Emmys Twist: Dept. Q Enters Drama Series Race at 11th Hour, Potentially Upending 2025 Contest (Exclusive)
Did Netflix just throw a grenade into the Emmy race for the second year in a row?
TVLine has learned exclusively that Dept. Q, the Matthew Goode-fronted Scottish thriller that dropped May 29, just two days shy of the eligibility cutoff for this year's Emmys, is being submitted in the Drama Series categories. The acclaimed nine-episode mystery from Queen's Gambit auteur Scott Frank enters a crowded field that includes Severance, The Pitt, The White Lotus, The Last of Us and Netflix's own The Diplomat.
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If all of this sounds vaguely familiar it's because just one year ago Netflix similarly sent Emmy handicappers heads' spinning with the late-April release of Baby Reindeer. Richard Gadd's searing, semi-autobiographical dramedy — which appeared on the kudos scene a scant one month before the close of eligibility — went on to essentially sweep Limited Series categories at last September's Emmys.
It remains to be seen if a similar fate awaits Dept. Q, which earlier this week hit No. 2 on Netflix's consumer-facing Top 10 chart and boasts an impressive 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (its critical score stands at a strong 84%).
Dept. Q, based on the book series by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, centers on a cranky Edinburgh detective (played by Good Wife alum Goode) who sets out solve a cold case involving a missing prosecutor (played by Queen's Gambit alum Chloe Pirrie).
In addition to possibly playing spoiler in the Outstanding Drama Series contest, Dept. Q is poised to be a contender in the acting races as well. A Netflix rep confirms to TVLine that Goode and Pirrie will be competing in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Lead Actress in a Drama Series categories, respectively. The show's supporting cast — which includes Boardwalk Empire vet Kelly Macdonald and Game of Thrones' Kate Dickie — is equally as formidable.
Have you binged ? Do you think it deserves to be a serious Emmy contender? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
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You've got that beauty and that spontaneity and that reality of the theater, and then you have the naturalism and the truth that we have with film and television. So by the time I get to that final bit, we've been through all those emotions. When I open the door and go into [Jamie's] room, everything's shaken. But it's not you. It's an out-of-body experience and just comes from somewhere else. Bardem: Listen, we don't do brain surgery, but let's give ourselves some credit. We are generous in what we do because we are putting our bodies into an experience. We are doing this for something bigger than us, and that is the story that we're telling. What have been some of the more challenging or difficult moments for you, either in your career or your recent series? Zellweger: Trying not to do what you're feeling in the moment sometimes, because it's not appropriate to what you're telling. That happens in most shows, most things that you do. 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They're trying to storm the stage. I haven't quite finished the scene. When do I leave?' But you've got to get the scene. I could get shot, but that's not important. Henry: There's a certain level of sociopathy. Slate: I feel like I'm never on my mark, and it was always a very kind camera operator being like, 'Hey, Jenny, you weren't in the shot shoulder-wise.' I feel like such an idiot. Part of it is working through lifelong, longstanding feelings of 'I'm a fool and my foolishness is going to make people incredibly angry with me.' And then really still wanting to participate and having no real certainty that I'm going to be able to do anything but just make all of my fears real. Part of the thing that I love about performance is I just want to experience the version of myself that does not collapse into useless fragments when I face the thing that scares me the most. I do that, and then I feel the appetite for performance again. Do you see yourself in roles when you're watching other people's films or TV show? Graham: At the end of the day, we're all big fans of acting. That's why we do it. Because when we were young, we were inspired by people on the screen, or we were inspired by places where we could put ourselves and lose our imaginations. We have a lot of t— in this industry. But I think if we fight hard enough, we can come through. Do you know what I mean? It's people that are here for the right reasons. It's a collective. Acting is not a game of golf. It's a team. It's in front and it's behind the camera. I think it's important that we nourish that. Henry: And remember that none of us are t—. Bardem: What is a t—? I may be one of them and I don't know it. Graham: I'll explain it to you later.
