Will There Be a 'Black Doves' Season 2? What We Know

keira knightley wears an orange coat and stands on a snowy street in black doves

(Image credit: Ludovic Robert/Netflix)

published 9 December 2024

On December 5, Netflix celebrated the holiday season by releasing a show that deserves the 2024 version of the "Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?" debate. Starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, Black Doves is an excellent spy thriller set in London during Christmastime. The aforementioned Queen of Period Pieces plays a "Black Dove," an undercover agent whose shadowy organization sells government secrets to the highest bidder.

Since its release, the must-watch series has garnered widespread acclaim from viewers and critics, including a Golden Globe nomination for Knightley. Luckily for viewers who have already binged the six-episode season, Netflix has already revealed the series' fate. Read on for everything we know about Black Doves season 2 so far.

ben whishaw and keira knightley ride in a car together in black doves — Sam (Ben Whishaw) and Helen (Keira Knightley) amid their investigation in *Black Doves*.

Has 'Black Doves' been renewed for season 2?

Netflix has confirmed that Black Doves season 2 is on the way. During the Edinburgh TV Festival in August 2024, the streaming giant announced that the espionage thriller would return, over three months before the show's debut.

In an interview with Variety, creator Joe Barton revealed that he's already at work writing the first episode of season 2. Though the streamer has yet to release more details, fans can rest easy knowing more episodes are guaranteed.

keira knightley and Andrew Buchan as helen and wallace webb in black doves as they're dancing — Helen (Knightley) dancing with her husband (Andrew Buchan) who doesn't know her true identity.

Who in the cast will return for 'Black Doves' season 2?

Most of Black Doves's main roster makes it out of season 1 alive, so it's highly likely that the show's cast will return to reprise their roles. This includes Keira Knightley (Helen Webb), Ben Whishaw (Sam Young), Sarah Lancashire (Reed), Andrew Buchan (Wallace Webb), Kathryn Hunter (Lenny Lines), Ella Lily Hyland (Williams), Gabrielle Creevy (Eleanor), Omari Douglas (Michael), and Luther Ford (Hector).

keira knightley as helen webb walking away from a car in black doves — Sam (Whishaw) and Helen (Knightley) are expected to continue their espionage missions in season 2.

What will 'Black Doves' season 2 be about?

Spoilers for Black Doves season 1 ahead. By the end of Black Doves season 1, Helen's season-long quest to avenge her lover Jason's (Andrew Koji) murder has ended with her and Sam wiping out the Clark crime family. Sam is the one to pull the trigger, to save Helen from the emotional burden of killing Trent Clark (Angus Cooper). With his selfless act towards Helen, Sam sacrifices his chance to leave life as an assassin behind and live with Michael. Instead, the show teases that Sam forms an alliance with Hector to stay in London.

Meanwhile, after learning that Jason was really an MI5 agent who'd been investigating her, Helen makes big decisions regarding her future. Rather than leaving London, she reconciles with Reed and Wallace, who's on track towards becoming the prime minister.

Speaking to Tudum, creator Joe Barton confirmed that season 2 will follow Helen as Wallace's career success "increases the pressure and the danger on her as a spy."

He added, "Just seeing the tension of that, seeing Sam back in London…I would like to see more Eleanor and Williams, Kai-Ming, all those people. I’d like to start to throw them up against one another again, and maybe make things more dangerous and challenging for them."

He also told Variety that he's looking forward to showing more of Helen and Sam's backstories, including Helen, or Daisy's, childhood.

"We’re still early in the process...We filmed some flashbacks, which didn’t make the final cut, of young Helen and her stepdad and her sister Bonnie," he revealed. "I think that would be really interesting to find out more about. With the second series, I think it’s quite interesting to discover more about the characters, and Sarah’s character. We know quite a lot about Sam, but there’s always more. And just the opportunity to open the scope up a little bit, but that’s all kind of TBC at the moment."

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Quinci is a Culture Writer who covers all aspects of pop culture, including TV, movies, music, books, and theater. She contributes interviews with talent, as well as SEO content, features, and trend stories. She fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and eventually discovered her love for cultural criticism and amplifying awareness for underrepresented storytellers across the arts. She previously served as a weekend editor for Harper’s Bazaar, where she covered breaking news and live events for the brand’s website, and helped run the brand’s social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her freelance writing has also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The A.V. Club, Elle, Vulture, Salon, Teen Vogue, and others. Quinci earned her degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. She was a 2021 Eugene O’Neill Critics Institute fellow, and she is a member of the Television Critics Association. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her studying Korean while watching the latest K-drama, recommending her favorite shows and films to family and friends, or giving a concert performance while sitting in L.A. traffic.