Dept. Q is a new Netflix series that won audiences over for its original atmosphere, captivating storyline, and great performances by the ensemble cast. Led by Matthew Goode, Dept. Q depicts him as Carl Morck, a cynical detective leading a brand-new department in his precinct that tackles unsolved cases. Morck gets backup in the form of the tenacious Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne) and the former Syrian policeman, Akram (Alexej Manvelov).
The show delivers a dark premise, with the detectives solving one case throughout seven episodes, which will be continued in a second season, since there’s a bigger mystery at play, and one that nearly cost Morck his life. Seven episodes are too short, and you’ve surely finished watching it over a weekend. If you want more similar vibes while waiting for Season 2, here are ten shows to watch if you love Dept. Q.
15
‘Deadwind’ (2018–2021)
Deadwind is a Finnish crime drama that follows detective Sofia Karppi (Pihla Viitala) returning to work at the Helsinki Police Department after the untimely loss of her husband. Being a single mother now, tackling grief and managing professional obligations makes Sofia exhausted, but still in tune with her detective work. After a woman is murdered, she uses her sharp wit and the help of her new partner, Sakari Nurmi (Lauri Tilkanen), who was transferred from the financial crime unit.
Deadwind is a quintessential Nordic Noir series, and one of the best shows the genre has given us in the past decade. Its tone and style are often compared to The Killing and The Bridge, two hallmarks of Nordic Noir, and the show combines drama with tension and suspense really well; you’ll binge-watch the whole thing, no doubt about it. Deadwind has three seasons and a similar vibe to Dept. Q that is sure to fill the void after you’re done watching.
14
‘Wisting’ (2019–)
Wisting is a Norwegian police procedural series that’s been garnering a steady, large viewership since it premiered in 2019. The show was based on the novel series of the same name written by Jørn Lier Horst, whose novels were translated into more than two dozen languages over the years. Wisting was received positively, often dubbed the best Nordic Noir series of the time. Reviewers called Wisting exciting, intricate, and attention-grabbing.
Wisting follows the eponymous character, William Wisting (Sven Nordin), who is a veteran detective in Larvik, Norway. Wisting is a clever and unflinching detective, which he proves to his outside collaborators, including FBI agent Maggie Griffin (Carrie-Anne Moss). Each season follows one ongoing case, often mirroring the pacing in Horst’s books. Wisting also includes William Wisting’s daughter, crime journalist Line (Thea Green Lundberg). The show balances investigative grit with deep character work, and it’s rounded out by well-paced, atmospheric storytelling. The perfect fit to watch after Dept. Q.
13
‘The Chestnut Man’ (2021–)
The Chestnut Man was a massive streaming hit on Netflix when it came out in 2021, and it has a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. This Danish thriller is dark, ominous, and full of intriguing twists that make the show easy to binge-watch, just like Dept. Q. The Chestnut Man‘s first season follows one big case of serial killings, and the show is soon premiering its second season, where the two lead detectives will, undoubtedly, tackle another sinister case. The Chestnut Man is another show based on a novel, too, which was written by Søren Sveistrup.
The show opens in 1987 and then moves to modern times, following Naia Thulin (Danica Ćurčić) and Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard), detectives investigating a murder that connects to the events from the beginning. The connection between them is a mysterious figurine made of chestnuts, which the perpetrator leaves at every crime scene. The Chestnut Man was written and created by the same people who made The Killing, so if you love this Nordic Noir classic, The Chestnut Man will remind you of it—in a good way.
12
‘The Valhalla Murders’ (2019–2020)
Another Nordic Noir, this time hailing from Iceland—The Valhalla Murders, is an interesting and pretty dark story spread throughout one bone-chilling season, and if you love a classic police procedural, this one will keep you guessing until its final moments. It reopens a cold case that’s as bleak and depressing as anything, and combined with the snowy and dark Icelandic landscapes, the noir vibes are cranked up to a ten out of ten. It’s bleak but very good, and will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Valhalla Murders follows Kata Gunnarsdóttir (Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir), a seasoned detective at the Reykjavík police, and her newcomer partner, Arnar Böðvarsson (Björn Thors). When several teachers from the state-run home for delinquent boys called Valhalla turn up dead, it’s up to Kata and Arnar to figure out who killed them and why, discovering a link to an old, buried case. The Valhalla Murders was loosely based on a real-life event that took place in 1940s Iceland, according to the show’s director, Thordur Palsson.
11
‘Criminal: UK’ (2019–2020)
Netflix’s series Criminal is an interesting one, because it’s a genuine international endeavor. There is a Criminal: UK, but also France, Germany, and Spain, and each is as good as the last. If one should be higher than others on the list of recommendations, it is the UK version, though the Spanish one can easily tie with it. Criminal has a couple of fixed protagonists, while the rest of the cast changes with each new case. Some guest stars include Kit Harrington, Hayley Atwell, and David Tennant.
Criminal follows a different case in each episode, and it’s a single-room story taking place in an interrogation room (for the most part). Detectives Natalie Hobbs (Katherine Kelly) and her second-in-command, Tony Myerscough (Lee Ingleby), are leading the interrogations, always trying to uncover the truth about their primary suspects. Criminal is minimalist and dialogue-heavy, but it’s also exciting and suspenseful, carrying a tension you can carve with a knife. It’s one of the most interesting crime shows of the past ten years.
