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If you just finished watching Dept. Q and you’re still thinking about that basement office in Edinburgh then you’re probably not ready to move on yet. The show doesn’t grab you with action. Dept. Q pulls you in with the weight of everything left unsaid. Carl Morck isn’t trying to be liked. He’s trying to survive the fallout of a shooting that wrecked his life. His team doesn’t fit the usual mold either. They’re not polished. They’re not perfect. But they get the job done.
What makes Dept. Q stick is the quiet tension. The way each clue feels like it’s hiding something worse. The way grief hangs in the air. The cold cases aren’t just puzzles. They’re reminders of people no one fought for until now. That’s not easy to shake. And if that kind of story worked for you then you’re going to want more.
There are other shows that dig into those same corners. They focus on the past. They follow detectives who are just as damaged. And they know how to let a story breathe. If you want that same quiet pressure and that same sense of unfinished business like Dept. Q then these seven crime shows need to be next on your list.
If you loved Dept. Q, these 7 crime shows belong on your list
1. Broadchurch
A young boy’s body turns up on a beach in a quiet coastal town where everyone knows each other. Detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller take the case but quickly realize this isn’t going to be a typical investigation. The pressure from the media builds and the town begins to crack under the weight of suspicion and grief.
As the story moves forward secrets start surfacing that no one expected. Every neighbor becomes a suspect and every alibi has holes. Hardy and Miller struggle to trust each other but they keep pushing. Their personal lives get dragged into the mess.
The show’s strength is how it lets pain linger. Like Dept. Q it does not rush. It’s about trauma that doesn’t fade and justice that doesn’t always feel like a win. The emotional fallout stays with every character long after the killer is caught. That’s what makes it hit so hard.
2. The Bridge (Bron/Broen)
A dead body is found right in the middle of the bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden. Since the crime happened on the border both countries send detectives. Saga Norén arrives from Sweden and she works with Martin Rohde from Denmark.
Their styles don’t match. Saga works by the book. Martin relies on instinct. They don’t always get along but they need each other. The murder leads them into a much bigger case involving activists corruption and past crimes. It’s slow and careful but every detail matters.
Like Dept. Q this is about more than solving one murder. The show focuses on people who live in silence. The damage builds up over time and the cases bring that damage to the surface. Saga is not easy to understand but she keeps moving forward. That’s what makes her feel real. She never softens. She just keeps going.
3. Marcella
Marcella is a former detective who comes back to the force while trying to fix her broken life. She has blackouts she can’t explain. Sometimes she wakes up and can’t remember what she did. The latest murder case connects to one she worked on years ago.
She digs into the evidence but her personal problems follow her everywhere. Her husband has left her. Her children don’t trust her. The investigation keeps slipping out of her hands. She wants answers but she’s scared of what she might find about herself.
Marcella is not calm or controlled. She is unraveling and the show never hides that. Like Dept. Q this isn’t about clean victories. It’s about detectives who lose parts of themselves during every case. The killer is not the only threat. Sometimes the person breaking down is the one in charge. That tension drives the whole story forward.
4. Trapped (Ófærð)
A body washes up in a snowy Icelandic town just as a storm hits. Roads shut down. Planes stop flying. No one can leave. Andri Ólafsson leads the investigation with only a small team and no outside help. They’re stuck with the killer.
The murder ties back to events that happened years ago. The town’s past starts spilling out. Andri tries to focus but his home life is falling apart. His ex-wife is back. His daughters don’t understand him. The snow keeps falling and people are hiding things.
What makes Trapped work is how it lets the cold settle into everything. Like Dept. Q it’s not about flashy twists. It’s about isolation and slow discovery. Andri isn’t a hero. He’s exhausted and just trying to do what’s right. The show takes its time and every reveal hits because it’s earned. You feel the weight of every secret.
5. The Killing (Forbrydelsen)
A teenage girl is found murdered in Copenhagen. Sarah Lund is ready to leave the force but gets pulled back in. The case takes over her life. Every clue leads to more lies. The investigation drags on and no one seems clean.
Sarah wears the same sweater every day and rarely smiles. She’s not trying to make friends. She’s trying to finish the case. She digs too deep. Her family life suffers. Her superiors lose patience. She keeps going anyway. The killer always seems one step ahead.
Like Dept. Q the show moves slowly but with purpose. Each episode reveals something new and painful. The politics and the police keep getting in the way. The truth matters but the cost keeps rising. Sarah’s obsession feels real. She doesn’t just want to solve the case. She needs to. That need drives the show from start to finish.
6. Top of the Lake
Robin Griffin is a detective who returns to her hometown in New Zealand. A pregnant twelve-year-old girl goes missing. Robin takes the case but nothing adds up. The town is full of secrets and the locals don’t trust her.
Robin has trauma of her own and it starts creeping back. She’s not sure who to believe. The missing girl’s family is violent. A group of women living by the lake seem to know more than they say. The investigation becomes personal. Robin isn’t just chasing a suspect. She’s trying to understand herself.
The show is quiet and tense. It focuses on power abuse and pain that’s been buried for too long. Like Dept. Q it isn’t interested in heroes. It’s about broken people trying to survive while doing their jobs. Just like Dept. Q, Robin is strong but tired. She keeps digging even when everything around her tells her to stop.
7. Unforgotten
Detectives Cassie Stuart and Sunny Khan take on cold cases when old remains turn up. Every season focuses on a different murder. The bodies are hidden. The suspects have moved on. The truth stayed buried for decades.
Cassie and Sunny don’t rush. They ask questions and wait. They break down walls without shouting. Most of the people they investigate seem normal. But their pasts are not. The show spends time on victims’ families and how silence shaped their lives.
Like Dept. Q this is not about high-speed chases or shocking reveals. It’s about damage done slowly over years. Cassie carries every case like it’s her own. The weight gets heavier each time. The show respects the process. It shows that justice is slow and painful. It also shows that some detectives care too much to walk away. That’s what makes it stick long after it ends.
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