The Handmaid’s Tale, developed by Bruce Miller, is a wildly successful American dystopian television series. The original source material for The Handmaid’s Tale is Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood’s 1985 book of the same name. Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Reed Morano, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Ilene Chaiken, Elisabeth Moss, Mike Barker, Eric Tuchman, Yahlin Chang, Sheila Hockin, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, and Dorothy Fortenberry have all served as executive producers on the program.
The Handmaid’s Tale premiered on Hulu on April 26, 2017, and the first season ended on June 14, 2017. There have been a total of 10 episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale. Rotten Tomatoes gives the first season of The Handmaid’s Tale a 94% approval rating, indicating widespread critical acclaim. Seasons four through six of the program will premiere on September 14, 2022, April 25, 2021, April 27, 2021, and June 5, 2022, respectively, after being renewed for those dates. The sixth season was confirmed and declared as the last season in September 2022, before the debut of the fifth season.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Renewal Status
Hulu has renewed The Handmaid’s Tale for a sixth season just before the fifth season premiere. Since its premiere in 2017, the program has been one of the streaming service’s most popular offerings, so a renewal is not shocking at this point. The conclusion of season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale suggests there is more to the tale, thus the show’s termination would have come as a surprise. Hulu and showrunner Bruce Miller both seem enthusiastic about continuing this dramatic narrative. Miller implied as much in a season 6 statement.
A sixth and final season of Margaret Atwood’s chillingly contemporary book has been a privilege to adapt, and we’re excited to present it to fans. And we are in awe of our great fans for their unrelenting support, without whom we would never have gotten to this stage; we are so thankful to Hulu and MGM for enabling us to tell this tale, which regrettably has stayed as relevant as ever throughout its run.
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 Cast and characters
- Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
- Joseph Fiennes as Commander Fred Waterford
- Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford
- Alexis Bledel as Dr. Emily Malek
- Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo
- Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia Clements
- O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole
- Max Minghella as Commander Nick Blaine
- Samira Wiley as Moira Strand
- Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue
- Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence
- Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello
Recurring
- Jordana Blake as Hannah Bankole
- Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam
- Stephen Kunken as Commander Warren Putnam
- Tattiawna Jones as Lillie Fuller
- Nina Kiri as Alma / Ofrobert
- Bahia Watson as Brianna / Oferic
- Jenessa Grant as Dolores / Ofsamuel
- Edie Inksetter as Aunt Elizabeth
- Robert Curtis Brown as Commander Andrew Pryce
- Kristen Gutoskie as Beth
- Erin Way as Erin
- Krista Morin as Rachel Tapping
- Clea DuVall as Sylvia
- Cherry Jones as Holly Maddox
- Sydney Sweeney as Eden Blaine
- Greg Bryk as Commander Ray Cushing
- Rohan Mead as Isaac
- Julie Dretzin as Eleanor Lawrence
- Amy Landecker as Mrs. Mackenzie
- Ashleigh LaThrop as Natalie / Ofmatthew
- Sugenja Sri as Sienna
- Jonathan Watton as Commander Matthew Calhoun
- Charlie Zeltzer as Oliver
- Christopher Meloni as High Commander George Winslow
- Elizabeth Reaser as Olivia Winslow
- Mckenna Grace as Esther Keyes
- Zawe Ashton as Oona
- Jeananne Goossen as Aunt Ruth
- Natasha Mumba as Danielle
- Victoria Sawal as Tyler
- Amanda Zhou as Vicky
- Carey Cox as Rose Blaine
- Jason Butler Harner as Commander Mackenzie
- Rossif Sutherland as Ezra Shaw
- Genevieve Angelson as Alanis Wheeler
- Lucas Neff as Ryan Wheeler
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 Storyline
Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale ends on a dramatic note and effectively sets up the scenario for season 6, which serves as the series climax. In particular, June and Serena’s chance encounter on the train out of Toronto seems to be the driving force behind the events of Season 6. Even though June and Serena’s first thoughts in Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale are on escape, it’s possible that they’ll renew their tense friendship and work together to bring down Gilead (and its rising popularity in Canada).
Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale is going to start with a reverse of season 1: June will be on the run, while Luke will be held captive by the more evil forces. It’s hard to see Luke spending the whole season locked up, but he might be at the core of June and Serena’s plans for taking on Gilead and the forefront of escalating tensions in Canada. It’s likely that June and Luke will get back together eventually, but a happy ending for them is less likely. And because their daughter Hannah has stayed in Gilead, she is much farther from salvation.
Nick’s love for June and his inability to let her go are also hinted at elsewhere. It seems he is willing to give up everything for her, which may have significant consequences (maybe a sacrifice) in the upcoming sixth season of The Handmaid’s Tale. Meanwhile, the Eyes have abducted Janine, which might have disastrous repercussions for her and for Aunt Lydia (who is pushed down and has her power entirely destroyed). There is a lot for the sixth season of The Handmaid’s Tale to cover.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Release Date
Let’s put to rest the widespread speculation regarding when the highly anticipated sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale would premiere. From what we’ve gathered over the last several months, filming on The Handmaid’s Tale won’t start until at least the summer of this year. Therefore, it is safe to assume that fresh episodes will resume airing in 2023.
Given the current trajectory, we anticipate a 2024 debut on Hulu and other streaming platforms tailored to clients’ locales at midnight Eastern Time (3 a.m. Pacific Time). Since the most current season premiered in September 2022, the wait time may be about a year.
Where can I watch The Handmaid’s Tale Season?
Hulu now has all five seasons of “The Handmaid’s Tale” available to watch instantly. Since there have been no announcements about a specific streaming site, Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale is also likely to premiere on the same platform.
The Handmaid’s Tale Is Ending With Season 6
The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed for a sixth season, although recent reports indicate that this will be the series’ last installment. At the same moment it was picked back up, this was verified. The Hulu series has already surpassed the book on which it is based, and its conclusion has been imminent since June in Canada. It would be difficult to picture The Handmaid’s Tale being prolonged much longer, even if there is still some compelling plot built up for season 6.