Black Doves Season 2 Lands November 5, and Helen's Husband Is About to Become Prime Minister

Photo: GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Black Doves was the Christmas surprise of a couple of years ago, a spy show that managed to be funny, violent and genuinely sad in the same episode, and Netflix has finally given it a return date. Season two drops on November 5 with all six episodes at once. Keira Knightley is back as Helen, the political wife who moonlights for a shadowy intelligence outfit, and Ben Whishaw returns as Sam, the assassin with a heart of something approaching gold.

The new wrinkle is that Helen's husband Wallace, played by Andrew Buchan, is preparing to become Prime Minister, which puts her double life under a much brighter light. Sarah Lancashire is back as the handler. Ambika Mod and Neve Campbell join the cast, and the trailer suggests Helen is investigating a string of spy murders with a new team around her.

I will be honest, I thought this show was a one-off, so I am treating the second season as a bonus. The first run worked because Knightley and Whishaw are so good together, and from the trailer that is still the engine. A third season has not been confirmed, so enjoy this one while it is here. Are you watching on launch day or saving it for a weekend binge?