The Handmaid's Tale's sixth season will be its last, but we're not done with Gilead completely
The Emmy Award winning series returns to Hulu on September 14 with its fifth season
Since premiering in 2017, The Handmaid’s Tale has received critical praise for its portrayal of Margarett Atwood’s dystopian novel, earning multiple Emmy Awards throughout its run. Now, Elisabeth Moss’ journey as June looks to have an end date. Ahead of the Hulu Original’s fifth season return on September 14, the show has been renewed for a sixth season, which will also be its last.
While this determines the end for the once-never-ending, dark narrative that we’ve gone on with June and other characters throughout the series, there are already spin-offs in the mix. Under the tutelage of The Handmaid’s Tale creator, showrunner, and executive producer Bruce Miller will come the sequel series The Testaments, based on Atwood’s 2019 sequel novel. Set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, the book is narrated by three women, including the villainous Aunt Lydia (played by Ann Dowd in the Hulu series).
Even though the end is near for the series, the fifth season still has plenty of ground to cover before tidying up any plots. Here’s the official synopsis of the upcoming season from Hulu: “In the fifth season, June faces consequences for killing Commander Waterford while struggling to redefine her identity and purpose. The widowed Serena attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influences creep into Canada. Commander Lawrence works with Nick and Aunt Lydia as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power. June, Luke and Moira fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah.”
Two-time Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss returns for the upcoming season, which also stars Bradley Whitford (Get Out), Yvonne Strahovski (The Tomorrow War), Max Minghella (Spiral), O-T Fagbenle (Black Widow), Samira Wiley (Orange Is The New Black), Ann Dowd (Hereditary), Madeline Brewer (Cam), Amanda Brugel (Kim’s Convenience), and Sam Jaeger (Take Me Home).
The fifth season of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres with two episodes on September 14 on Hulu.