Not every character in a cold-case procedural needs to work a case to matter, and Martin is exactly that kind of character.
If a brooding detective and a cold case are your genre, Mare of Easttown and the best crime dramas of the 2010s are worth the detour.
Who He Is
Martin Fleming, played by Sanjeev Kohli, is DCI Carl Mørck's lodger - he lives in the spare room of Mørck's home, functioning as a kind of ordinary counterweight to the intense, often grim world of Mørck's cold-case work in the basement of the police station.
What He Actually Does in the Show
Martin never handles evidence, never joins an investigation, and isn't connected to any of the season's central mysteries. Instead, his role is entirely domestic: making tea, checking in on Mørck's stepson, carrying groceries - the kind of small, repeated routines that give Mørck's home life some stability outside the relentless intensity of his job. He appears in eight of Season 1's nine episodes, making him one of the show's most consistent supporting presences despite having zero connection to the plot.
Why He's In the Show At All
Dept. Q, like a lot of Scandi-noir-influenced procedurals, spends a lot of time in bleak, high-stakes territory - cold cases, buried trauma, a detective who isn't exactly emotionally available. Martin functions as a release valve from that: he's proof that Mørck has *some* kind of normal life happening around him, even if Mørck himself barely seems to notice it. Without a character like Martin providing that contrast, the show's basement-office intensity would have nowhere to breathe.
Should You Expect More From Him in Season 2?
As of Season 1, Martin remains firmly a supporting, domestic character rather than someone being set up for a larger plot role. If Season 2 changes that, it would be a meaningful shift from how he's used so far - worth checking as new episodes confirm cast and character details.
Keep Watching
- 10 Binge-Worthy Shows Similar to Mare of Easttown - more slow-burn crime dramas.
- 25 Most Underrated Crime Dramas of the 2010s - if you like the tone.
- 24 Best TV Shows To Watch if You Like Hannibal - darker crime TV.