Hulu and Disney+’s hit Charles Dickens-inspired historical crime drama The Artful Dodger has returned for season 2 with a stellar debut Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score.
It’s been a while since Oliver Twist‘s classic characters were first reimagined for the small screen, as The Artful Dodger season 1 was originally released in November 2023. Though the show’s first outing was well-received by critics and fans alike, it took a year for The Artful Dodger to receive an official renewal, and well over another year for viewers to return to the Australian penal colony of Port Royal.
Happily, though, the show’s debut Tomatometer score suggests that the second season is well worth the wait. The Artful Dodger season 2 premiered in full on Hulu and Disney+ worldwide on February 10. At the time of writing, The Artful Dodger season 2 has a rare Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 100% based on 5 reviews, even higher than season 1’s Certified Fresh — and also undoubtedly impressive — Tomatometer score of 92%.
Of course, The Artful Dodger season 2’s RT score is still subject to change, as additional reviews might alter the outcome. Still, The Artful Dodger‘s reviewers (so far) agree that the show’s second season combines adventure, romance, suspense, drama, and comedy with aplomb. Collider calls it one of “the decade’s best historical series,” while CBR hails it as “effortlessly unpredictable” and “never less than thought-provoking.”
The Artful Dodger season 2 picks up six months after season 1, as Dr. Jack Dawkins, aka Dodger (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), heads for the noose after being wrongfully accused of killing Port Royal’s former police captain. Of course, his not-so-trustworthy surrogate father, Fagin (David Thewlis), is there to help him escape, only for Jack to discover that Fagin’s been driving a wedge between him and the governor’s daughter, Lady Belle (Maia Mitchell).
Though Jack manages to strike a deal to keep him away from the noose and working in the hospital, his love for Belle will prove to be dangerous, especially now that there’s a new “sheriff” in town. Luke Bracey has joined The Artful Dodger‘s cast as Inspector Henry Boxer, who seems to have a more… moderate sense of justice than his predecessor but is no less wary of Dodger’s and Fagin’s partnership.
Additional new cast members include Jeremy Sims as the governor’s rich duke of a brother, Dickie, and Zac Burgess as Dickie’s right-hand man, Phineas Golden, who might just catch the eye of Belle’s sister, Lady Fanny (Lucy-Rose Leonard).
Returning alongside Brodie-Sangster, Thewlis, Mitchell, and Leonard are Susie Porter as Lady Jane Fox, Damien Garvey as Governor Fox, Tim Minchin as Darius Cracksworth, Nicholas Burton as Dr. Sneed, and Kim Gyngell as the newly sober but no more useful Prof. They’re joined by fellow season 1 cast members Luke Carroll as Tim, Vivienne Awosoga as Hetty, Aljin Abella as “Flashbang,” Brigid Zengeni as “Rotty,” and Albert Latailakepa as Aputi.
It’s the toffs versus everyone else in Port Royal, with Dodger and Belle caught in the middle. With a rogue killer on the loose, new heists to plan, and more lives on the line, anything can happen in The Artful Dodger season 2.
All episodes of The Artful Dodger season 2 are streaming now on Hulu and Disney+.
- Release Date
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November 29, 2023
- Network
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Disney+
- Directors
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Jeffrey Walker, Corrie Chen, Gracie Otto
- Writers
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Andrew Knight, Dan Knight, James McNamara, Vivienne Walshe
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Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Dr Jack Dawkins