Will there be ‘The Artful Dodger’ season 2?
One of the most exciting series on Disney+ and Hulu is The Artful Dodger. Fans of the titular pickpocket/surgeon are probably curious about whether the action drama will return for a second season, and we have some good news.
The show, which functions as a sequel to Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, is set in 1850s Australia and centers around a famous surgeon and reformed criminal by the name of Jack Dawkins, played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Dawkins, who led a respectable career in the Navy as a doctor, eventually meets the ghosts of his past. His old friend Fagin (David Thewlis) gets into contact with him, steering him back into a life of crime, and Jack must once again assume the role of the infamous pickpocket known as “Dodger.”
The Artful Dodger is also a love story, though, and it’s a genuinely great one. Jack meets the Governor’s daughter, Lady Belle (Maia Mitchell), who wants to become a surgeon, a tall order when women were not allowed to immerse themselves in such unbecoming professions.
So, will there be The Artful Dodger season 2?
When season 1 ended, fans launched a petition on Change.org demanding a second season. “We believe that continuing The Artful Dodger will not only satisfy its existing fans but also attract new ones. Its potential for growth is immense given its initial success. We urge the producers and network executives to reconsider their decision and give this remarkable show another chance,” the petition read. It gained over 26,000 signatures, and though we don’t know whether that was the deciding factor (probably not), we do know that The Artful Dodger has officially been renewed for a second season. Huzzah!
It took Disney quite a while to make that all-important decision, however—an entire year, in fact. The renewal was announced in November 2024. Disney+ Australia has confirmed that the show’s second outing is now officially in production, so we hope to see The Artful Dodger season 2 on our screens in 2026.
It’s not the first time Dickens’s classics have been given a delightfully charming new spin, and The Artful Dodger is no different. One of the most shocking twists in the show is Oliver Twist’s appearance and reveal as the main villain. This is a brilliant subversion because everyone sees Oliver as a kindhearted, innocent little orphan kid. It keeps things fresh and the viewer on their feet.
Looking back on the show, it still holds up surprisingly well. It’s difficult for me to get into Dickens stories, as many of them can be unsurprisingly saccharine. The Artful Dodger is different, though, and a big part of this is because the series doesn’t follow many Dickensian traits. In an interview with RadioTimes, Brodie-Sangster talked about what makes the show break tradition.
“We were doing quite a different – it’s very, very different. It’s colorful, not really very Dickensian when you think about it. I wanted to focus on what was on the page, on the script, do them justice and not worry quite so much about the history because anyone that’s truly a Dickens fan and loves the books, it’s not that.
“It’s taken those characters and throwing them into a different setting, different pacing, different feel. The closest thing you’d get is probably some of Fagin’s dialogue [being] Dickensian.”
Given its unique approach to Dickens storytelling, I expect The Artful Dodger to be one of the more memorable Dickens adaptations as time goes on. And with a solid 92% average on Rotten Tomatoes, it shouldn’t be all that surprising that the series was renewed for season 2.
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