You'll be happy not to have dodged this update if you're a fan of The Artful Dodger! The Australian series premiered in November 2023 to good reviews and found its audience. That's why I know many of you were so happy to know that the show got renewed. It took the streamer almost a year to announce the crime comedy-drama's fate, but the good news about a second season came in November 2024. And now, there's an exciting filming update!
Disney+ Australia took to Instagram to share the exciting news. Filming on The Artful Dodger season 2 has officially begun! The season is now in production in Callan Park in Sydney, Australia, which brings us closer and closer to seeing it on our screens once again. The Charles Dickens-inspired tale streams on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ globally. Not only did the streamer share this news, but we have a first-look image at the new season as well. Check it out below!
The image features main actor and character Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the artful dodger himself, Jack Dawkins, as well as father figure but troublesome fellow David Thewlis as Norbert Fagin. When we last saw the two together in the season 1 finale, Jack is jailed as the guards think he stole a big amount of missing gold, and Fagin ends up right next to him.
However, Fagin figures out it was Oliver Twist who was the real thief and is able to return the gold. And with the pardon letter in his possession, Fagin tells Jack that they're not going to be locked up for long. Is that really going to be the case? We'll find out in season 2!
The first season began filming in November 2022, and it took production five months to finish in April of that year. But for some reason, Disney/Hulu didn't debut the series until seven months after filming in November 2023. We don't know if the streamers will follow the same timeline here.
But if The Artful Dodger season 2 does take five months to film just like its predecessor, that means filming wraps in August 2025. It could be possible that we'd at least get the next chapter of the story in November or December this year if post-production doesn't take too long. Otherwise a 2026 might be looking a little more likely.
Other than Sanster and Thewlis, Maia Mitchell as Lady Belle Fox will also reprise her role in the 8-episode second season. According to a press release, the trio's journey promises "more cunning thievery, snappy humor, life-and-death surgeries, and romance with a twist."
Stay tuned to Show Snob as we bring you updates about The Artful Dodger season 2 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ globally.