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Editor’s note: This post contains spoilers about Season 6 of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Season 6 of “The Handmaid’s Tale” is halfway through, and things are getting intense as June (Elisabeth Moss), her husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle), and best friend Moira (Samira Wiley) attempt to take down Gilead.
Though the trio successfully managed to infiltrate Jezebel and meet up with Janine (Madeline Brewer), whose help they need to destroy Gilead, it is not yet known if they managed to make it out safely, with Episode 5 ending on a cliffhanger. Meanwhile, Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and Commander Wharton (Josh Charles) get engaged after he proposes to her.
According to Hulu, June will fight to take down Gilead with Luke and Moira joining the resistance in the final season of the Emmy-winning drama series. Serena, meanwhile, “tries to reform Gilead while Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) reckon with what they have wrought, and Nick (Max Minghella) faces challenging tests of character.”
“This final chapter of June’s journey highlights the importance of hope, courage, solidarity, and resilience in the pursuit of justice and freedom,” the season’s synopsis says.
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Adapted from Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name, “The Handmaid’s Tale” is about “the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States,” according to the series synopsis.
June/Offred, one of the few fertile women in the oppressive Republic of Gilead, known as Handmaids, “struggles to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.”
While the curtain drops on the “The Handmaid’s Tale,” here’s what to know about the series future, including details on a spinoff.
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Will ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ return for Season 7?
No. After a successful six season run, “The Handmaid’s Tale” which premiered on April 26, 2017, is scheduled to end May 27 with the series finale.
In September 2022, ahead of Season 5’s premiere, Hulu, while renewing the series for another season, announced that Season 6 would be its last.
“It’s been a very, very, very luxurious time that I’ve had to think about what happens at the end of this story and exactly how we’d like to get there as a company,” creator, showrunner and executive producer Bruce Miller told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. “I’m very glad we’re being able to do it on our own terms because I know how lucky that makes us — all the actors and creative people who put their hearts and souls into it — to close up the play the way you want. Dropping the curtain the way you want is such a huge privilege.”
‘The Testaments’: A ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ sequel
“The Handmaid’s Tale” may be coming to an end, but the world of Gilead is not with a “Handmaid’s Tale” sequel “The Testaments” in production at Hulu, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The upcoming series is also being helmed by Miller.
“The Testaments” will pick up more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale and will follow the story of Agnes / Hannah, June’s daughter and a new generation of young women in the dystopian Gilead.
“For these young women, growing up in Gilead is all they have ever known, having no tangible memories of the outside world prior to their indoctrination into this life,” the series description says, Variety reported. “Facing the prospect of being married off and living a life of servitude, they will be forced to search for allies, both new and old, to help in their fight for freedom and the life they deserve.”
A release date for “The Testaments” is not yet known. The series is currently in production, Hulu announced on Instagram. While it is not yet known if Elisabeth Moss will be reprising her role as June in the upcoming series, she will be an executive producer on it, Hulu said.
Book review: Sequel to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Testaments,’ well worth the wait
‘The Testaments’ cast
The upcoming series will see Ann Dowd reprise her “Handmaid’s Tale” role of Aunt Lydia. Other cast members, according to reports in Deadline and TV Insider, include:
- Chase Infiniti as Agnes
- Lucy Halliday as Daisy
- Rowan Blanchard as Shunammite
- Mattea Conforti as Becka
- Mabel Li as Aunt Vidala
- Amy Seimetz as Paula
- Brad Alexander as Garth
- Zarrin Darnell-Martin as Aunt Gabbana
- Eva Foote as Aunt Estee
- Isolde Ardies as Hulda
- Shechinah Mpumlwana as Jehosheba
- Birva Pandya as Miriam
- Kira Guloien as Rosa
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ cast
While “The Handmaid’s Tale” is not expected to return for another season, cast members for Season 6 include:
- Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne / Offred
- Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford
- Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence
- Max Minghella as Commander Nick Blaine
- Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia Clements
- Josh Charles as High Commander Wharton
- O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole
- Samira Wiley as Moira Strand
- Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo / Ofwarren / Ofdaniel / Ofhoward
- Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue
- Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam
- Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello
How to watch ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is available to stream on Hulu.
Hulu offers membership options ranging from $7.99 a month to $17.99 a month for normal streaming services, and $75.99 a month to $89.99 a month for plans with streaming and live television. New users can also sign up for a free trial.
Watch every season of The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu
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Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
