Critics Crown Hulu’s Period Heist Phenomenon: Season 2 Lands a Perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

The Artful Dodger is back on Hulu and, somehow, even more sure of itself. Season 2 opened to a wave of positive reviews and a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score out of the gate. Early days, sure, but it is a strong first impression for a show that juggles capers, scalpels, and smolder with alarming ease.

What the new season is up to

We pick back up with Jack Dawkins in 1850s Australia, where life keeps throwing him crimes to solve (or commit), hearts to complicate, and medical disasters to improvise through. Familiar messes resurface, new headaches crash the party, and the tone leans a touch grittier while still chasing the romance and the adrenaline.

The temperature check

Rotten Tomatoes has the new season at 100% on the Tomatometer from seven published reviews. No audience score yet, with fewer than 50 ratings logged. Translation: critics are in, viewers are still filing in.

'Season 2 is grittier, messier, and more thought-provoking, all while delivering the most deliciously intoxicating romance.'

- Gissane Sophia, Lady Geeks Media

'Huzzah for the pace and the balls. But boohoo for those who, having hoped for more than merely a louder re-tread of the first series, may now find themselves, as Fagin grumbles at one point, a bit bleedin' put out.'

- Sarah Dempster, The Guardian

'Reined in by a story that cartwheels through convention but makes sure to never outpace its audience, The Artful Dodger Season 2 is never less than thought-provoking as it aims to entertain.'

- Martin Carr, CBR (9/10)

• Gissane Sophia (Lady Geeks Media) praises the sharper edge and the romance, calling the season more thought-provoking than the first.
• Peter Gray (The AU Review) lands at 4/5, saying the show deftly balances romance, suspense, comedy, and drama while widening the world and deepening character arcs.
• Sarah Dempster (The Guardian) goes 3/5: high marks for energy and swagger, less enthusiasm if you wanted a big reinvention rather than a louder encore.
• Martin Carr (CBR) scores it 9/10, impressed by how the season plays with convention without losing the audience.
• Maggie Lovitt (Collider) also gives it 9/10 and puts a flag in the ground: this is one of the decade's standout historical series.
• Sarah Ward (ScreenHub) likes how cleanly Season 2 picks up from Season 1 and keeps that momentum humming.
• Shelby Elpers (Fangirlish) notes the show uses familiar threads to peel back new layers of its cast and of Port Victory itself.

Release details

The Artful Dodger Season 2 premiered February 10, 2026 on Hulu. It runs eight episodes. If you were waiting to binge, you can go full tilt right now.