Disney+ has confirmed the return of A Thousand Blows, the critically acclaimed period drama created by Peaky Blinders mastermind Steven Knight. The second season will officially debut its six-episode second season on January 9, 2026 — nearly a year after its original run earlier this year.
Set in 19th-century London, A Thousand Blows dives into the city’s underground world of bare-knuckle boxing and the rise of two Jamaican friends navigating survival, ambition, and violence in the East End. The series also follows the Forty Elephants — a real all-women crime syndicate that operated during the 1880s — giving voice to one of history’s most overlooked criminal networks.
Season 2 picks up one year after the explosive finale. Boxer Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby) is now “a shadow of the man he once was,” while self-proclaimed boxing boss Henry “Sugar” Goodson (Stephen Graham) finds himself estranged from his family and drowning in guilt. Just as the neighborhood of Wapping begins to fade, Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) storms back into town with her loyal second, Alice Diamond (Darci Shaw), to rebuild her gang and reclaim her crown — and this time, the stakes are even higher.
Knight, who spoke with Screen Rant about the show’s development, revealed that A Thousand Blows was renewed for a second season before the first had even aired — a rare show of confidence from Disney+. He credits the immersive realism of the show’s set — a fully built 1880s East End recreation along the Thames — for helping secure the early renewal.
As for what’s ahead, Knight teased a deeper and more personal journey for Hezekiah: “The revenge that he’s talking about is quite unexpected… but it’s rooted deeply in his past and in his character.” Meanwhile, Mary Carr’s transformation continues to be shaped by her real-life historical record, which Knight used as a creative springboard: “There are long periods of nothing, and then you get a court case where she’s accused of something. What I’ve done is sort of build up a backstory around that.”
Knight also hinted that fan-favorite characters will return — including Jason Tobin’s mysterious Mr. Lao — and that Alice Diamond’s role will expand as her leadership within the Forty Elephants comes into focus.
Reflecting on the show’s visceral fight sequences, Knight said: “A fight is a conversation… they’re having this conversation with their fists and telling that story.” He also noted the class symbolism behind the era’s transition from bare-knuckle brawls to gloved boxing — representing the divide between working-class grit and upper-class reform.
With Season 2 exploring vengeance, power, and identity amid London’s brutal underbelly, A Thousand Blows continues to cement Knight’s reputation for bringing emotional grit to historical storytelling. And it may not end with Season 2 — Knight confirmed that he plans to continue as long as the story demands it, noting that “the Forty Elephants were still around in the 1950s… so this is a story that will run and run.”
A Thousand Blows Season 2 premieres January 9, 2026, exclusively on Disney+. Season 1 is available to stream now.