Sure, it's not a spy thriller and is instead set within the Edinburgh police, but it has plenty of overlaps, with an irascible but brilliant lead heading up a team of rejects and oddballs in order to bring about justice.
That is to say, the comparisons with Slow Horses are not at all a problem. In fact, the biggest problem with Dept Q is that it didn't learn from that show's format and is, quite blatantly, far too long.
At the start of the series, we see him walk right into an ambush, one which sees his partner get injured and a young officer being killed. Morck is spared, something he struggles to understand, while also grappling with the guilt at the carnage his own sloppiness and headstrong demeanour wrought.
Soon joining Morck are Alexej Manvelov's Akram, a Syrian refugee who has previous police experience and a mysterious past, but who is unqualified to operate in Edinburgh's system, and Leah Byrne's Rose, a young, ambitious officer who has been desk-bound ever since she had a public breakdown.
One wonders whether many other actors would have been allowed to push the envelope as far as he does. With Goode in the role, it was likely easier to trust that his innate charm would shine through, and that battling your way through his hard exterior over nine hours to reach his heart and his warmth would be a pleasure, rather than a chore.
The rest of the cast is a joy too. Chloe Pirrie is probably the stand-out alongside Goode, but Kelly Macdonald, Kate Dickie, Mark Bonnar, Shirley Henderson and Jamie Sives are all as impressive as you'd expect - this is a seriously strong ensemble, and it helps to bolster every single scene.
Dickie also plays the firm but fair detective chief superintendent, who is exasperated by Morck but can't deny he gets results. She does her best to make the character empathetic and engaging, but she's not given anything novel to do.
The decision to relocate the action of the novels from Copenhagen to Edinburgh will no doubt rankle some purists, but from the perspective of a newcomer arriving at the material, it really works.
This also offers up plenty of opportunity for humour. No matter how dark the series gets, and it does go to some quite challenging, gritty places, it still manages to retain a sense of humour throughout, one which doesn't feel forced, but feels baked into the characters.
The police department and one other spoiler-ific key location are particularly distinct and impressively rendered, meaning it never feels like what you're watching could be a scene in any other detective drama. There's a specificity of style here which helps the show stand out from the crowd.
All in all, there's a lot to like, and a lot of promise for future seasons. The problem - and it really is a problem - is the pacing.
In Dept Q, the action takes place over nine episodes - nine hours of television to follow the team as they investigate one case. It's far too much, and leaves the middle of the season feeling particularly sluggish.
It's an issue which can easily be fixed, should Netflix be planning to commission a season 2. Whether it will be fixed is another question, as shows do have a habit of falling into a routine format, structure and pattern.
But for now, we have to work with what we've got, and at this point in time Dept Q feels like a work in progress - not unlike its protagonist, it's a mess with real promise beneath it all, a diamond waiting to be cut and polished.
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