The original post: /r/television by /u/keepfighting90 on 2025-08-26 15:37:45+00:00.
Just finished Dept Q on Netflix and loved it. It’s been getting a lot of praise lately and I’d say it’s pretty well justified for the most part. It can seem a bit cliche on the surface, what with the main character being that classic “tortured, super-smart genius at the top of his chosen field who can’t get along with anyone” archetype and his normal colleagues and to some degree, the show can feel like House-but-detectives.
However, it elevates itself beyond those surface-level tropes on the strength of…well…everything else. The actual plot and the mystery is a fairly compelling one with some interesting twists I didn’t see coming. It looks great, and has a bleak, almost gothic atmosphere and the soundtrack is suitably eerie and menacing.
The acting and characters are definitely the strongest parts of the show. I’ve always considered Matthew Goode to be one of the most underrated actors out there - he’s excellent in everything I’ve seen him in and it’s no different here. He does enough to make the protagonist feel different than another House knock-off, and really imbues the character with a lot of depth and vulnerability.
And huge shout-out also to the guy who plays Akram, because he was easily my favourite character. I would honestly love a prequel series with him in Syria. He plays Akram with total restraint and composure but you can see the stone-cold badass just beneath the surface.
The secondary characters are all written and acted really well, too. One of the things that somewhat sets Dept Q from other missing-persons investigation story is that the victim in this case, Merritt Lingard, is actually kind of an awful person. Typically the victims are empathetic people these stories go out of their way to make you feel for, but that’s not really the case with Merritt. Just found it to be an interesting subversion.
Can’t wait for more seasons of this. Similar to The Pitt, it feels like an early 2000s network cable show in terms of style and vibes, but with modern prestige TV polish, budget and acting.