SYNOPSIS: Q Department is a British series based on the famous crime book series Q Department Cases by the Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. The British series was written by the authors of the series Crown (2016) and Ladies‘ Gambit (2020). The protagonist of the story is detective chief inspector Carl Morck. A brilliant police officer, but with a peculiar personality. After a tragic and unfortunate shooting, in which one young policeman died and Carl’s partner was paralyzed, he is troubled by his conscience and the management prefers to assign him to the newly created department Q, which is supposed to deal with postponed or statute-barred cases. By chance, however, his department soon begins to grow, and when Carl lands in his hands the case of a missing state prosecutor who disappeared several years ago. Our hero investigates like a bulldog and doesn’t take NO for an answer.

GENRES: Crime Drama Thriller
United Kingdom (2025–2026) 14 h 55 min (Running time: 42–71 min)
Creators: Scott Frank, Chandni Lakhani
Director: Scott Frank, Elisa Amoruso
Original: Jussi Adler-Olsen (book)
Screenplay: Scott Frank, Chandni Lakhani, Stephen Greenhorn, Colette Kane
Cinematography: David Ungaro, David Higgs
Music: Carlos Rafael Rivera
Cast: Matthew Goode, Chloe Pirrie, Jamie Sives, Alexej Manvelov, Leah Byrne, Kelly Macdonald, Shirley Henderson, Mark Bonnar, Kate Dickie, Alison Peebles
Produced by: David Brown
Casting Olivia Scott-Webb
Editor: Michelle Tesoro
Sound: Joe Beal, Austin Roth, Wylie Stateman
Set design: Grant Montgomery, Margot Cullen, Lydia Farrell, Solomon Honey
Costume design: Sharon Long

MOVIE REVIEW

The essence of the authors‘ approach is the point of view of the disappearance of the female prosecutor, whom they forgot and tortured for four years somewhere in the backwoods, where they have a decompression chamber and a few courageous „mindraked“ individuals who, paradoxically, can be very active heroes.

The excellent script benefits from the open eccentric nature not only of the villains, but also of the system of investigators, judiciary and police machinery in Edinburgh, which is a mixture of Nordic cynicism and coldness, Moroccan exoticism and Texas decadence in the spirit of D. Lynch. It’s a shame that the plot is less dynamic, even slow and with many reminiscences, which is probably a serious shortcoming.

But it must be forgiven, because the characters, motivations and connections are realistic and original masterpieces. After all, even the conclusion is worth it. This crime drama is so soft. It lacks the Nordic vibe, the rawness, the cold breath of Scandinavia. There’s nothing dirty, psychologically harsh, or even slightly disturbing here. Everything is smooth and harmless, at least at first, but appearances are deceiving.

POINT:

Podstata prístupu autorov je uhol pohľadu na zmiznutie prokurátorky, ktorú uniesli a štyri roky mučia niekde v zapadákove, kde majú dekompresnú komoru a pár odvážnych zamindrákovaných jedincov, ktorí dokážu hoci paradoxne BYŤ aj veľmi akčnými hrdinami/záporákmi.

Výborný scenár ťaží a téma ako celok z otvorených podivínskych charakterov nielen na starane záporákov, ale aj systému vyšetrovateľov, súdnictva a policajnej mašinérie v Edinburgu Formálne a štýlovo je táto práca zmeskou severského cynizmu a chladu, marokánskej exotiky a toxickej dekadencie v duchu D. Lyncha.

Škoda že daj je menej dynamický až cajdavý, a s mnohými reminesciami, čo je asi ostatným závažným nedostatkom. Treba to ale odpustiť, lebo postavy, motivácie i prepojenia sú realisticky pôsobiace a originálne majstrovské. Nakoniec aj záver stojí za to. Táto krimi je tak soft. Chýba tomu nordic vibe, surovosť, studený dych Škandinávie. Tu nie je nič špinavé, psychologicky drsné alebo čo i len trochu znepokojujúce. Všetko je uhladené a neškodné, aspoň na začiatku, ale zdanie klame.