# The Artful Dodger (2023)

> A former pickpocket turned surgeon in 1850s Sydney is pulled back toward the criminal underworld by an impossible love.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/125444

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 49 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: crime, drama, adventure
- Created by: David Maher, David Taylor, James McNamara
- Network: Disney+
- Cast: Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis, Maia Mitchell, Damon Herriman, Luke Bracey, Vivienne Awosoga, Albert Latailakepa, Aljin Abella
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20285780/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: playful, romantic, witty, tense

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively, with the first season stronger than the second.

## Synopsis

The Artful Dodger (2023-present) is an Australian period crime drama series created by David Maher, David Taylor and James McNamara for Disney+. Thomas Brodie-Sangster plays Jack Dawkins, a former pickpocket whose nimble fingers have become the skilled hands of a surgeon, while David Thewlis plays Norbert Fagin, the criminal mentor whose shadow still looms over him. Maia Mitchell plays Belle Fox, the woman whose presence makes Jack's divided loyalties impossible to ignore. Damon Herriman and Luke Bracey add pressure from the rival underworld, and Tim Minchin brings a sharp presence to the cast. The engine of the series is Jack's struggle to hold a respectable life together while the criminal world he secretly craves keeps pulling him back, with each episode built from schemes, close calls and quiet betrayals. Set in nineteenth century Sydney, it balances rough urban grit with wit and warmth. Its tone is playful and romantic, with a rogueish charm underneath its crime plotting. Fans of Peaky Blinders and Lupin will find resonance in its clever, stylish take on the thief with a hidden past. The show runs for two seasons with eight episodes each and remains an ongoing story.

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