As Netflix drops spy thriller TV series Black Doves, we need to know one thing – will there be as season 2?
The TV show – which was an instant hit – follows the story of Keira Knightley's Helen Webb, a politician's wife who has been leaking government secrets for a decade in her role as a spy. When her secret lover is killed on the South Bank, she is set on revenge – but must also consider that his killer might be after her too, so she must protect her family from the dark presence who murdered the man she loved.
Plus, the release date and trailer for this tale of trailblazing women of color during World War II.
One thing we would also say is that while Black Doves centres around avenging the death of a romantic lover, there is platonic love at the centre too. The friendship between Keira's character Helen and Ben Whishaw's Sam is a beautiful thing to watch – even when they're plotting murders. If you love festive feels and shoot outs, this show is for you.
Netflix have also dropped a very festive teaser for (the upcoming) season 2 of the spy series – where we see Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw meet in a Christmassy bar and make a champagne toast to season 1. “Don't forget season 2, darling,” Ben says. They then unwrap gifts, which turn out to be a golden bullet each. Keira then drops hers in her champagne glass. Perfect.
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Here's everything we know about a potential Black Doves season 2.
Has Black Doves season 2 been confirmed?
Yes – in a rare move from Netflix, the streamer confirmed that the show has already been renewed for a second season, before the first season even drops. This was announced at Edinburgh TV festival earlier this year. We're even more excited for what's to come now.
Show boss Joe Barton has already opened up to Deadline about the pressure mounting on both season 1 and 2. "It's a different kind of pressure now," he said. "When you do a show you are always wanting it to do well to get a second season but now they've already let us come back the pressure is about hoping it does well to reward that faith."
Black Doves season 2 plot
No plot synopsis has been released yet, though in the Black Doves season 1 finale we learn the identify of the person who killed Helen's lover Jason to be an MI5 agent who was in love with her.
In a gripping face-off with Alex (the head of the Clarks), it's revealed that her son Trent was in fact responsible for the murder, in addition to the accidental killing of Ambassador Chen which almost led to a global incident.
Helen is understandably distraught yet conflicted on how best to enact her revenge due to his age and the threat it would likely pose to her own family given his intimate ties to the Clarks.
While she mulls this over with her gun aimed at Trent's head, ultimately Sam ends up pulling the trigger to save Helen from the risk. Having previously vowed to not get himself tangled up in the dangers that come with his hitman past, in order to save his best friend he shoots Trent, seemingly dashing all hopes of finally settling down with his love Michael.
The interaction mirrors that of the incident we learn about earlier in their friendship in which Helen saves Sam after receiving an SOS call when he was compromised. After shooting his attacker, Helen agreed with Reed that she would only stay with Black Doves if full protection was guaranteed for Sam's partner Michael as well as a full clean up of the crime scene.
Given this dramatic conclusion to the first season, there's a lot of loose ends that desperately need tying up in the second series.
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Black Doves season 2 cast
Cast announcements for season 2 haven't dropped yet but – character deaths notwithstanding – we'd expect to see the return of our core cast of Keira Knightley as Helen, Ben Whishaw as Sam, Sarah Lancashire as Reed and Omari Douglas as Michael at absolute minimum.
Black Doves season 2 would also likely see the following actors reprise their roles:
- Andrew Buchan as Wallace
- Gabrielle Creevy as Eleanor
- Ella Lily Hyland as Williams
- Isabella Wei as Kai-Ming
- Kathryn Hunter as Lenny
Black Doves season 2 release date
This hasn't been announced, and will largely depend on whether the Black Doves team is looking to do another Christmas-based instalment. The festive season is a big part of the first series, so we'll see if season 2 follows the same vein and hits screens Christmas 2025.
From Keira Knightley to Sarah Lancashire, Ben Whisaw and It's A Sin's Omari Douglas.
