Get ready for an adventure in The Artful Dodger on Hulu: Everything we know

If you’re a fan of Charles Dickens’ novels, and especially Oliver Twist, then you’ll want to check out Australian series The Artful Dodger! What are all the details to know about the show?

The titular character, also known as Jack Dawkins, is a pickpocket known for being cunning in the 1838 book by the famous author. The novel and character had such an effect that today, you would call someone an Artful Dodger if they are good at deceiving people.

The project is co-created and executive produced by David Maher, David Taylor, and James McNamara, with the scripts having been written by McNamara, Andrew Knight, Vivienne Walshe, Dan Knight, and Miranda Tapsell. Here’s everything we know about the series ahead of its release!

How to watch

The Artful Dodger premiered Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023 on Hulu and is currently also streaming on Disney+. The series has a total of eight episodes on the streaming service, and the full season was released on premiere day. We provided the episode titles below:

• Episode 1, “The Yankee Dodge”
• Episode 2, “Blessings of St. Coccyx”
• Episode 3,  “Dead Men’s Secrets”
• Episode 4,  “The Stitch Up”
• Episode 5, "The Duel"
• Episode 6, "Bully in the Alley"
• Episode 7, "Wet Lettuce"
• Episode 8, "Untapped Potential"

Hulu costs costs $7.99/month with ads and $14.99/month without ads. Disney+ runs for $7.99/month with ads or $13.99/month without ads. There’s also multiple plan options to bundle the two if you want, which you can find on the Disney+ website. In the U.K., that would be £7.99/month with ads or £10.99/month without ads. We also have the synopses, provided by Hulu:

• Episode 1 – “With a huge gambling debt, coinciding with the return of Fagin, Dodger agrees to a final sting.”
• Episode 2 – “Trying to steal 500 sovereigns, Dodger and Fagin witness Darius in a compromising position.”
• Episode 3 – “With Gaines planning their demise, the pressure is on Dodger and Fagin to find the missing money.”
• Episode 4 – “Fagin serves up Gaines’ wife and Darius. Sneed attacks Dodger at the Governor’s dinner.”
• Episode 5 - "Fagin plots to swap a valuable barrel with a fake. Sneed and Dodger's rivalry culminates in a duel."
• Episode 6 - "Gaines plans to rid the colony of crime. Red is captured and must undergo emergency surgery."
• Episode 7 - "Fagin and Dodger attempt a risky heist in pursuit of gold. Belle reveals her secret to Jack."
• Episode 8 - "Jack attempts to save Belle but is betrayed and arrested by Gaines."

The show is an Australian Original series, and production began around November 2022 and went on for about four months until March 2023 in Sydney, Australia. The series is rated TV-14, which means parents are strongly cautioned and some material may not be suitable for those who are under the age of 14.

What is The Artful Dodger about?

The show of course is centered around the titular character, aka Jack Dawkins. The story is set in 1850s Australia in the “lively colony” of Port Victory. It serves as a sort of follow-up to the events in the Oliver Twist novel where we see the character living an “adult double life,” as a surgeon but still not being able to let go of his criminal background, per the synopsis. There’s heists, “life and death surgeries,” soirées, and more all wrapped into one. Buckle up and get ready for an adventure!

Dodger’s past also comes back to haunt him with Fagin back in the picture. In the novel, the pickpocket becomes the leader of a gang of child criminals, who are trained by Fagin. We’re also going to see the character of Lady Belle Fox, who is the daughter of the governor and wants to become the colony’s first female surgeon. She may also be a “threat” to Dodger’s heart. During the eight episodes, we see a story of “reinvention, betrayal, redemption, and love with a twist."

Cast: Who you can expect to see

Actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster takes on the lead role of Jack Dawkins, aka the Artful Dodger. He’s known for voicing Ferb in Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb, playing Jojen Reed in HBO‘s Game of Thrones, and Benny Watts in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit. Joining him onscreen is The Fosters and Good Trouble star Maia Mitchell as Lady Belle Fox. We shared the full cast list below:

• Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Jack Dawkins, aka the Artful Dodger
• Maia Mitchell as Lady Belle Fox
• David Thewlis as Norbert Fagin
• Damon Herriman as captain Lucien Gaines
• Tim Minchin as Harbour Master Darius Cracksworth
• Vivienne Awosoga as Hetty Baggett
• Susie Porter as Lady Jane Fox
• Kym Gyngell as Professor Alistair McGregor
• Damien Garvey as Governor Edmund Fox
• Jessica De Gouw as Peggy Gaines
• Andrea Demetriades as Marianne Cracksworth
• Luke Carroll as Tim Billiberliary
• Huw Higginson as as Father Cruikshaknks
• Lucy-Rose Leonard as Lady Fanny Fox
• Nicholas Burton as Dr. Rainsford Sneed
• Jude Hyland as Charlie Salt
• Finn Treacy as Young Dodger
• Albert Latailakepa as Aputi Savea

Check out the promotional images of the cast and their characters below!

The Artful Dodger is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.