DEPARTMENT Q: CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR NEW NETFLIX DRAMA

Department Q is an adaptation of the novels of the same name from Danish author, Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Written by Scott Frank, Chandni Lakhani, Stephen Greenhorn and Colette Kane, the series revolves around Carl Morck, a former top-rated detective in Edinburgh assigned to a new cold case whilst wracked with guilt following an attack that left his partner paralysed and another policeman dead.

Matthew Goode (The King’s Man, The Offer), Chloe Pirrie (Under The Banner of Heaven, The Queen’s Gambit), Alexej Manvelov (Jack Ryan, Top Dog)  Kelly Macdonald (Line of Duty, Operation Mincemeat) and Leah Byrne (Call The Midwife, Nightsleeper) are to star in the new series from acclaimed showrunner Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit).   

Matthew Goode stars as DCI Carl Morck, who has his life turned upside down after a violent incident leaves his partner paralysed and an officer dead. Upon his return to work, he is tasked with setting up Department Q – a new cold case department, which is little more than a PR exercise.

At first, being sidelined suits Carl; he’s happy to waste his days playing solitaire and skiving. Yet over the course of the series, Carl’s detective instincts are reawakened, and his new department down in the basement becomes an unlikely magnet for the misfits and mavericks of Chief Super, Moira’s police team. 

Chloe Pirrie stars as Merritt Lingard, a ruthless and ambitious prosecutor, has quickly risen the ranks in the Crown Office.  Merritt had a troubled childhood, raised by her absent father on the Isle of Mull. 

But after her brother William suffered a severe brain injury, she turned her life around and dedicated her life to him, whilst striving for justice in her role as prosecutor.  However, in the wake of the biggest case of her career, Merritt decides she needs to make a change.  As a result, Merritt and Carl’s paths collide.

The cast also includes Mark Bonnar (Napoleon, Guilt) as Stephen, Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter, Bridget Jones) as Clare Marsh, Jamie Sives (Guilt, Crime) as DS Hardy and Kate Dickie (Inside Man, The Witch) as Moira. 

Department Q (8x60’) is a Left Bank Pictures production.