Hulu's Renewed 'Guy Ritchie Meets Charles Dickens' Crime Series Picked The Perfect Lead Actor

Hulu's fast-paced, action-packed, historical "Guy Ritchie meets Charles Dickens" heist drama cast the perfect actor to lead the show. Though renowned British director and producer Guy Ritchie hasn't made an official Charles Dickens adaptation yet — there's always time after he finishes experimenting with Sherlock Holmes on Prime Video — one of Hulu's best original dramas has captured the spirit and themes of Ritchie's work in an unlikely literary sequel series.

Ritchie and Dickens actually have a surprising amount in common. Both tell stories of the rich oppressing the poor and the lengths people will go to earn stability and wealth for their families and, of course, for themselves. Hulu's The Artful Dodger is no different. A sequel to Charles Dickens' Victorian-era classic, Oliver Twist, the show combines Ritchie-style fight choreography, witty and sharp dialogue, bloody surgery scenes, swoon-worthy romance, compelling characters, and fun, swindling mischief. It's one of the most surprising and original series of the streaming era, and thankfully, it's been renewed for a third and final season after a stellar return earlier this year.

At the heart of it all is Thomas Brodie-Sangster's Jack "Dodger" Dawkins, Oliver Twist's old London street pal. 15 years later, after building a semi-respectable new life for himself as a surgeon in Port Royal, Australia, Jack's future is called into question when he develops a socially unacceptable romantic connection with Lady Belle Fox (Maia Mitchell), the governor's daughter and an aspiring doctor herself. Things only get worse when Jack's surrogate "father" and notorious thief, Norbert Fagin (David Thewlis in top comedic form), tracks him down to Port Royal with lofty plans to steal from the town's rich and powerful.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster Was Made To Play The Artful Dodger

Since his breakout role as Liam Neeson's adorable stepson in Christmas classic Love, Actually, Thomas Brodie-Sangster has done everything in his power to showcase his range. Between joining HBO's smash-hit fantasy adaptation Game of Thrones, starring alongside Anya Taylor-Joy in Netflix's incredible The Queen's Gambit miniseries, leaving viewers emotionally bereft in The Maze Runner movie trilogy, and giving it his all in the second season of the stunning Tudor drama Wolf Hall, there's very little the actor can't do.

His earlier genre experiences with period dramas, romance, and action have all prepared him for the role of a lifetime in The Artful Dodger. The result is a performance that's as charismatic as it is passionate, as his character fights to hold on to the life he's built for himself and the future he could have with Belle. Brodie-Sangster effortlessly switches between Jack's different temperaments, a daring surgeon in one scene and an effective con-man in the next. He's got the makings of a true classic romantic hero, too — it's easy enough to picture him in the streaming industry's next inevitable Jane Austen adaptation.

His chemistry with his fellow co-stars, especially Maia Mitchell's Belle and David Thewlis' Fagin, is unmatched. Any avid romance fan will be happy to watch Jack and Belle declare their undying love for one another as they prep for another dangerous and bloody operation. His relationship with Fagin has a real sense of weight and history, as they grapple with their obvious (unnamed) affection for one another and their diverging desires for their lives. And, let's be honest, Brodie-Sangster has a face made for period dramas.

Artful Dodger Is A More Unique Take On Spinoffs For Classic Literary Figures

In this era of straightforward remakes — like Netflix's upcoming Pride and Prejudice series — reboots, and endless (often unnecessary) spinoffs, The Artful Dodger's approach to reinterpreting its source material is genuinely refreshing. This is a proper sequel series to Dickens' most famous story without treading on its toes, honoring the author's most important themes and story beats while creating something entirely new.

The show is a fun, surprisingly deep adventure for those with prior knowledge of Dickens' work and those wholly unfamiliar with his stories. Even Oliver Twist's brief but impactful role in season 1 is a fun nod to the source material without feeling overly indulgent or confusing. It's clear the writers put real thought into this show; it's not trying to coast by on name recognition alone. It works even without knowing what it's based on.

While some aspects of The Artful Dodger's creative choices, including its modern soundtrack and its emphasis on action and comedy, may not appeal to every classic lit fan, it treats Jack's background and character with the utmost respect, turning him from a gleeful pickpocket into a complex, layered character, one who loves what he does, whether that's thieving or surgery, and is, ultimately and unapologetically, the best at it.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, his co-stars, and the entire crew of The Artful Dodger deserve to celebrate the show's renewal. It is one of the best period dramas in recent memory, offering a compelling story of honor, duty, love, sacrifice, and, of course, good old-fashioned greed.

All episodes of The Artful Dodger are streaming now on Hulu and Disney+.