Introduction

If you have been anywhere near Netflix in 2025, you already know about Dept. Q. The show hit the platform on May 29, 2025, and viewers could not stop watching. People binged all nine episodes in days. Critics called it one of the best crime dramas in years. But here is the thing — the story is only half the reason. The real magic is the cast of Dept. Q.

This is a group of actors who bring broken, complicated, deeply human characters to life. Every single performance feels lived in. You believe these people. You root for them. You worry about them. And once you finish the show, you immediately start looking up everyone in it.

That is exactly what this article is for. You will get a complete breakdown of the cast of Dept. Q, who plays whom, what each character brings to the story, and why each actor was the perfect choice for the role. Whether you just finished the show or you want to know what you are getting into before you start, this is the guide you need.

Who Created Dept. Q and What Is It About?

Before diving into the cast, here is the quick background you need.

Dept. Q is a British crime thriller created by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani. It is based on the bestselling Department Q novel series by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen. The show premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2025, and was renewed for a second season in August 2025.

The series is set in Edinburgh, Scotland — a deliberate change from the original novels, which were set in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The story follows a brash but brilliant cop who becomes the head of a new police department, leading an unlikely team of misfits as they solve Edinburgh’s cold cases.

Scott Frank, who wrote and directed The Queen’s Gambit, helmed six of the nine episodes himself. The result is a show that feels cinematic, moody, and intelligent from the very first scene.

Rotten Tomatoes reported an 88% approval rating based on 59 critic reviews, and audiences gave it a 90% Popcornmeter score. Those numbers tell you everything.

The Full Cast of Dept. Q: Every Main Character Explained

Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck

Let us start at the top. Matthew Goode plays Carl Morck, and this performance is the anchor of the entire show.

Carl Morck is an emotionally scarred detective who becomes the head of the cold case unit, Department Q. He is brilliant. He is difficult. He is the kind of person who irritates almost everyone around him, but you cannot look away when he is on screen.

Carl has recently survived an ambush shooting. His colleague and close friend James Hardy was paralyzed in the attack, and a young uniformed police officer was killed. Carl carries that guilt everywhere.

He attends mandatory therapy sessions after the shooting, which he resents completely. His colleagues see him as arrogant and antisocial — and they are not entirely wrong.

Director Scott Frank has worked with Goode since 2006. Frank told Netflix Tudum that he wrote the role with Goode in mind: “I knew that he could do this and that he would lend this undeniable intelligence with his flintiness, but that he could also be emotional without being sentimental.”

Goode brings all of that to every scene. You see the intelligence. You see the pain underneath the sharpness. And occasionally, when the wall comes down for just a second, you see why people keep trying with Carl Morck despite everything.

Matthew Goode’s previous credits include Downton Abbey, The Imitation Game, Stoker, and Watchmen. This role, though, feels like a career best.

Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim

If Matthew Goode is the show’s engine, Alexej Manvelov is its soul. His performance as Akram Salim became the most talked about part of the entire season.

Akram Salim is a Syrian ex-policeman who was forced to flee to Europe. He joins Department Q as a civilian employee and quickly becomes one of its most valuable investigators.

Akram is introduced as the Scottish police force’s IT guy who is clearly desperate for something more challenging. As the nine-part series progresses, it becomes clear he was a former Syrian police officer who fled his country and is now living in Scotland as a refugee.

Akram is the first recruit to join Morck’s basement band of emotionally traumatized misfits. Unassuming, his journey from IT department civilian to Carl’s investigative partner begins with homemade baked goods made from his wife’s secret recipe.

The contrast between Carl and Akram is one of the show’s greatest pleasures. As Rolling Stone described it, Goode is an exposed nerve ready to lash out, which makes him a great match for Manvelov’s understated cool as Akram, who is clearly much more dangerous than his reserved demeanor suggests.

Alexej Manvelov was born in 1982 in Moscow to a Russian mother and a Kurdish father from Syria. He moved to Sweden at age ten and grew up near Linköping. Before his acting career took off, he worked in the construction industry for eight years as a sheet metal technician while auditioning and working with independent theatre groups in Stockholm.

His previous international credits include Chernobyl and the third season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Dept. Q made him a star.

Goode himself said about his castmates: “Scott assembled one of the finest casts I’ve ever gotten to work with. Alexej is joy, pure joy, capital J.”

Jamie Sives as DI James Hardy

Jamie Sives plays James Hardy, Carl’s former partner and one of the most emotionally complex characters in the series.

