Hulu's 2-Part Historical Drama With Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Is One Of Its Best Original Shows

One of the best Hulu originals is a two-season historical drama series with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. As action-packed and gritty period crime dramas become ever more popular in the streaming landscape, with titles such as Peaky Blinders, Netflix's House of Guinness, and Hulu's A Thousand Blows dominating the charts and online conversations, it can be difficult for new shows in the genre to find an audience. What they need is an unexpected hook, something that will help them stand out from the crowd.

That's exactly what Hulu's surprisingly gory, Australian-set, historical heist drama offers. While an action-adventure sequel series based on Charles Dickens' literary classic, Oliver Twist, sounds like a narrative impossibility, somehow, James McNamara, David Maher, and David Taylor's The Artful Dodger rises to the occasion with incredible finesse.

Led by Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Maze Runner) as thief-turned-surgeon Jack "Dodger" Dawkins and iconic character actor David Thewlis (Harry Potter, Fargo) as current criminal and surrogate father figure, Norbert Fagin, The Artful Dodger combines high-stakes heists, graphic surgical scenes, intriguing mysteries, and grand, star-crossed romance in a perfectly paced, two-season package. It fully deserves its 96% Rotten Tomatoes critics' score and the audience's 97% Popcornmeter score.

What makes The Artful Dodger so clever is that even potential viewers with no knowledge or connection to Dickens' work can wholeheartedly enjoy the show. Set 15 years after the events of Oliver Twist, The Artful Dodger treats Dickens' recurring themes like class inequality, police brutality, and capital punishment with genuine care without ever losing sight of its unique strengths.

Jack's surgical cases are fueled by adrenaline and the limitations of 19th-century penal colony medicine. His forbidden romance with the governor's daughter and surgeon-in-training, Lady Belle (Maia Mitchell), offers real tension and conflict. Fagin's heists — which not only involve Jack but also other great supporting characters — are clever and often hilarious. The Artful Dodger has something for everyone.

The show has yet to be renewed for season 3 after season 2's February 2026 release. There was a year-long gap between the season 1 premiere and the show's official season 2 renewal announcement, however, so there's certainly a reasonable chance it will return for additional episodes. The Artful Dodger absolutely has the potential to come back for a third season — and many, many more.

The Artful Dodger Has The Potential To Become One Of Hulu's Longest-Running Dramas

The Artful Dodger's premise could allow it to run on Hulu for a very long time. Jack and Belle are a formidable duo. As long as Jack occasionally remains on the wrong side of the law, and so long as Belle continues to shun society's expectations for a woman of her rank, the story could take them anywhere.

At the end of season 2, Jack contemplates braving the seas again as a Naval surgeon — what if they went on that journey together? Jack and Belle could travel the world, trying out daring, modern surgical treatment techniques, giving the show a chance to explore exciting new historical locations. The Artful Dodger could reinvent itself endlessly.

While Fagin's fate at the end of season 2 was up in the air, to say the least, there's still plenty the show could do with his character, too. Jack and Fagin are inextricably linked. Where Jack goes, Fagin will follow, creating more opportunities for the series to test their relationship and Fagin's corruptive influence.

One of the most intriguing parts of the second season was Fagin's manipulation of Belle's innocent sister, Lady Fanny (Lucy-Rose Leonard), as she turns to the dark side and fully embraces her new place there. It's those kinds of fun narrative and character surprises that make The Artful Dodger such a compelling show, one that could (and deserves to) continue for a long time.

The Artful Dodger's sophomore season earned a rare perfect 100% Tomatometer score. It also hit the top of Disney+ and Hulu's Top 10 TV streaming chart, both globally and in the United States. In an interview with The Upcoming around the time of season 2's release, Thewlis said the team was "quietly confident" about the show's chances for a renewal. Given The Artful Dodger's critical acclaim, its great premise, and incredible cast, Hulu and Disney+ should definitely consider giving the show another shot. Fingers crossed.

All episodes of The Artful Dodger are streaming now on Hulu and Disney+.