Dept. Q: Everything you need to know about Netflix's new Edinburgh-set crime series, from cast to release date

Based on the novels of the same name by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, the upcoming show stars English actor Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck with a cast which also includes Kelly Macdonald and Chloe Pirrie.

With the detective series set (and filmed) in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, here is everything you need to know about Dept. Q.

What is Dept. Q about?

A procedural mystery show, Dept. Q follows Goode’s character DCI Morck as he is assigned to a new cold case unit while wracked with guilt after a shooting which left his partner paralyzed and another officer dead.

Described as a “a brilliant cop but a terrible colleague”, Morck finds himself the sole member of Department Q where he is tasked with investigating cold cases as part of a PR effort for the Scottish police force.

As he dives into his new responsibilities, Morck finds himself building a team of misfits - each with something to prove - as the stone cold trail of a missing civil servant begins to heat up.

Dept. Q comes from writer and director Scott Frank, who is behind TV series including Godless, The Queen’s Gambit and more.

Dept. Q cast: Who is in new Netflix series?

Known for roles in The Crown, Downton Abbey and Stoker, Matthew Goode leads the cast of Dept. Q for Netflix.

He is joined by several Scottish actors including Shirley Henderson, Mark Bonnar and more.

Here is the full cast of Dept. Q:

• Matthew Goode as Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck
• Chloe Pirrie as Merritt Lingard
• Jamie Sives as Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy
• Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns
• Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim
• Leah Byrne as Detective Constable Rose Dickson
• Kate Dickie as Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson
• Shirley Henderson as Claire Marsh
• Kelly Macdonald as Dr. Rachel Irving
• Tom Bulpett as William Lingard

Goode has praised his castmates: “[Scott] assembled one of the finest casts I’ve ever gotten to work with. It’s just an incredible playpen for an actor.”

Where was Dept. Q filmed?

Unlike the novels the series is based on which are set in Copenhagen, Dept. Q is set in Edinburgh and the surrounding area.

The show filmed on location in Edinburgh last year, with production based out of FirstStage Studios in Leith making use of areas around the city.

This includes locations in Wester Hailes, Burdiehouse, Leith, Liberton, Marchmont, Morningside, Portobello, Abbeyhill, Southside and Edinburgh City Centre.

Discussing Dept. Q shifting its setting from Denmark to Scotland, Goode said: “Scott brilliantly transposed it from Denmark to Scotland.

“Edinburgh is smaller than Copenhagen, but both are big port cities. [With its] gothic architecture, and it being the judicial centre of Scotland, it’s just a really lovely fit.”

Writer/director Frank also appreciates that setting the series in Edinburgh allows him to introduce a culture clash between Goode’s English character and his Scottish surroundings.

Frank said: “Because of Matthew, I realized the main character is going to be English, not Scottish, and that it would be really fun to play up his loathing of the Scottish people for no other reason than his ex-wife was Scottish, so he takes it out on everyone else.”

Dept. Q release date

All episodes of Dept. Q will be released on Netflix from 8am (BST) on Thursday, May 29.

A standard Netflix plan with adverts costs £5.99 a month, with a Standard plan without ads costing £12.99 per month, and a full Premium subscription costing £18.99 per month.