James Hardy is Carl’s partially paralyzed former partner who survived the ambush. He finds new purpose by supporting Department Q’s investigations from the sidelines.

Hardy’s storyline carries a quiet devastation throughout the season. He is dealing with physical limitations that have changed his entire identity, while also trying to maintain a friendship with Carl, who carries enormous guilt for what happened. Sives handles all of this with remarkable restraint and depth.

Goode said of Sives: “I felt like I’ve known Jamie Sives for a long time. We just get on so well.” That chemistry translates completely on screen.

Jamie Sives is a Scottish actor best known for his work on Annika and Guilt. He has also appeared in Game of Thrones and Valhalla Rising.

Chloe Pirrie as Merritt Lingard

Chloe Pirrie plays Merritt Lingard, and her character sits right at the center of the season’s main mystery.

Merritt Lingard is a Crown solicitor — a ruthless and ambitious prosecutor whose unsolved disappearance is the case that Department Q investigates throughout the first season.

Pirrie does something difficult here. She plays a character who appears primarily through flashbacks and other people’s accounts of her. Despite that structural challenge, she makes Merritt feel fully alive. You understand who this woman was. You understand what she was fighting for. And you feel the weight of her absence in every scene.

Chloe Pirrie previously appeared in The Game and An Inspector Calls. This is her highest profile role to date, and she delivers completely.

Leah Byrne as DC Rose Dickson

Leah Byrne plays DC Rose Dickson, and she is a genuine breakout from this series.

Rose Dickson is a young detective constable who is shaken by a past breakdown and looking for a chance to prove herself on Carl’s team.

Rose represents the audience in many ways. She is the newest member of the group, the most eager to do good work, and she has the most to prove. What makes the character special is that she never becomes just a plot device. Byrne gives her full inner life, and some of Rose’s scenes pack an unexpected emotional punch.

Goode singled out Byrne for particular praise, calling her “a stone-cold star.” That is high praise from a lead actor, and it is completely earned.

Leah Byrne has previously appeared in Nightsleeper and The Last Bus. Dept. Q is the role that will define her going forward.

Kate Dickie as Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson

Kate Dickie plays Moira Jacobson, the commanding officer who both manages and is managed by Carl Morck.

Moira Jacobson is Carl’s commanding officer, responsible for setting up Department Q and keeping Carl under control — a task that proves considerably harder than expected.

The Scottish government’s goal is to concentrate on unsolved crimes because successful outcomes will generate good headlines that improve public opinion about the police. Moira prefers to use most of the budget for her own department and current cases, so she assigns Carl to handle cold cases in a semi-derelict basement office.

Dickie plays the politics of the role beautifully. Moira is not a villain. She is an administrator trying to manage a difficult personality while also navigating institutional pressure. Dickie keeps her human and even sympathetic at moments.

Kate Dickie is no stranger to prestige television. She appeared in Game of Thrones and The Witch, among many other projects.

Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns

Mark Bonnar plays Stephen Burns, the Lord Advocate who becomes entangled in the investigation.

Stephen Burns is Merritt’s former supervisor. He handles media attention as the Lord Advocate and eventually gets implicated in the murder investigation.

Bonnar is one of those character actors who improves every project he appears in. You may recognize him from Line of Duty, Unforgotten, Catastrophe, or Operation Mincemeat. Here, he brings the same precision and intelligence that marks all of his best work.

Kelly Macdonald as Dr. Rachel Irving

Kelly Macdonald plays Dr. Rachel Irving, Carl’s therapist, and her dynamic with the lead character provides some of the season’s most interesting conversations.

Dr. Rachel Irving handles Carl’s mandatory post-shooting therapy sessions. She is the one person Carl cannot entirely deflect or dismiss, and that makes every scene between them electric.

Macdonald is a brilliant Scottish actor known for Trainspotting, Boardwalk Empire, and Brave. She brings warmth and intelligence to a role that could have felt purely functional.

Patrick Kennedy as Liam Taylor

Patrick Kennedy plays Liam Taylor, a prosecutor who worked alongside Merritt and becomes part of the investigation as secrets unravel.

Kennedy’s role grows in significance as the season progresses. Fans of Downton Abbey and The King’s Man will recognize him immediately.

What Makes the Ensemble So Special

The cast of Dept. Q works because every single character has a reason to be broken. They are not just quirky TV misfits assembled for entertainment. Each person carries real damage, real history, and real stakes.

