My friends recommended this Hulu show to me on Friday and I binged it on Sunday. I don’t have much self-control over things like this, but it was only eight episodes and completely worth it.
The Artful Dodger is an Oliver Twist spin-off that takes place 15 years after the original story. It’s set in 1850s Australia where Jack Dawkins (aka “The Artful Dodger”) is now a brilliant young surgeon but his past comes knocking when he has debts to pay and his old thieving mentor, Fagin, shows up to drag him back into trouble.
I did have to brush up on my Oliver Twist again before I watched the show — I’ve seen the 1968 musical movie before as a kid but I remember being terrified by part of it so only the general plot remained in my memory. I didn’t even remember who “The Artful Dodger” was, but some YouTube clips and a Wikipedia refresher had me ready to dive in the Hulu show without having to watch a 2+ hour musical.
I loved the show! As you could have guessed from the semi-accidental binge-watch. I thought it was clever and interesting and romantic and funny and an overall romp. The romance had great chemistry and I rooted for Jack the whole way through — I like characters I can root for!
Also, David Thewlis plays Fagin and The Artful Dodger is played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who you might recognize as the little boy from Love, Actually (or the Maze Runner). Maia Mitchell is the female lead who you’ll recognize if you watched The Fosters (I did not).
Here’s the trailer:
If anyone has more shows in this vein — adventurous, romantic, funny — please send them my way.
With Love,
Natalie