Netflix’s Dept. Q Is Returning — And Season 2 Could Be Even More Dangerous Than Fans Expect. The Scottish crime sensation is heading back with Matthew Goode once again leading the troubled detective team, but this time they are facing a case buried deep among Scotland’s richest and most powerful circles. New faces, darker secrets and a surprising addition to the cast are set to pull Carl Morck into another web of trouble. And with James Corden stepping into the story as an eccentric forensic psychologist, there may be far more going on beneath the surface than viewers realise. Season 1 was only the beginning. Now the next mystery is waiting — and it could take Dept. Q somewhere fans never saw coming.

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Dept. Q Season 2 Is Underway — And James Corden Is Joining Matthew Goode in Netflix’s Hit Crime Drama

Netflix is bringing Dept. Q back for a second season, and the new chapter is already shaping up to be even more intriguing. Production is underway in Edinburgh, Matthew Goode is returning as the sharp-edged detective Carl Morck, and James Corden has now officially joined the cast in a major new role.

The crime thriller became one of Netflix’s breakout hits after its debut in 2025, spending six weeks in the platform’s Global Top 10. Now Carl and his unconventional team are returning to investigate another cold case — this time involving powerful people at the highest levels of Scottish society.

matthew goode as detective carl morck

When was Dept. Q renewed?

Netflix confirmed on June 25, 2026 that Dept. Q would return for Season 2, with production already getting underway in Edinburgh.

There is currently no confirmed Netflix release date for the new season.

The series is based on Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q novels and was developed for television by Scott Frank, the creator behind The Queen’s Gambit. The first season introduced viewers to a deliberately unconventional police unit tasked with reopening cold cases that had previously been considered unsolvable.

Matthew Goode returns as Carl Morck

Matthew Goode will once again lead the series as DCI Carl Morck, the difficult but highly capable detective at the heart of Department Q.

He will be joined by the core members of his team, including Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim, Leah Byrne as DC Rose Dickson and Jamie Sives as DS James Hardy.

Also returning are Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns, Kate Dickie as Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson, Aaron McVeigh as Jasper Stewart and Sanjeev Kohli as Martin Fleming.

Together, the mismatched group forms the unlikely investigative team that gives the show much of its distinctive character.

two individuals seated in a formal interior setting engaging in conversation

James Corden joins the cast

The biggest recent casting development is the arrival of James Corden.

Netflix has confirmed that Corden has joined Season 2, marking a significant new role for the actor in the dark crime drama. Reports identify his character as Dr. Ben Smith, an eccentric forensic psychologist who will appear alongside Goode’s Carl Morck.

Production is already underway in Edinburgh, with Corden expected to film his scenes during the current production period.

The new season is also expanding the ensemble with a number of additional performers.

The new faces in Season 2

The Season 2 cast includes:

  • Aisling Franciosi as Kimmie
  • Greg Wise as Derek Powell
  • Nicholas Rowe as Thomas Fulton
  • Tony Curran as Winnie Calderwood
  • Hamish Clark as Christopher Herron
  • Alex Ferns as Phil Allenbeck
  • Ross Anderson as Ricky Daddario
  • Rebecca Root as June Lovesay
  • Isla Johnston as Agnes
  • Amy Brenneman as Helen

Netflix has confirmed that several of these characters are new additions to the world of Dept. Q, although much of the detail surrounding their individual roles has been kept under wraps.

What will Season 2 be about?

deptq season 2 start of production

The new season will move the team into another case, but this time the investigation reaches into Scotland’s most powerful circles.

Executive producer Rob Bullock described the story as a “terrible crime” hidden within the highest levels of Scottish society, involving wealthy and influential people who believe they are above the law. Carl, naturally, is not inclined to let them remain there.

That premise keeps the show firmly rooted in its original identity: cold cases, difficult suspects and a detective who is willing to push boundaries to uncover the truth.

Netflix executive producer Manda Levin has also teased a story that will be particularly dark, with Carl and his team facing another difficult investigation as they attempt to identify those responsible.

What does Matthew Goode want from the new season?

Gavin & Stacey icon tipped to join Netflix's Dept. Q for second season | Radio Times

Matthew Goode has previously expressed his enthusiasm for exploring more of Akram’s story.

Speaking about Season 2 in 2025, Goode said he wanted Alexej Manvelov’s character to receive more attention and even suggested intensive Krav Maga training for the actor ahead of the new season, imagining the character as a kind of “Syrian Bourne.”

That points towards a potentially more physical role for Akram, although the full extent of his involvement in the new investigation remains to be seen.

Could Season 2 follow another Department Q novel?

The Netflix series is based on Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q book series, which gives the television adaptation plenty of material to draw from.

The first season was inspired by Mercy, the first novel in the series. If the television show continues broadly following the books’ order, the next potential story would be The Absent One.

That novel centres on another cold case involving the double murder of a brother and sister two decades earlier. A suspect is already serving time for the crime, but Carl becomes convinced that the case is not as straightforward as it appears.

However, Netflix has not confirmed that The Absent One will be the direct basis for Season 2, so the precise storyline remains under wraps.

What happened in Season 1?

Season 1 introduced Carl after a near-fatal incident and saw him placed in charge of a new department in the basement of an Edinburgh police station.

Rather than receiving conventional cases, Carl and his unusual team were assigned cold cases that had remained unsolved.

Their first major investigation centred on the disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard, drawing the detectives into a complicated case that affected Carl personally as well as professionally.

The show combined the mechanics of a police procedural with darker character drama, gradually revealing more about the detectives themselves as the investigation progressed.

Netflix says the series spent six weeks in the Global Top 10 following its 2025 release, helping establish Dept. Q as a major success for the platform.

When can you watch Dept. Q Season 2?

For now, fans will have to wait.

Filming is underway in Edinburgh, Scotland, but Netflix has not yet announced a release date for Season 2.

The first season remains available to stream on Netflix, giving viewers plenty of time to revisit Carl Morck and his team before the next cold case arrives.

And with a returning core cast, a growing lineup of new suspects and characters, and James Corden entering the story as a forensic psychologist, Season 2 already has plenty for fans of the series to look forward to.