‘The Artful Dodger’ season 2 release window, cast, plot, and more

Some of Disney+ and Hulu’s greatest shows are hidden gems, and The Artful Dodger is, without a doubt, one of the best. Thankfully, the powers that be made the right decision to renew this fantastically fun, gruesome, tense, and romantic Australian historical drama for a second season.

The Artful Dodger functions as a sequel to Charles Dickens’s classic novel, Oliver Twist, following Jack ‘Artful Dodger’ Dawkins’ exploits as a surgeon in Australia years after being sentenced to life in the penal colony for his petty crimes. Having shed his criminal history and proven his worth during the Crimean War, Dawkins is well-respected in town (well, sort of), until a young woman who wants to become a surgeon herself—the Governor’s daughter, no less—turns his world upside down just as Dodger’s old “pal,” Fagin, arrives in Australia with a scheme up his sleeve. If you’re a fan of historical dramas, swoon-worthy period romance, a bit of surgical body horror, adventure, and hilarity, this is the show for you.

Here’s everything we know about The Artful Dodger season 2.

The Artful Dodger season 2 release window

There’s no confirmed release date for The Artful Dodger season 2 yet, but Disney+ Australia recently revealed on Instagram that the show’s sophomore season is officially in production. It took roughly a year for the show to be renewed for a second season (season 1 premiered in November 2023, and the announcement was made in November 2024), so while the show is now in production on location in Australia, we’ll probably have to wait until early to mid-2026 to watch the new season. The first, which consists of eight episodes, reportedly took roughly 5 months to film.

The Artful Dodger season 2 cast

Our beloved leading trio—Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Jack Dawkins, David Thewlis as Fagin, and Maia Mitchell as Lady Belle Fox—are all set to reprise their roles. Though there’s been no word on which other cast members from season 1 will return (will Oliver Twist himself make another appearance?) we know that three new cast members are joining the upcoming season. Luke Bracey will portray Inspector Henry Boxer, Jeremy Sims will play the Governor’s dastardly brother, Uncle Dickie, and Zac Burgess will play Phineas Golden, Uncle Dickie’s aide.

The Artful Dodger season 2 plot

So, while Disney has remained tight-lipped about the plot, aside from teasing that season 2 will pick up where the “heart’s desires of Dodger, Fagin and Lady Belle left off, promising more cunning thievery, snappy humor, life-and-death surgeries, and romance with a twist,” a lot happened in the season 1 finale that will need to be addressed in season 2.

After narrowly saving Belle’s life from an aortic aneurysm, Jack is arrested by the captain of the Guard, Gaines, for stealing a massive supply of gold. Turns out, Oliver Twist was the actual thief, and Fagin betrayed Jack to receive a pardon from Gaines. Though Fagin’s reappearance in Jack’s life undoubtedly caused great and unnecessary turmoil, Fagin’s affection for Jack eventually wins out, and once he has the pardon in hand, Fagin shoots Gaines, steals the gold back from Twist, and winds up in jail with Jack. Luckily for them, though, they probably won’t be there for long, as Fagin still possesses the pardon letter. Why shouldn’t he hire Jack as his prisoner/valet, just as Jack did for him?

So, what could season 2 be about? Jack will undoubtedly have to deal with the fallout of his romance and physical relationship with Belle being revealed, despite having saved her life. He’ll also have to adjust to “serving” Fagin, though hopefully, he’ll be able to get back to surgery soon, even though I have a feeling Fagin will have another criminal scheme up his sleeve soon enough. Will Jack be able to resist? Probably not. He loves surgery, but he also loves the thrill of the crime.

I can’t wait to see what happens in The Artful Dodger season 2.