James Corden is in — Netflix’s Dept. Q signs him for season 2
James Corden is ditching the gags for his first straight-faced TV role — and the drama that snagged him might surprise you.
If you thought James Corden was settling into comfy retirement after bowing out of late-night telly, you’d be mistaken. In typical Corden fashion, he’s back—only this time, he’s trading in carpool karaoke and sitcom clowns for a shot at something “serious”: crime drama on Netflix. It’s a proper swerve, especially considering his CV has mostly been loaded with comedy, musicals, and game show bits. Let’s break down what he’s been up to—and what’s next with Dept. Q.
Corden: Never Not Busy
Since wrapping up The Late Late Show on CBS in 2023, Corden hasn’t let much dust settle under his feet. He made a swift return to London’s stage circuit in The Constituent at The Old Vic in 2024—the kind of political drama that the West End types rave about. Not long after, fans saw him drop in for the much-hyped finale of Gavin & Stacey, which he co-created with Ruth Jones. Just when it seemed like he’d crossed off every stage and screen in the UK, he hopped the Atlantic to join Bobby Cannavale and Neil Patrick Harris in the Broadway revival of Art in September 2025.
Onto Dept. Q
Now, though, Corden’s charting entirely new ground. As of this autumn, he’s confirmed as a fresh face in the second series of Dept. Q—something of a breakout hit for Netflix after its May 2025 premiere. If you missed the hype, Dept. Q brings the moody, twisty vibes of the Danish “Nordic noir” novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen into an English-language setting (filmed and set up in picturesque, probably very damp, Scotland).
The series follows the decidedly glum DCI Carl Morck (played with typical restraint by Matthew Goode), who solves the kind of cases most police stick in the “absolutely hopeless” file. Corden will play Dr. Ben Smith, introduced as an “eccentric but brilliant forensic psychologist”—the closest thing Corden’s ever played to serious, save maybe the emotional bits on Comic Relief. His casting is a pretty dramatic genre pivot, but he won’t be alone among newbies: Amy Brenneman, Tony Curran, and Aisling Franciosi are also on board for season two, joining a mostly returning cast from last year’s success.
Executive producer Rob Bullock laid out the next season’s backbone: 'This season, Carl and his band of misfits tackle a terrible crime hidden in the highest echelons of Scottish society. It is a story for our times: rich and powerful people who believe they are above the law. Carl, of course, knows otherwise.'
Smash Hit Stats (and a Bit of Context)
Dept. Q didn’t just quietly drop onto Netflix; it properly landed. Series one snagged an 88% critic rating and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes—not too shabby at all. It also pulled in 27 million viewers and notched up 222.1 million hours watched, sticking in Netflix’s Global Top 10 for six weeks straight. If you’re wondering why they’re splashing out on starry cast additions and bigger stakes for season two, there’s your answer.
Dept. Q dominated Netflix’s Top 10 for six weeks and racked up 27 million viewers.
Production for season two kicked off in July 2026. Corden’s due to start filming the first week of September, with the wider shoot running until mid-December. This means you shouldn’t expect to actually watch any of it before the middle or end of 2027. Netflix will dribble out the rest—trailers, release dates, all the usual—once there’s something ready to show the punters.