Prepare for More Morck as 'Dept. Q' Renewed for Season 2

In what may be the least surprising news of the summer, Netflix has confirmed a second season of Dept. Q has been commissioned. Hailing from Scott Frank, whose adaptation of The Queen's Gambit became an unlikely smash hit in the summer of 2020 for the streaming service, Dept. Q has been the sleeper hit of 2025, spending its first six weeks on the platform in Netflix's vaunted "Top Ten" row, and slowly spreading via word of mouth as more people watch and discover that Nordic Noir does very well when reset in Scotland.

Like The Queen's Gambit, Dept. Q is an adaptation of a major best-selling novel, which is nonetheless not well known on this side of the pond. Written by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, initially titled Afdeling Q (Department Q), it was retitled The Keeper of Lost Causes when it was published in English. The series, which features Detective Carl Mørck as the head of a quirky cold case division, comprises ten books thus far, with the latest installment, Locked In, published in late 2024.

Like the late, lamented Annika, Netflix's new series resets the show from its Nordic roots to Scotland; Season 2 will continue to be filmed and set in Edinburgh following the success of the location in the first series. The renewal announcement also included a quote from Frank, who said, “I’m grateful to the folks at Netflix, as well as our shining cast and crew, for once more risking their careers to enable my folly.”