Netflix‘s new thriller series Black Doves doesn’t necessarily end with a cliffhanger, but rather a whole bunch of tantalizing loose ends. Helen (Keira Knightley) might have closure on what exactly happened to the love of her life, Jason (Andrew Koji), but as her Black Doves handler Mrs. Reed (Sarah Lancashire) hints, her work as a spy is only getting started…

**Spoilers for Black Doves Season 1, now streaming on Netflix**

Black Doves Season 1 follows Helen Webb, a spy who has been embedded in a high-profile marriage to prominent politician Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan) for a decade. Her mission and the lives of her children are suddenly put in peril when her secret lover Jason Davies is assassinated. Helen and her closest friend in the spy game, hitman Sam (Ben Whishaw), are soon pulled into a tense hunt for Jason’s killers.

As it happens, Jason and his allies were murdered by Trent Clark (Angus Cooper), the feckless son of underworld titan Alex Clark (Tracey Ullman). After Trent accidentally killed the Chinese ambassador, his mother used her connections in the British government to stage the diplomat’s death as a drug overdose. The big problem? The ambassador’s daughter’s friend Maggie (Hannah Khalique-Brown) had planted a camera in their residence to spy on them for a tabloid. Her recording not only implicated Trent, but the Prime Minister. A panicked Trent ordered Maggie, Jason, and reporter Philip’s (Thomas Coombes) deaths to cover his tracks.

Black Doves ends with the recording ending up in the hands of the Americans and with Helen killing Alex and Sam murdering Trent. Helen is told by Mrs. Reed that these events have set up her husband Wallace to become the new Tory Prime Minister by spring. Meaning, Helen’s position will be all the more valuable to Mrs. Reed’s nebulous organization.

Meanwhile, “triggerman” Sam might believe he’s come to an agreement with former boss Lenny (Kathryn Hunter), but we can’t expect her to take his decision to team up with underworld rival Hector Newman (Luther Ford) lightly. Not to mention the fact that the whole reason why Hector hires Sam is because he knows a war with the remaining, revenge-fueled Clarks is coming up.

So will Netflix continue the story of Helen, Sam, their friends, and frenemies? Will there be a Black Doves Season 2 on Netflix?

Usually when a new show premieres on Netflix, it becomes an immediate guessing game of whether or not the streamer will pick up a second season. Not so with Black Doves. We can confirm that Netflix has already decided to make a Black Doves Season 2.

All the way back in August 2024 — no less than four months before the show’s debut — Netflix’s UK X (aka Twitter) account revealed the season two order. Netflix has continued to confirm Black Doves Season 2 since then.

So why is Netflix so bullish on Black Doves? Sure, it stars major movie star Keira Knightley, beloved James Bond franchise standout (and Paddington himself) Ben Whishaw, and Happy Valley anchor Sarah Lancashire, but Black Doves hits several sweet spots for Netflix subscribers. It’s a British mystery thriller set in London at Christmas, full of twists and turns, and dabbles in high stakes international political drama.

The end of Black Doves Season 1 also promises even more intrigue and action sequences to come. As the Prime Minister’s wife, Helen will be even more perfectly placed to spy on the government — and cause headaches for Mrs. Reed. Speaking of Mrs. Reed, one of the last shots of Black Doves Season 1 reveals that the Webb family nanny Marie (Molly Chesworth) is also a Black Dove embedded in the household. Then, of course, there is the promise that the Clarks will be seeking retribution for Sam and Helen’s violent actions.

We don’t know exactly how long the wait for Black Doves Season 2 will be, but the first season was announced in early 2023. Black Doves Season 1 began filming in London in October 2023. So it takes a little over a year for a season of Black Doves to be made.

Assuming Black Doves Season 2 goes into production within the next few months, we can expect the Keira Knightley/Ben Whishaw show to return early or mid 2026.