Hulu's 16-episode crime drama, a fun, unexpected mix of Charles Dickens' storytelling and Guy Ritchie's signature style, is a masterclass in mixing genres, and more episodes are on the way. Sometimes, the best shows are the ones that, on paper, shouldn't work; those that somehow juggle extensive ensembles, shifting tones, and multiple narrative threads while fighting the constraints of their primary genre. As long as the show stays true to its original premise and develops its characters organically without forcing any storylines, however, the result can be undeniably rewarding.
Few shows mix genres better than Hulu's wholly original Charles Dickens "legacy sequel," The Artful Dodger, which follows Thomas Brodie-Sangster's Jack "Dodger" Dawkins 15 years after the events of Oliver Twist. A pickpocket-turned-trained surgeon working in a small coastal penal colony in Australia, Jack's thieving past comes back to haunt him when his mentor/father figure, Fagin (played fantastically by David Thewlis), arrives in Port Victory and immediately lures Jack into another one of his dastardly schemes: a dangerous plan to steal gold from the British Crown.
Crucially, everyone can watch The Artful...