Depending on where you are in the world, it’s getting colder outside. I for one know that as the temperature continues to dip in my part of the U.S., what remains of the 2024 TV schedule and is set on the 2025 TV schedule is going to be very handy when it comes to finding entertainment in between my movie screenings. While Keira Knightly is mostly known for starring in movies, her new Netflix series Black Doves is something I’ve been keeping an eye on for some time.
And now that the Rotten Tomatoes score has dropped, the result has me even more excited to see this show in action. As of the time of this writing, the Tomatometer has this spy thriller sitting at an impressive 97%. If you know me or my fields of expertise here at CinemaBlend, you can see why I was pretty hyped about this show to begin with.
In Black Doves, Helen (Keira Knightley) is a secret spy that needs to team up with an old colleague (Ben Whishaw) to fight a severe threat. I’m being vague here on purpose, as I don’t want to give too much away. But writer/creator Joe Barton’s six-episode spy thriller also has the advantage of timing on its side, thanks to a competing hit.
As Peacock’s Day of the Jackal remake has pitted Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch against each other in an espionage-adjacent thriller, the electrifying streaming hit is on a roll. With December 12th’s finale looming, people who are hooked on Black Doves can jump into this very series rather easily.
Those of you worried about investing in this Netflix show for it only to become another member of the Netflix one-season cancellation roster, you needn’t worry. Per Netflix UK’s Twitter feed, Black Doves was already announced as renewed for Season 2 in August, before an episode had even released.
As shown by the early critical reaction on Rotten Tomatoes, it looks like that confident move is about to pay off. Provided, of course, viewer opinion follows suit. While we’d all love for fan favorites to automatically last forever, there’s always the chance that Black Doves could become the next Shadow and Bone. To this day, that two-season show’s cancellation still has fans wanting more.
I’m terribly excited to see Keira Knightley’s role in Black Doves return her to grounded dramas. As a fan of her underrated performance in the the 2019 historical drama Official Secrets, I continue to be pleased to see Knightley venturing into spaces one may not expect her in.
Fans of either Ms. Knightley’s Pirates of the Caribbean legacy or her version of Pride and Prejudice should take note, as Black Doves is waiting for your eager eyes. You can stream all six episodes of Season 1 through a Netflix subscription, with Season 2 waiting on any production developments or air dates. Let’s just hope that what we know about Bridgerton Season 4’s wait isn’t an indication of how long we’ll have to wait for that promised follow-up.
