Hulu’s 97% RT Crime Series Is Unexpectedly Surging Worldwide Now That Season 2 Is Here

When the first season of the Hulu series The Artful Dodger premiered in November 2023, it quickly won over audiences. After all, with an inventive twist on Charles Dickens’ Victorian masterpiece Oliver Twist, and a few familiar faces like Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Maia Mitchell, the series became a quick fan favorite. The historical drama, which went on to earn an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes for Season 1, then went on to take its time with Season 2.

The sophomore series of The Artful Dodger took its time, and released over two years later on February 10, 2026. Luckily, it seems the wait is paying off. With higher stakes, more intricate plots, and an undeniable love triangle, the series is continuing to establish itself as a must-watch, even reaching #3 in the worldwide Hulu streaming charts, according to FlixPatrol.

What Is 'The Artful Dodger' About?

Going off of Dickens' classic Oliver Twist, The Artful Dodger follows the eponymous Jack Dawkins (Brodie-Sangster), aka "Dodger," in the 1850s in the British Colony of Australia. The series starts off after he's successfully turned his life around and put his pickpocketing days behind him and becomes a renowned surgeon. That's when the captivating Fagin (David Thewlis) comes knocking and tempts Jack back into criminal life.

With each episode of the series, the stakes continue to grow more dire for Jack. What starts as an impossible situation connected to gambling debts becomes a tangled web of thievery, deception, and a little light blackmail. And caught in their web is the governor’s daughter Lady Belle Fox (Mitchell), who spends her days reading up on the latest medical advancements and dreaming of becoming a surgeon. Of course, the chemistry between them becomes another major selling point of the show, one that has fans on edge throughout the first season.

Season 2 of 'The Artful Dodger' Is Upping the Stakes

Despite an over-two-year break between seasons, Season 2 of The Artful Dodger takes off a mere six months after the cliffhanger finale of Season 1. In the new batch of episodes, which have already claimed a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the tensions surrounding Jack, Fagin and Belle are higher than ever. Those are partly explained by the series' new and interesting characters, like Inspector Henry Boxer (Luke Bracey), who quickly becomes enamored with Belle while going after Jack for his crimes, and David Copperfield’s treacherous Uriah Heep (Benedict Hardie), who arrives in Port Victory with plenty of ill intent.

In addition to new characters, Season 2 of the series dives deeper into its pre-existing characters, like Belle's sister Fanny (​​Lucy-Rose Leonard). After being underutilized and one-dimensional in Season 1, the sophomore sees Fanny finding herself as a criminal, and getting a new edge because of it. The same goes for Belle's mother, Lady Jane (Susie Porter), who viewers get to know more, especially when it comes to her disapproval of Belle's romance with Jack. According to Collider's very own review by Maggie Lovitt, Season 2 of the series has reached a soft spot, managing to "balance a robust ensemble while never straying too far off course and work to build up each character with their own unique journey." In doing so, The Artful Dodger has become "one of the decade's best historical series."

With that said, while historical dramas are everywhere on TV, The Artful Dodger is setting itself apart. With sharp, action-packed storylines and some nail-biting chemistry, the series has become one of Hulu's sleeper hits, and Season 2 has only continued to cement its place. Now at #3 worldwide, the series has everything to become Hulu's next big hit.