10
‘Spooks’ (2002–2011)
Spooks is to UK viewers what, for example, Criminal Minds is to US viewers—long-standing, iconic, and great in each season. Any police procedural that doubles as a spy thriller could work as a replacement here; Spooks is known as MI5 in some countries, and its original name is a jargon word for spies. Though not too similar to Dept. Q, Spooks is still vital for understanding British crime series, serving as one of the biggest and best examples of how it should be done. Fun fact: Spooks brought Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes together.
Spooks follows nearly completely different casts in each of its ten seasons, though Peter Firth as Sir Harry Pearce is the glue that binds them all together. He is the head of the counter-terrorism unit at MI5. The second most featured lead is Malcolm Wynn-Jones, an MI5 analyst portrayed by Hugh Simon. Macfadyen, Hawes, and David Oyelowo stuck around for the first three seasons, and while watching it, you’ll likely recognize a few more familiar faces. Each season has an overarching plot, though episodes tend to tackle individual cases, too; the overarching plots take a backseat, though they get a conclusion at the end of each. It’s pretty great, quintessential viewing.
9
‘Marcella’ (2016–2021)
Marcella is a dark police series that’s often classified as Nordic noir. It was created by Swedish screenwriter Hans Rosenfeldt, most notably known for creating Bron, aka The Bridge, Sweden’s most popular export series. Marcella, like Dept. Q, depicts a troubled protagonist who feels the need to redeem themselves for dark events from their past; however, the lead in Marcella has a darker story than detective Carl Morck, and the circumstances of her past are pretty difficult to handle. The noir vibes are there in both shows, and Marcella is quite memorable for everything it tries to be in its three seasons.
Marcella follows the eponymous detective, Marcella Backland (Anna Friel), who leaves the Metropolitan Police force to be with her family. However, 11 years later, Marcella’s husband leaves her, and she returns to the force to work on an old case that resurfaces after killings of the same manner start again. She also suffers from regular blackouts and can’t often name her whereabouts, which leads to complications in her personal and professional life. Season 1 of Marcella is great, but Season 2 is really the icing on the cake.
8
‘Sherlock’ (2010–2017)
The detective bored with everyone else because he’s much smarter than them and doesn’t have the patience to wait for them to wrap up the thought he had five minutes ago is definitely Sherlock, but also pretty much Dept. Q vibes. Unlike Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Sherlock, Goode’s Morck at least has a shred of emotional intelligence to allow his co-speakers to finish their thoughts and make personal conclusions without calling them stupid—a notable Sherlock quote is “Anderson, don’t talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the whole street.” Seeing a brilliant detective at work is very prominent and well-presented in Sherlock, and if you enjoyed watching Morck, you’ll surely enjoy Sherlock doing his thing.
Sherlock is, naturally, about Arthur Conan Doyle‘s biggest character, Sherlock Holmes. Set in modern times, Sherlock is portrayed by Cumberbatch as a self-described “high-functioning sociopath;” his assistant and best friend, John Watson, is portrayed by Martin Freeman, who gives Watson that much-missed war veteran vibe that Doyle’s Watson has in the novels. Sherlock was a massive hit when it first appeared; people went wild over its clever narrative, gripping storytelling and script, and brilliant performances by Cumberbatch and Watson. In later seasons, the show goes slightly off the rails, but it can still fulfill your weekend watch after you start missing Dept. Q.
7
‘CB Strike’ (2017–)
CB Strike, also known only as Strike domestically, is a long-running detective series based on the novel series titled Cormoran Strike by Robert Galbraith. Galbraith is, in fact, the pseudonym of J.K. Rowling, who used it for detective novels and adult fiction. There are seven Cormoran Strike novels, and the show follows the books in pretty much the same order. Cormoran Strike is actually the name of the story’s protagonist, played by Tom Burke in the acclaimed series that’s still going, now under HBO’s production.
Strike is a war veteran who solves unsolved cases as a private investigator, drawing a parallel with Morck in Dept. Q. Strike, like Morck, is highly intelligent, equipped with advanced knowledge from his time at the Special Investigations Branch, and very strong-willed and tenacious. His work follows him solving different crimes in each season, much like Dept. Q started with. While the latest season of Strike was review-bombed because of the controversial stances Rowling’s displayed over the years, the show is worth watching, at least for its protagonist and lead, Burke, who isn’t just a revelation in the series but has the capability to truly win over anyone.
6
‘Black Doves’ (2024–)
One of the biggest surprises of 2024 was the Netflix crime thriller Black Doves. Starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, this unique and captivating series blends dark comedy with high-octane action, suspenseful spy thrills, and emotional drama, and it does it successfully. The show was renewed for a second season, following an explosive first that contained six episodes; if you loved Dept. Q, you’re bound to love Black Doves maybe even more.
Black Doves follows a spies-for-hire organization where Helen (Knightley) works and has been undercover for over a decade. She’s married to the State Secretary of Defense, Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), and her spy identity is suddenly in danger of being revealed. Her organization, Black Doves, sends her old friend and their former employee, Sam (Whishaw), to protect Helen. The two have an interesting friendship, quite loving for the circumstances it came to be in; though they’re not a romantic item in the show, the chemistry between Knightley and Whishaw is beautiful. There are plenty of memorable and enjoyable side characters, too, similarly to what Dept. Q boasts.