Entertainment Weekly’s Kristen Baldwin gave the series an A minus and said that “broken people healing themselves by providing closure for crime victims” can be an especially effective sub-genre when the writing, directing, and casting align — and in Dept. Q, everything gels beautifully.

IMDb users praised the show for its atmospheric tone, character development, cinematography, and the great ensemble. With an IMDb rating of 8.1 out of 10 from over 105,000 ratings, the audience response has been overwhelming.

The chemistry between the actors is the biggest reason this show works. Carl and Akram’s partnership feels earned. Rose’s desire to prove herself feels real. Hardy’s quiet grief feels honest. None of it feels performed.

The Creative Team Behind the Cast

The casting choices did not happen by accident. Scott Frank, who assembled the team, had clear intentions.

Frank wrote or co-wrote all nine episodes of Dept. Q and directed six of them. He built the show around specific actors and worked to create an ensemble where every relationship would feel authentic.

Filming took place in Edinburgh between February and June 2024. The Scottish setting gave the whole production a specific atmosphere that the cast absorbed and reflected in their performances.

The source material also helped. Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q novels are internationally beloved, and Frank honored the spirit of the characters while transporting the story to Scotland.

Dept. Q Season 2: What You Can Expect

Good news for everyone who fell in love with this cast.

In August 2025, Netflix renewed Dept. Q for a second season. Matthew Goode, Alexej Manvelov, and the core ensemble are all expected to return.

Season 2 will follow Detective Carl Morck and his team of misfits as they take on another cold case.

Fans have been especially vocal about wanting more of Akram’s story. His background, his life as a widower raising two daughters, and his history in Syria all feel like territory the show has only scratched the surface of. Season 2 has a lot of rich material to work with.

Conclusion

The cast of Dept. Q is the reason this show works. You can have a great concept and sharp writing, but if the actors do not make you care about the people on screen, none of it lands. Here, every single member of the ensemble earns your attention and your emotional investment.

Matthew Goode gives the performance of his career. Alexej Manvelov steals scene after scene with breathtaking subtlety. Leah Byrne is a genuine discovery. And the supporting players — Kate Dickie, Jamie Sives, Mark Bonnar, Kelly Macdonald — bring depth and texture that lifts the whole show.

If you have not watched Dept. Q yet, start tonight. If you have already watched it, you are probably already counting down to Season 2.

Which character from the cast of Dept. Q stuck with you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments — it would be great to hear whether you are Team Carl or Team Akram.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who plays Carl Morck in Dept. Q? Matthew Goode plays DCI Carl Morck. He is the lead detective and the head of the cold case unit Department Q in Edinburgh.

Who is Akram Salim in Dept. Q? Akram Salim is played by Alexej Manvelov. He is a Syrian ex-policeman who fled to Scotland and becomes Carl’s investigative partner in Department Q.

Is Dept. Q based on a book? Yes. Dept. Q is based on the Department Q novel series by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen. The show is an English-language adaptation created by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani.

Where is Dept. Q filmed? The show is filmed in Edinburgh, Scotland. Filming took place between February and June 2024.

How many episodes does Dept. Q Season 1 have? Season 1 of Dept. Q has nine episodes, each approximately one hour long.

Will there be a Season 2 of Dept. Q? Yes. Netflix renewed Dept. Q for a second season in August 2025.

What is the IMDb rating for Dept. Q? Dept. Q holds an IMDb rating of 8.1 out of 10, based on over 105,000 user ratings.

What is Dept. Q’s Rotten Tomatoes score? The show holds an 88% Tomatometer score from critics and a 90% Popcornmeter score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

Who created Dept. Q? Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani created the series. Scott Frank is also known for writing and directing The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix.

Who plays the therapist in Dept. Q? Kelly Macdonald plays Dr. Rachel Irving, Carl Morck’s therapist who handles his mandatory post-shooting therapy sessions.

Image Description

A moody, atmospheric photograph of the Dept. Q main cast in a dimly lit police basement setting, with Matthew Goode as Carl Morck standing at the center surrounded by his team of misfits, Edinburgh’s gray skyline visible through a small window behind them.

Author Bio

Jamie Carver is a TV and film writer with over eight years of experience covering streaming entertainment, crime dramas, and prestige television. He specializes in deep-dive cast guides and character analysis, with a particular love for British crime series. When he is not rewatching Nordic noir, he is probably arguing about whether Broadchurch or Happy Valley is the better show.

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Email: johanharwen314@gmail.com
Author Name: Johan Harwen