The Artful Dodger is an Australian historical heist drama television series created by James McNamara, David Maher, and David Taylor, and produced by Curio Pictures, Beach Road Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Disney+. It acts as a sequel to the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist (1838), and stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the eponymous Artful Dodger, David Thewlis as Norbert Fagin, and Maia Mitchell as Lady Belle Fox. The first series premiered on 29 November 2023 and in November 2024, it was renewed for a second series, which premiered on 10 February 2026.
In 1850s Australia, Jack Dawkins, a former Royal Navy surgeon, establishes himself as a respected young doctor. When an old acquaintance, Norbert Fagin, resurfaces, it forces Jack, once a London-based pickpocket known as the "Artful Dodger", back into a life of crime. Jack forms an attachment to the governor's daughter, Lady Belle Fox, who aspires to be a surgeon. As Jack's past intersects with the present and external forces jeopardise his goals, his life unravels, raising questions about whether he can genuinely reshape his life in the colony as he had envisioned.
The series was developed and created by James McNamara, David Maher and David Taylor, and was first announced in 2022. It is a co-production between Sony Pictures Television's Curio Pictures and Beach Road Pictures. Jo Porter executive produces for Curio Pictures, while David Maher and David Taylor executive produce for Beach Road Pictures with Ross Allsop as series producer. Writers for the first season include McNamara, Andrew Knight, Vivienne Walshe, and Dan Knight, while directors include Jeffrey Walker, Corrie Chen, and Gracie Otto.
On 20 November 2024, Disney+ renewed the series for a second series at their APAC (Asia Pacific) showcase event in Singapore. Co-creator James McNamara and Dan Knight returned to write for the second series, while new writers included Kate Mulvany and Miranda Tapsell. Gracie Otto returned to direct, while new directors included Ben Young and Ben C. Lucas. Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner returned to executive produce with McNamara joining them and Cameron Welsh as series producer. The season also featured outfits created by costume designer Marion Boyce.
In November 2022, the lead cast of Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis, and Maia Mitchell was announced. Brodie-Sangster and Mitchell read through real-life historical case files from the era and had medical experts to help them prepare for their roles. The rest of the cast consists of a majority of Australian actors, including Damon Herriman, Tim Minchin, Miranda Tapsell and Susie Porter.
In December 2025, Luke Bracey, Jeremy Sims, and Zac Burgess were confirmed to have joined the cast for the second series.
Filming for the first series took place between November 2022 and March 2023 in Sydney, New South Wales. The production had access to a former psychiatric hospital precinct in Sydney, preserved from the 19th century with the production surrounding the existing sandstone buildings with standing sets. Filming locations also included Elizabeth Farm in the Western Sydney suburbs, Rookwood Cemetery, Callan Park, and the northern headland of Botany Bay, Cape Banks. The first scene Mitchell and Brodie-Sangster shot together was a intimate scene from the last episode; before shooting that scene Mitchell felt she didn't have chemistry with Brodie-Sangster because they had very different personalities and feared that-that would translate onto the screen but, upon shooting, realized she was wrong.
Filming for the second series took place between February and May 2025 at Callan Park in Sydney.
The first series premiered in Australia on 29 November 2023 on Disney+, via its Star hub. Internationally, it also premiered on Star+ in Latin America and on Hulu in the United States. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the first series premiered on 17 January 2024 on Disney+.
The second series premiered on 10 February 2026.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 92% based on reviews from 25 critics. The website's critics consensus reads, "Given roguish gravitas by the well-cast Thomas Brodie-Sangster and David Thewlis, The Artful Dodger picks Dickens' pocket and makes the most of his iconic creation".
Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian gave the series four stars out of five, described it as "darkly comedic", and praised the editing for helping the series maintain a "wild energy". Maggie Lovitt of Collider praised the "stellar cast, sumptuous costumes, plucky score, and surprising story, the series is easily one of the bestâÂÂand most refreshingâÂÂto debut on the streamer this year". Dan Einav of The Financial Times praised the performances, saying "Thewlis steals every scene" and "Brodie-Sangster is well-cast as a young man caught between his innate impish spirit and efforts to be a responsible professional".