while also dealing with their own personal struggles.

Netflix’s official description for the new season teases another dark and intense investigation. The synopsis says: “DCI Carl Morck heads up the maverick Dept. Q from the basement of an Edinburgh police station, charged with cases previously deemed unsolvable. This darkly humorous, propulsive show delivers all the pleasures of a procedural, but takes us into the complex mysteries not just of the cases but of the detectives themselves.”

Executive producer Rob Bullock also shared some details about the story ahead. He revealed that the new season will focus on a dangerous case involving some of Scotland’s most powerful people.

“This season, Carl and his band of misfits tackle a terrible crime hidden in the highest echelons of Scottish society. It is a story for our times: rich and powerful people who believe they are above the law. Carl, of course, knows otherwise,” Bullock said.

Netflix executive Manda Levin also praised the first season’s success and teased what fans can expect next. She said the team was excited to return to the world created by Scott Frank and promised that the next chapter would be just as dark and unpredictable.

“The story of Season 2 is as darkly delicious as you’d expect, and Carl and his glorious gang will have their work cut out pinning down the perpetrators as we launch back in for more,” Levin said.

Several fan-favorite characters will return for the new episodes, including Matthew Goode as Carl Morck, Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim, Leah Byrne as DC Rose Dickson, Jamie Sives as DS James Hardy, Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns and Kate Dickie as Moira Jacobson.

The second season is also bringing in a large group of new actors. Among the new additions are Aisling Franciosi, Greg Wise, Nicholas Rowe, Tony Curran, Hamish Clark, Alex Ferns, Rebecca Root, Isla Johnston and Amy Brenneman.

Scottish actor Ross Anderson has also joined the cast as Ricky Daddario. Netflix viewers may recognize Anderson from The Last Kingdom and its movie continuation Seven Kings Must Die, as well as the Kevin Hart action film Lift.

Scott Frank is returning to direct the new season, with Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television producing the series. Filming is expected to continue in Scotland until the end of the year.

While Netflix has not announced a release date for Dept. Q season 2 yet, the new cast members and early story details suggest the next chapter will bring an even bigger mystery for Carl Morck and his team.

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