*Warning: This article contains The Handmaid's Tale spoilers*
The sixth - and final - series of The Handmaid's Tale is on its way.
Ahead of the fifth season's premiere in 2022, Hulu announced that the show would have one final series, which will now debut in summer 2025, a year later than initially expected owing to the now-resolved industrial action that ground most of Hollywood to a halt for much of 2023.
In a press release about season six, Bruce Miller, the series' creator, showrunner, and executive producer, said: 'It has been a true honour to tell the story of Margaret Atwood’s groundbreaking novel and chillingly relevant world, and we are thrilled to bring viewers a sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale.
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'We are grateful to Hulu and MGM for allowing us to tell this story, which unfortunately has remained as relevant as ever throughout its run, and are in awe of our incredible fans for their unwavering support, and without whom we never would have gotten to this point.'
The Handmaid's Tale, based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name, is a sci-fi thriller series which confronts ever-timely women's issues such as gender bias, women's autonomy and reproductive rights. In the era of #MeToo and since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the show has continued to resonate with viewers, with the fifth season averaging 581 million viewers worldwide in the first week of its release in 2022.
Since its release, it has won a stable of awards, including 15 Emmys – becoming the first streaming service series to ever win the coveted gong for Outstanding Drama Series in 2017 – and one Golden Globe in 2018 for the Best TV Series, Drama.
Here's everything we know so far about the The Handmaid's Tale season six:
Will the cast be the same for The Handmaid's Tale season six?
We expect the cast of season six to mostly stay the same, with Elisabeth Moss (June Osborne), Yvonne Strahovski (Serena Joy Waterford), Madeline Brewer (Janine), Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia), O-T Fagbenle (Luke), Max Minghella (Nick), Samira Wiley (Moira), Bradley Whitford (Commander Lawrence) and Amanda Brugel (Rita) all set to reprise their roles once again.
Alexis Bledel, sadly, won't be joining the cast for the final season. Her character Emily was written out during season five, after it was revealed that she returned to Gilead. This followed on from her reduced screen time in season four.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Bledel issued a statement at the time, saying: 'After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid's Tale at this time. I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.'
In September 2022, the cast of the series celebrated the show's renewal on social media. They highlighted, however, that we'll have to wait to see what lies ahead for the series' characters in its closing chapter, and expressed gratitude to their fans for their continued support and devotion.
They said in a video clip: 'When we started this journey in season one, we bore no more. In season two, we reclaimed our name. In season three, we set ourselves free. In season four, we preyed together. In season five, you’ll see how some sins can’t be washed away. And as to season six, our sixth and final season, well, you’ll just have to wait and see.
'We can’t thank you enough for supporting the show over the years. Much love to you all. Under his eye.'
What's the The Handmaid's Tale season six plot?
In an interview with Digital Spy in November 2022, Miller, who is actually not working on the final season of the show, teased: 'We’re going to wrap it up on our own terms. It’s something we never get with just the way the business is set up. And also, more importantly, not something everyone would give to the audience.
'The book is so frustrating at the end, because the book just ends. And everybody’s like, "How could you, Bruce Miller… Who do you think you are, writing more?" I’m like, "Oh my God, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, to write the rest." Because it’s like: what the hell happened?! Oh my God – it’s the most infuriating ending.'
While Miller will be returning to his work on The Handmaid's Tale sequel that he's written, The Testaments, he has entrusted the show's final outing to the capable hands of Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang, who are the current writers and executive producers of the dystopian drama.
As for how June's story will end, Miller stated: 'We have so many women through history who didn’t have names, who were never identified. They were there for a while. They told their story, and this is The Handmaid’s Tale – she told it.
'And then they disappear, faceless, into the mist of history. And that’s what the problem is: there are too many women out there who are just Offred and are just the Handmaid.
'But that’s the story we’re telling. In order to make it really this story, it starts when that kid is taken from her. And that’s when she turns into a Handmaid. And it ends when she disappears off of our radar.
'But she doesn’t disappear from the world. She’s a real human woman. Just because she’s not on our radar, doesn’t mean she doesn’t exist.'
It also looks as though June and Nick will finally explore their simmering tension in season six, with Miller saying that towards the end of season five they were unable to 'think about anything' other than their love for one another.
'I feel like this is the most romantic Nick/June season ever because they spend the whole time trying to convince themselves that they don't need to be together,' he said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Will there be a The Handmaid's Tale sequel?
Fans will be delighted to hear that a spin-off series is indeed in the works! In a November 2022 interview with Deadline, Miller confirmed that he had been working on a sequel to the hit show.
The spin-off, which will be called The Testaments is said to be loosely based on Margaret Attwood's 2019 sequel novel of the same name. 'It’s so lovely to have another book to go to,' Miller told the outlet. 'I think the people [who] watch the TV show have to be comfortable with the fact that just like Handmaid's didn’t follow the book, The Testaments is a sequel to this TV show.'
And it seemed that development of the spin-off was ramped up ahead of the final season entering production, as it was announced in March 2023 that Miller would be leaving his post on The Handmaid's Tale to focus exclusively on The Testaments.
Is there a The Handmaid's Tale season six trailer?
We are a while away from seeing a trailer for season six, particularly given that, according to DeuxMoi, production won't begin on the sixth series until summer 2024, but in the meantime, we suggest you watch the season five trailer at the top of this article for a plot recap.
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