BLACK DOVES Season Two Is Happening! Here’s What We Know

February 11, 2025

Introduction

If you’re in the business of writing, producing, and running streaming spy shows, then you picked a good time because business is booming. The Agency (Paramount Plus with Showtime). The Day of the Jackal (Peacock). Slow Horses (Apple TV Plus), and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video) have all contributed to this new Golden Age of spy thrillers. Perhaps the best of the lot (and the most fun) is Black Doves (Netflix) starring the fantastic Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw.

Black Doves was a big success for Netflix in 2024. The series earned an almost perfect score of 94% from critics and a robust 64% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. It also spent a week at #1 on Netflix’s Top 10 list. The result was a well-deserved order for a second season. The big question is when and who will be returning.

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of Christmastime London, Black Doves follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy. For almost a decade, Helen has been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the spy organization she works for: the Black Doves. When her lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her handler, Reed (Sarah Lancashire), summons Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to protect her.

Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) is a charming (and hilarious) hard-drinking assassin. However, he’s been out of the ‘business’ for some time. This is owed to a failed job resulting in disastrous repercussions. Sam has returned to London, which has moved on without him. Soon, his past threatens to catch up with him when he is tasked to protect Helen as she investigates who killed Jason, and why. The pair uncover a vast and interconnected conspiracy that links the London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.

Season Two

Premiering on Netflix in December 2024, the six-episode streamer was created by Joe Barton (Giri/Haji). The early positive word-of-mouth led to a second season being ordered even before season one dropped. While some of the side plots (and characters) can be a bit grating, Netflix knew Black Doves was a home run. It’s the perfect balance of action and humor. Essentially, it’s James Bond meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The chemistry between Knightly and Wishaw is also fantastic.

During an interview with Collider in late January 2025 which can be read here, Wishaw gave an update on the progress of season two. He stated:

“It hasn’t been written, so I actually can say nothing. I know nothing about it. That’s boring, isn’t it? You’re not interested in that, but it’s the truth. It’s not written. It’s six months, or seven months away, or something”

This news, while disappointing, still basically confirms that there will indeed be a season two of Black Doves. Fans of the series will just have to sit tight and wait patiently until early 2026. This is when it most likely will be dropped. Barton confirmed he’s currently writing season two and will be jettisoning the Christmas backdrop this time around. This is because December 2025 isn’t enough time to put the second season together and December 2026 is too long of a wait. He told The Hollywood Reporter:

“So I think inevitably it’s not going to be a Christmas show…But it’ll be interesting to see them out of their winter coats”

Season One of Black doves is currently streaming on Netflix.