12 Shows Like Dept Q You Must See

Created by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani, ‘Dept Q’ follows Detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), the newly appointed head of the cold-case unit in the Edinburgh police department. Once a top cop, Carl is recovering from PTSD after he and his partners were shot at on duty, leading to the death of one and the paralysis of another. The titular department is a PR opportunity for the police and a chance to let Carl recover.

However, the plan goes sideways as Carl reopens a ferry accident case from four years ago and assembles a team of misfits to investigate. The Netflix crime thriller is based on a book series of the same name, penned by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Grounded and gritty in its approach, the show is a seemingly modern approach to Scandinavian noir. If you’re craving the next best thing to dive into in the same genre, the following list of shows similar to ‘Dept Q’ will help you get started.

12. Slow Horses (2022-)

Based on the book series ‘Slough House’ by Mick Herron, ‘Slow Horses’ chronicles a unit of MI5 with the same name as the novels, where agents who have badly failed their tasks but do not deserve to be sacked get posted. Known as Slow Horses, they are assigned dull and mundane tasks under the supervision of Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). While Jackson occasionally belittles his charges and expects them to quit out of frustration and boredom, the team often ends up working on cases that threaten the entire country. Created by Will Smith, the show tells the story of law enforcement agents not at their best getting a second chance, like Carl Morck in ‘Dept Q.’

11. Cardinal (2017-2020)

Created by Aubrey Nealon, ‘Cardinal’ revolves around John Cardinal (Billy Campbell), a troubled police officer in the fictional town of Algonquin Bay. When he gets too involved with a case, John is taken off the homicide squad and given his own department to lead. His new partner, Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse), however, also keeps an eye on him as he is suspected of being in cahoots with a local drug dealer. Based on the Cardinal series of novels by Giles Blunt, the show sees a top detective get sidelined from his department, albeit for a different reason than Detective Carl Morck in ‘Dept Q.’

10. Trapped (2015-)

Originally titled ‘Ófærð,’ ‘Trapped’ tells the story of Andri Ólafsson (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), the chief of police in a remote town in Iceland. Following the discovery of the mutilated remains of a local person, Andri desperately attempts to solve the case with his team. Created by Baltasar Kormákur, ‘Trapped’ bears many similarities with ‘Dept Q.’ Both cases involve police officers taking it as a personal challenge to bring the culprit to justice, despite all odds.

9. Happy Valley (2014-2023)

Sally Wainwright’s ‘Happy Valley’ follows Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), a divorced police sergeant and a mother. Eight years ago, her daughter was the victim of sexual assault and eventually took her life. Catherine is now raising her grandson, who was born as a result of that traumatic event. When Catherine learns that Tommy Lee Royce, the person responsible for her daughter’s death, is being released from prison, she takes it upon herself to confront him. Like ‘Dept Q,’ the heart of ‘Happy Valley’ lies in an old case for which those involved continue to seek justice.

8. Mare of Easttown (2021)

Set in the fictional suburb of Easttown, Philadelphia, ‘Mare of Easttown’ follows police detective Marianne “Mare” Sheehan (Kate Winslet). A local hero for winning the town its first state championship in the past, Mare has been unable to solve the case of a missing girl for a year, and is presently tasked with investigating the murder of a teenage mother. She is also having trouble in her personal life with her divorce and the loss of her son to suicide. Created by Brad Ingelsby, ‘Mare of Easttown’ strikes a similar note to ‘Dept Q’ as both follow detectives trying to solve their cases while dealing with personal loss.

7. Top of the Lake (2013-2017)

Created by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, ‘Top of the Lake’ centers around Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss), who specializes in sexual assault cases. When 12-year-old Tui, who is five months pregnant, disappears near a frozen lake, Robin spares no effort to bring her back. In the process, she is faced with her own demons and goes through a phase of self-discovery. Much like ‘Dept Q,’ ‘Top of the Lake’ involves the disappearance of a person near a water body, and the investigator trying to bring small-town secrets to the open.

6. Broadchurch (2013-2017)

‘Broadchurch’ is set in the eponymous fictional town on the east coast of Dorset and revolves around Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman). The show opens with the death of 11-year-old Danny Latimer, which sends the town into a state of grief but also turns into a media circus. The family members of the victim become suspects in the incident, as the officers double down to find out who is responsible. As a tight-knit police thriller, ‘Broadchurch’ is the perfect show to pick to follow ‘Dept Q’ in the same genre.

5. The Hunting Party (2025-)

Created by JJ Bailey, ‘The Hunting Party’ opens with a secret prison underneath the Wyoming countryside witnessing a large explosion that frees some of the country’s worst serial killers. Former FBI Special Agent and criminal profiler Rebecca “Bex” Henderson (Melissa Roxburgh) is charged with the task of tracking them down, with the help of an elite team of soldiers, spies, and special agents. As Bex attempts to solve the mystery of the explosion, she also struggles to come to terms with secrets from her own past. ‘The Hunting Party’ follows the activities of a newly formed special department of law enforcement that deals with cases with serious consequences, similar to ‘Dept Q.’

4. Dark Winds (2022-)

Based on the Leaphorn and Chee novel series by Tony Hillerman, ‘Dark Winds’ is set in the 1970s and follows Lt Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) of the Navajo Tribal Police trying to trace back the sudden mysterious rise in violent crimes in his jurisdiction. He is aided in his efforts by his deputy and undercover FBI agent Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and police sergeant Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten). Created by Graham Roland, the show is similar to ‘Dept Q’ in having a special group of police officers work to uncover a specific category of crime.

3. The Sinner (2017-2021)

Created by Derek Simonds based on an eponymous novel by Petra Hammesfahr, ‘The Sinner’ tells about police detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman), who investigates crimes likely committed by unlikely culprits and shares empathy with the criminals to understand their motivations. His cases include determining why a young mother stabbed a man to death, and the reason for a young boy to confess to poisoning a couple, among others. Much like ‘Dept Q,’ The Sinner deals with crimes that slightly differ from the usual cases tackled by the police but are gravely serious nonetheless.

2. The Fall (2013-2016)

Created by Allan Cubitt, ‘The Fall’ follows Metropolitan Police Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), in charge of reviewing investigations, who joins the Police Service of Northern Ireland to check on the progress of a murder investigation that has been active for more than 28 days. Stella soon realizes that it is the work of a serial killer on the loose who is targeting young working women in Belfast. Stella works with local detectives to bring in the suspect, Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), and overcomes complications inside and outside the department to build a case against him. Stella’s story is comparable to that of Carl Morck from ‘Dept Q’ as they are both roped into leading teams that take on the unusually macabre.

1. The Killing (2011-2014)

Based on the Danish television series ‘Forbrydelsen,’ ‘The Killing’ is set around homicide detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) with the Seattle Police Department, who mentors Detective Stephen Holder, a former narcotics officer. While their investigative styles are different from each other, hers methodical and his freewheeling, they learn to work together to tackle a sensitive case that ties a dead teenager in the trunk of a submerged car to the mayoral campaign of Seattle.

Many parallels can be drawn between ‘The Killing’ and ‘Dept Q,’ starting with Sarah Linden and Carl Morck mentoring cops from other areas of expertise who go on to become valuable additions to their teams. The diverse backgrounds of the teams help them tie up cases with far-reaching roots and consequences. Additionally, the types of cases handled in both shows move away from the usual “whodunnit” and explore a more layered series of events.