The Artful Dodger will return for one final adventure, with Disney+ and Hulu renewing the Australian drama for a third and final season. Thomas Brodie-Sangster will reprise his role as pickpocket-turned-surgeon Jack Dawkins, with David Thewlis returning as Fagin and Maia Mitchell back as Lady Belle Fox.
Filming is expected to begin in Sydney in the coming months. A release date and episode count have not yet been announced, but the final season will bring Jack, Belle and Fagin’s story to a close following the major cliffhangers in season two. Set in 1850s Australia, 15 years after the events of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, the series follows the adult Artful Dodger as he attempts to balance his respectable career as a surgeon with the criminal instincts of his past. Disney has described The Artful Dodger as its most-viewed Australian original title to date, with the series finding audiences internationally through Disney+ and Hulu.
“The renewal is a testament to the quality of this show, and everyone involved in making it,” said Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Disney Australia and New Zealand’s senior vice president and managing director.
Curio Pictures executive producer Jo Porter added: “We love that audiences have embraced the show’s unique blend of adventure, humour and romance, and we are planning for this season to be even more ambitious, surprising and unpredictable.”
Warning: The following section contains spoilers for The Artful Dodger Season 2.
The second season ended with Jack avoiding the noose before almost returning to the navy, only to abandon the journey and reunite with Belle. Maia Mitchell previously said she would like to explore what the couple attempting to live together might look like, giving the final season plenty of opportunities to test whether their relationship can survive everyday life as well as murder investigations and dangerous heists.
Fagin’s future is considerably less comfortable. After asking Jack to inject him with poison to escape punishment, he wakes inside his coffin without Jack knowing he survived. David Thewlis described the dark ending as unexpected, especially because Jack fled without checking whether his former mentor was alive.
Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner return as executive producers and producers for Sony Pictures Television’s Curio Pictures, with Chris Martin-Jones serving as series producer. Ben Young and Ben C. Lucas return as directors, with Andrew Knight leading the scripts as executive producer and Dan Knight working as script producer. The series was co-created by James McNamara, David Maher and David Taylor.
For CultureCues, it is bittersweet knowing the next season will be the last, but confirming the ending in advance gives the creators the chance to complete Jack, Belle and Fagin’s stories properly. Season 2 left all three characters with major unfinished business, and the promise of an even more ambitious final chapter has us excited to return to Port Victory. Please, sir, we wanted some more, and one last season should give this wonderfully unpredictable series the farewell it deserves.
Seasons 1 and 2 of The Artful Dodger are streaming now on Disney+ globally and Hulu in the US.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.