The Handmaid’s Tale is an American dystopian television series created by Bruce Miller, based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The series was ordered by the streaming service Hulu as a straight-to-series order of ten episodes, for which production began in late 2016. The plot features a dystopia following a Second American Civil War wherein a theonomic, totalitarian society subjects fertile women, called “Handmaids”, to child-bearing slavery.[3][4]
The first three episodes of the series premiered on April 26, 2017; the subsequent episodes were released weekly, finishing on June 14. In July 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth season,[5] which premiered on April 27, 2021.[6] In September 2019, it was announced that Hulu and MGM were developing a sequel series, to be based on Atwood’s 2019 novel The Testaments.[7] In December 2020, ahead of the fourth season premiere, the series was renewed for a fifth season,[8] which premiered on September 14, 2022.[9] In September 2022, ahead of the fifth-season premiere, the series was renewed for a sixth and final season, which is set to premiere on April 8, 2025.[10]
The Handmaid’s Tale’s first season won eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 13 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. It is the first show produced by Hulu to win a major award and the first series on a streaming service to win an Emmy for Outstanding Series. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama. Elisabeth Moss was also awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series.
