The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)

Did You Know?

• A sequel series based on Atwood's 2019 novel The Testaments premiered in April 2026 on Hulu.
• In Canada, the series is broadcast weekly by CTV Drama Channel and the streaming service Crave.
• The first three episodes premiered on April 26, 2017, with the subsequent seven released weekly.

Plot

In this world, a collapse in fertility caused by sexually transmitted diseases and environmental pollution paved the way for the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that seized control of the former United States following a civil war. The society is run by ambitious leaders who enforce a strict, militarized religious hierarchy, creating new social classes that brutally oppress women. By law, women are confined to a few rigid roles, including serving as natal slaves, and are forbidden from owning property, working, handling money, or reading and writing—except for the Aunts.

Because of global infertility, fertile women deemed sinful by the regime are enslaved, based on an extreme reading of the biblical story of Bilhah. These women include those who remarried after divorce (labeled adulteresses, since Gilead does not recognize divorce), single mothers, lesbians (called gender traitors), non-Christians, members of Christian groups outside the Sons of Jacob, political dissidents, and academics. Known as Handmaids, they are placed in the households of the elite, where they must endure ritualized rape, called the ceremony, performed by their male Commanders in front of the Commanders’ wives, with the goal of pregnancy.

Each Handmaid is given a name formed by adding the prefix Of- to her Commander’s first name, and the name changes if she is reassigned. Women are sorted into categories marked by plain dresses in specific colors. A Handmaid wears a long red dress, a red cloak, heavy brown boots, a white coif, and a large white bonnet known as wings that hides her face and limits her sight. June Osborne, renamed Offred, is the Handmaid assigned to Commander Fred Waterford and his wife Serena Joy, who helped build Gilead but now face the consequences of their creation. Before the regime, June was married to Luke and had a daughter named Hannah.

Cast and characters

Elisabeth Moss plays June Osborne, also known as Offred or Ofjoseph #2, a woman captured while trying to escape to Canada with her husband Luke and daughter Hannah. Because Luke is divorced, their union is considered adulterous, and June is made a Handmaid to Commander Fred Waterford and his wife Serena Joy, later becoming handmaid to Commander Joseph Lawrence. Joseph Fiennes portrays Commander Fred Waterford, a high-ranking official and June's first master, who with his wife was instrumental in Gilead's founding.

Yvonne Strahovski plays Serena Joy Waterford, Fred's wife and a former conservative cultural activist and author, who accepted her role in the society she helped create and is desperate to become a mother. Alexis Bledel plays Dr. Emily Malek, also known as Ofglen #1, Ofsteven, Ofroy, Ofjoseph #1, a former university professor in cellular biology who becomes June's shopping partner and friend, and informs June of the Mayday resistance movement. Madeline Brewer plays Janine Lindo, also known as Ofwarren, Ofdaniel, Ofhoward, Ofjoseph, Ofpaul #3, a Handmaid who trained with June and had her right eye removed as punishment for non-compliance, becoming mentally unstable.

Ann Dowd plays Aunt Lydia Clements, who oversees the Handmaids' sexual re-education and duties, subjecting them to sadistic physical punishment while believing in Gileadean doctrine; she was formerly a family court judge and elementary school teacher.

Production

The Handmaid's Tale started with Ilene Chaiken at Showtime, but the network decided not to move forward with the pilot. MGM's Steve Stark wanted a female writer for the project, but after struggling to find one, he hired Bruce Miller because of his passion for the material. The script's strength drew in star Elisabeth Moss and executive producer Warren Littlefield, and together they secured a straight-to-series order from Hulu, announced in April 2016.

The show adapts Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, with Miller creating the series and serving as an executive producer alongside Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, and Littlefield. Atwood acts as a consulting producer, offering input on expansions and modernizations of the book, and she made a brief cameo in the first episode. Moss also holds a producer role. Reed Morano was named director in June 2016.

Casting unfolded over several months: Samira Wiley, Max Minghella, and Ann Dowd joined in July 2016; Joseph Fiennes, Madeline Brewer, and Yvonne Strahovski in August; O-T Fagbenle and Amanda Brugel in September; Ever Carradine in October; and Alexis Bledel in January 2017. Filming ran from September 2016 to February 2017 across multiple Ontario locations, including Toronto, Mississauga, Brantford, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, and Cambridge. The first full trailer appeared on YouTube on March 23, 2017, and the series premiered on April 26, 2017.

A second season was announced on May 3, 2017, premiering on April 25, 2018, with 13 episodes shot in Ontario. Showrunner Bruce Miller has said he imagined the show running for ten seasons.

Reception

The Handmaid's Tale was ranked the 25th and 38th best TV series of the 21st century by The Guardian and BBC, respectively. On Rotten Tomatoes, the overall series has an 83% approval rating, and on Metacritic, an average score of 80 out of 100. The first season received 94% positive reviews from 260 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus calling it a haunting and vivid adaptation anchored by Elisabeth Moss's performance, and a Metacritic score of 92 out of 100 indicating universal acclaim.

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called it probably the spring's best new show, and Jen Chaney of Vulture praised it as a faithful adaptation that brings new layers to Atwood's world. The second season received 90% positive reviews from 339 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus highlighting its beautiful cinematography and intimate social commentary, and a Metacritic score of 86 out of 100. Some critics, including Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic and Lisa Miller of The Cut, found the second season's violence excessive, and Rebecca Reid of The Daily Telegraph reported having an anxiety attack while watching an episode.