I was excited when I learned Netflix is later in May releasing Dept. Q, which sounds like it has echoes of the brilliant Apple TV Plus series Slow Horses.
But rather than spies, Dept Q. [released on Netflix globally on May 29] focuses on cops and in particular DCI Carl Morck (played by Downton Abbey’s Matthew Goode), who doesn't sound a million miles away from Gary Oldman's sharp-witted spook Jackson Lamb.
Morck is billed as a "brilliant cop but a terrible colleague". And like Lamb, he has a dark sense of humor, being described as having a "razor-sharp sarcasm".
While Lamb is consigned to the dustbin of Slough House, Morck is banished to the basement of the Edinburgh police department, the sole member of Department Q, a newly formed cold case unit.
Just as Lamb and his team of useless spies aren't meant to solve anything, Morck is also expected to simply rot away in the unit, which is simply there to distract the public from the fact that the police aren’t solving any crimes. But Morck starts building his own team of cop slow horses, and they find themselves at the centre of a big case.
Netflix teases: "More by accident and design, Carl starts to build a gang of waifs and strays who have everything to prove. So, when the stone-cold trail of a prominent civil servant who disappeared several years ago starts to heat up, Carl is back doing what he does best — rattling cages and refusing to take no for an answer."
Line of Duty's Kelly Macdonald also stars as police therapist, Dr. Rachel Irving.
Like Slow Horses, Dept Q. is based on a book series. "The Department Q." books were penned by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen.
To add to my excitement further, the eight-part series is from the writer and director of The Queen's Gambit, Scott Frank.
Speaking about why Goode was perfect for the part of Morck, Frank told Netflix: "Matthew just felt like this guy. I was writing with him in mind. I knew that he could do this and that he would lend this unimaginable intelligence with his flintiness but that he could also be emotional without being sentimental."
Also in the cast are Harry Potter star Shirley Henderson and Operation Mincemeat’s Mark Bonnar. All in all, it sounds like it should be great. It’s a brilliant idea for a series, has a top-class cast, and comes from the man behind The Queen’s Gambit. What more could you want?!
So, we suggest putting Dept Q. on your watchlist for when it's released on Netflix on May 29. Check out our best shows on Netflix guide for more series to enjoy.
