Netflix‘s new crime thriller from The Queen’s Gambit creator debuts with an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score, revealing just how worth watching it is. Crime thrillers have been a staple of Netflix for quite some time, the platform putting out many that have grown popular in recent years. This includes 2024’s mystery thriller Fool Me Once, which quickly became one of the Top 10 most-watched English language shows on the platform. More recently was the positively-reviewed drama Adolescence, whose popularity and important messages led to the series becoming a core part of UK education.

However, one recent crime thriller was co-created by Scott Frank, best known for the 2020 miniseries The Queen’s Gambit. A far cry from crime drama, the series is a coming-of-age period piece starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, a competitive chess player. The Queen’s Gambit ended up becoming a major release for Netflix, winning multiple Golden Globes and Emmys, while also becoming the platform’s biggest scripted series at the time. Frank’s work on the platform isn’t done, either, with a new series already becoming a critical success.

The Queen’s Gambit was co-created by Frank and Allan Scott.

Dept. Q Is Already Certified Fresh On Rotten Tomatoes

The Show Debuted To A Strong Critics Score

Frank’s latest miniseries, Dept. Q, has already proven itself a critical success, getting an impressive debut Rotten Tomatoes score. Co-created by Frank and Chandni Lakhani, the crime thriller follows detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) tacking a cold case, while also putting together a team of detectives to look at various cases that come their way. The cast of Dept. Q also includes Kelly MacDonald, Chloe Pirrie, Alexej Manvelov, Leah Byrne, Mark Bonnar, Jamie Sives, Shirley Henderson, and Kate Dickie in primary roles.

One crime thriller film trending on Netflix is quite similar to a critically acclaimed movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal from more than a decade ago.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the debut score for Dept. Q is already certified fresh, with the show earning 87% critics score based on 23 reviews. While this number could fluctuate depending on how many more reviews arrive, the initial impression for the Netflix crime thriller is overwhelmingly positive. Multiple reviews praise the series’ strong mystery, stellar cast, and deliberate pacing, as well as the complexities of the events that unfold. These positive reviews are accompanied by a 93% audience score, signaling it’s not just critics who find the show compelling.

What Dept. Q’s Early Rotten Tomatoes Score Says About The Show

Another Major Success For Netflix’s Crime Drama Catalog

Alexej Manvelov as Alexei Petrov in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

Given the show’s current critical score, it seems like Dept. Q is going to be another successful crime drama for Netflix. The show has only just debuted but is already certified fresh on the platform, signaling that, even if other reviews do come in, they’re likely to maintain the same level of praise as those that are already there. While there’s no telling what this means for the show’s success levels, positive reviews have often translated to high viewership. This miniseries could be yet another big ratings success for the platform in the genre.