Picture: Netflix
It’s now coming up on two weeks since Dept. Q, the new British crime series created by the same team behind The Queen’s Gambit and Godless, has debuted on our screens. But how well is the show performing, and will it get a second season? Here’s our look at the numbers for the show and whether we think it’s currently likely to come back or quietly face the axe.
In case you missed it, Dept. Q (also referred to as Department Q, according to Google Trends, the former is the term most people use) is the new Netflix UK series starring Matthew Goode. It’s based on a popular book series by Jussi Adler-Olsen that was previously adapted into a successful Danish film franchise, but now given a distinct British (Scottish) voice.
How well is Dept. Q: Performing on Netflix so far?
When it comes to Netflix renewals, performance in the top 10s and its viewership, as indicated by the weekly top 10 drops from Netflix itself, is the biggest key indicator of whether a show gets renewed or canceled.
Its launch was rather lukewarm in its first week, with just 6 million CVEs in its first four days, placing it on the lower end of Netflix’s recent UK series debuts. We were hopeful that strong reviews and positive word-of-mouth would help it gain momentum in the coming weeks, and that appears to have happened. In week 2, the series increased by 49% in viewing hours, reaching 73.40 million, equivalent to 8.9 million views.
| Week in Top 10 | Week Period | Hours Viewed | Views / CVE | Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 25th, 2025 to June 1st, 2025 | 49,300,000 (New) | 6,000,000 | 3 |
| 2 | June 1st, 2025 to June 8th, 2025 | 73,400,000 (+49%) | 8,900,000 | 2 |
Let’s stack up its two-week performance against other Netflix Originals from the UK, noting that a few like The Gentlemen, Supacell, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and Geek Girl all secured renewals, while Bodkin and KAOS did not.
Based on that chart, we’re leaning 50/50 on its renewal as of week 2. Still, it is showing strong momentum (Baby Reindeer similarly started weakly), suggesting that if that momentum holds in weeks 3, 4, and perhaps even beyond, a renewal could be on the cards.
The show is also performing around the globe, having featured in 72 countries in its first week in the top 10. Perhaps more importantly, the show is a blockbuster hit in the UK, garnering numerous glowing reviews in addition to having just been toppled from the number 1 position in the daily top 10s by Ginny & Georgia season 3.
Picture: Netflix
What to expect from Department Q Season 2 if renewed
Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
As we discussed when we covered the ending alongside our (pretty positive) review, season 2 of Department Q is an absolute must. While one of the cold cases presented throughout the first season was resolved, another still lingers, and one that pertains to Morck himself.
Season 2 of Department Q looks set to leave the horrors of Merritt Lingard’s kidnapping behind and dive headfirst into murkier waters. With the Jennings family’s twisted revenge plot now fully unravelled, Merritt rescued, Lyle shot, and Elsa’s fate sealed with a final ferry ride, the cold case squad closes the file on its first big win. But one mystery remains wide open: the Leith Park shooting, the incident that kicked off the entire investigation.
What starts as a bungled police check spirals into something far more calculated, a trap that leaves detectives injured and one officer dead (plus the informant). Carl believes it was never a random encounter, but a coordinated hit involving a gangster named Eugene Errington, a compromised witness, and a getaway driver with links to both. With Moira now enlisting Hardy to dig into the case off the books, and Carl’s own connection to it starting to look suspicious, Season 2 is shaping up to be less about justice for the dead and more about who in the living world can still be trusted.
There’s plenty of source material to be woven into a second season alongside tracking the main cold case. Some of the books most likely to be adapted could include:
- The Absent One (Fasandræberne) – Follows an old double murder tied to wealthy schoolboys turned powerful men
- The Purity of Vengeance – Covers state-run abuse programs and institutional cruelty which fits in with season 1s themes of care home exploitation and buried trauma
- The Marco Effect – A runaway boy uncovers financial crimes and human trafficking
Picture: Netflix
That’s it from us for the moment. We’ll keep this updated over time with the latest developments and any new information we hear about Dept. Q, but now it’s over to you. Do you want to see the Department Q return for a second season? Let us know in the comments down below.
