Fans of Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen and Scottish author Ian Rankin were heartened to hear that filming has begun for the new seasons of their respective crime shows. Edinburgh is the setting for both “Dept. Q” and “Rebus,” where filming for both series is currently underway. 

Let’s take a look at this unusual situation and see how these second seasons relate to the novels that inspired them, and the links between these two Northern European detective squads.

Despite his Danish roots and his novels’ Copenhagen settings, Adler-Olsen’s fictional “Dept. Q” detective squad found itself set in the basement of an Edinburgh police station for Season 1 in May 2025. Showrunner Scott Frank and executive director/Producer Rob Bullock made the decision to film in Edinburgh, and make lead detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) an Englishman whose detested ex-wife is Scottish. Frank felt that the irascible Morck’s dialogue and irritating methods translated well to a Scottish dynamic, and Edinburgh’s Gothic architecture contributed to the grittiness of the novel’s Danish roots.

Filming for Season 2 of “Dept. Q” has just begun in Edinburgh and is expected to continue until wrapping in December 2026. No release date has been given, but it is expected the series will return to screens in late 2027. The storyline will center on “a terrible crime hidden in the highest echelons of society, featuring the rich and powerful who feel above the law,” per Bullock.

Filming has also begun in Edinburgh for Season 2 of “Rebus,” which is also expected to air in 2027 on the BBC and consist of six episodes. The award-winning series debuted in 2024, featuring Richard Rankin as DI John Rebus, Edinburgh’s intense, unorthodox detective. Author Rankin has penned 25 Rebus books to date, although the film series does not center around any one particular narrative but incorporates characters from several of the novels. Interestingly, the character of Rebus’ brother Michael (Brian Ferguson) is once again featured, despite having been written out of the novels early on.

Edinburgh has always been Rebus’ milieu, though the show will also film in Glasgow for logistical reasons. Part of Edinburgh University was recently transformed into a police station, and filming has been taking place in various locations around the city. Similar to “Dept. Q,” the specific storyline for the second season of “Rebus” is not being revealed, other than it will “explore links between violent criminals and the professional world of law and finance,” per the show’s writer.

Other than those tidbits, fans of Adler-Olsen and Rankin will have to wait to see what unfolds with their favorite detectives. With 10 “Dept. Q” books in print and the aforementioned 25 Rebus novels, there’s plenty of time to catch up on their previous cases.

About the writer

Lori DuVall-Jackson is a Buffalo resident and graduate of Canisius University. Her passions include crime, music, and wildlife conservation. Her columns are published monthly in the My View section of the Buffalo News. Past work includes editorial credit for her contributions to “Charles Burchfield’s Journals-The Poetry of Place,” published by SUNY Press.