Picture: Black Doves – Netflix
After a stellar first season, Joe Barton’s Black Doves will return for a second season on Netflix. Filming was originally due to begin in July 2025, but has now been pushed back several months. While it was expected that the series would return in 2026, that may now be in jeopardy. We’ll keep track of everything you need to know about season 2 of Black Doves on Netflix.
In case you missed it, Black Doves is a Netflix Original crime-thriller created and written by Joe Barton, who has previously worked on titles on Netflix such as Our Man From Jersey, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, and Giri/Haji. Noisy Bear and SISTER Production are the producers of the series.
Has Black Doves been renewed for a second season?
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Renewed (Last Updated: 11/12/2024)
Months before its release on Netflix, the streaming service renewed Black Doves for a second season. It’s rare for Netflix to renew a series ahead of time, which showcases their confidence in the series’ success.
That confidence was repaid, as the first week on Netflix has been a great success, with 10.8 million views and reaching the number one spot in 18 countries. It narrowly missed out on taking the top spot away from The Madness. In terms of viewership, we ranked the show as the ninth most popular series launch of 2024, behind 3 Body Problem and Nobody Wants This.
What to expect from Black Doves season 2?
Wife of the Prime Minister
Picture: Keira Knightley as Helen Webb in Black Doves – Netflix
Helen’s husband, Wallace, is the Secretary of State for the Defence of the United Kingdom and is the most likely candidate to succeed the Prime Minister. This means we’ll likely see Helen and her family getting used to their new surroundings in Number 10 by next season. Downing Street.
Thanks to the actions of her now-dead lover, Jason, Helen has been cleared by MI5. This means with Helen at the very epicenter of the government, her access to state secrets will never be closer or more dangerous.
Reed will likely pile on the pressure on Helen in the second season.
Two Black Doves in Downing Street
Picture: Sarah Lancashire as Reed in Black Doves – Netflix
At the end of the first season, it is revealed that Helen and Wallace’s nanny, Marie, is also a spy! Helen is none the wiser that Reed has a Black Dove who is regularly in her home and looks after her children. Helen will inevitably discover Marie is a Black Dove, which means Reed’s spy could be the potential fall person if the MI5 is suspicious of any leaks at the heart of the government.
Sam works for a crime family.
Picture: Ben Whishaw as Sam in Black Doves – Netflix
Sam fell on the sword to save Helen from murdering Alex Clark and her son. But this now means Sam will have a giant target on his back from the remaining members of the Clarks. However, he he did receive an offer from Hector Newman to join his crime family, which may offer Sam a layer of protection against the Clarks.
As for Sam’s relationship with Michael, it’s still up in the air whether they will rekindle their relationship after the violent events of the first season.
What about Eleanor, Williams, and Kai-Ming?
Picture: Gabrielle Creevy as Eleanor (left) and Ella Lily Hyland as Williams (right).
The trio was last seen celebrating Christmas on Eleanor’s boat, but the two hit women can either continue working as gunmen for hire or perhaps Sam may try to recruit them into working with Hector Newman. Considering they made such a considerable team when taking out one of Newman’s safe houses, this definitely won’t be the last we see of them.
What this means for Kai-Ming remains unclear. By the time we see them next, she might be in training with Eleanor and Williams.
Black Doves Season 2 Production Status & Expected Release Date
In a previous interview with Variety, Joe Barton revealed that the series does not need to be “constrained” by the Christmas Holiday theme, but has confirmed they plan to film sometime in 2025.
In early May, we got word that production was due to kick off sometime in July 2025, although that looks to be no longer the case. According to Production Intelligence from The Knowledge Online, pre-production for the new season is scheduled to begin on June 23rd, with the “date of shoot” planned for September 29th, 2025. They also list that the duration of the shoot will be 20 weeks. That means production will wrap up sometime in mid-February 2026.
What does this all mean for a release date? Well, an early 2026 release is now out of the window, meaning we can probably expect it to return sometime in mid-to-late 2026, although we’d guess much later in the year is more likely at this point. That means you’ll have to wait an entire two years for the series to come back.
Are you looking forward to watching a second season of Black Doves on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
