'The Artful Dodger' Making Appointments for Season 2

It's been almost a year since the Australian series The Artful Dodger, starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster in the titular role, arrived on Disney+ and Hulu at the tail end of November 2023. At that time, neither Hulu nor parent company Disney had said one way or another if the show would return. An undermarketed all-at-once drop on Hulu here in the States, the series didn't get much traction outside of the Tumblr community at first; however, over the year-long wait, the series' fandom has grown, as more viewers discovered the oddball medical drama spinoff of Oliver Twist. That growth was enough, as Disney+ finally confirmed there will be a second season.

The Artful Dodger is not the first spinoff sequel to Oliver Twist centered on the popular supporting characters of Jack "Artful Dodger" Dawkins and mentor-in-crime Fagin. The original Charles Dickens novel tells us both were arrested at the end of their adventures with Twist, with the suggestion that Dawkins would be shipped to the Australian penal colonies, as was the norm in that era, and Fagin executed. However, more than a few follow-ups imagine Fagin escaping the gallows and heading to Australia as well, where he and Dodger have further adventures.

However, The Artful Dodger goes one better. It assumes Dawkins, an intelligent and precocious young man, thrives in the Australian colonies once provided with an education and structure. Due to his deft hands, he rises through one of the best medical schools and class ranks to become one of the fledgling nation's foremost young surgeons before Fagin reconnects with him. The result is a blend of period medical drama, crime thriller, clash of class differences, and romance, as Dawkins falls in love with the upper-class Lady Belle, who finds his day job and his side hustle far more interesting than she should.

Here's the series' general synosis:

The series is set in 1850s Australia where Jack Dawkins, aka young rogue The Artful Dodger, is now all grown up and has transferred his skills as a pickpocket to the nimble fingers of a surgeon. His past returns to haunt him with the arrival of Fagin, luring him back into a world of crime, while the local governor’s daughter, who is determined to become the colony’s first female surgeon, appears to be a greater threat, at least to his heart.

Brodie-Sangster returns as Dr. Jack Dawkins, along with David Thewlis (Landscapers) as Fagin and Maia Mitchell (The Fosters) as the Governor's daughter, Lady Belle Fox. Co-stars expected to return for the second season include Miranda Tapsell (The Dry), Jessica De Gouw (Vienna Blood), Tim Minchin (Peter Rabbit 2),  Damien Garvey (Jack Irish), Susie Porter (No Escape), Kim Gyngell (Black Snow), Damon Herriman (The Tourist), and Robert McFarlane (North Shore). Additional cast will be announced in due course.

Series co-creator James McNamara will once again pen the episodes with Kate Mulvany, Dan Knight, and Miranda Tapsell. Directors Ben Young and Gracie Otto will split helming duties, and Jeffrey Walker will consult. McNamara created the series along with David Maher and David Taylor and executive produces with Jo Porter & Rachel Gardner for Curio.

Filming for The Artful Dodger Season 2 will commence in early 2025, and it is expected to be released by the end of 2025 or early 2026.