The Handmaid's Tale

Name: The Handmaid's Tale
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Rating: 8.1
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, Amanda Brugel

The revolution is here.

The Handmaid's Tale (2017-2025)

Seasons: 6, episodes: 66

Average rating: 8.1/10 573 212

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Everything about the series

Video 11

Photo 192

Actors and characters

Video for the series The Handmaid's Tale — Series Trailer

1:13

Photo 192

Premiere

2017-04-26

Last episode

2025-05-27

Status

Ended

Country

United States

Network

Hulu

Production

MGM Television, The Littlefield Company, White Oak Pictures, Daniel Wilson Productions, Toluca Pictures

Genre

Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Website

https://www.hulu.com/the-handmaids-tale

Creators

Bruce Miller

Actors

Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, Amanda Brugel, Nina Kiri, O.T. Fagbenle, Sam Jaeger, Elena Khan, Birgitte Solem
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Lynn Renee Maxcy, Jacey Heldrich

Producer

Elisabeth Moss, Dorothy Fortenberry, John Herrera, Nina Fiore, Kim Todd, Joseph Boccia, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Eric Tuchman

Camera operator

Colin Watkinson

Composer

Adam Taylor

Editing

Wendy Hallam Martin, Christopher Donaldson, Aaron Marshall
Whole Team (101)

Short description

Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship.

Seasons

Season	Episodes	Release date	Rating
Season 1 Offred must navigate between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead – with one goal: to survive and find the daughter who was taken from her.	10	2017-04-26	7.8
Season 2 Season two is shaped by Offred’s pregnancy and her ongoing fight to free her future child from the dystopian horrors of Gilead. “Gilead is within you” is a favorite saying of Aunt Lydia and in this season, Offred and all our characters will fight against – or succumb to – this dark truth.	13	2018-04-25	7.7
Season 3 Season three is driven by June's resistance to the dystopian regime of Gilead and her struggle to strike back against overwhelming odds. Startling reunions, betrayals, and a journey to the terrifying heart of Gilead force all characters to take a stand, guided by one defiant prayer: "Blessed be t…	13	2019-06-05	7.9
Season 4 June strikes back against Gilead as a fierce rebel leader, but the risks she takes bring unexpected and dangerous new challenges. Her quest for justice and revenge threatens to consume her and destroy her most cherished relationships.	10	2021-04-28	8.1
Season 5 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 influence creeps into Canada. Commander Lawrence works with Nick and Aunt Lydia as he tries to reform Gilead and r…	10	2022-09-14	7.8
Season 6 June's unyielding spirit and determination pull her back into the fight to take down Gilead. Luke and Moira join the resistance. Serena tries to reform Gilead while Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia reckon with what they have wrought, and Nick faces challenging tests of character. This final chap…	10	2025-04-08	6.8

What's left behind the scenes

In one of the episodes of the first season, Margaret Atwood, whose novel of the same name (1985) the series is based on, played a small role.
In the source novel, there were no Black characters because Gilead (the oppressive theocratic regime that seized power in the US by the start of the book) classified all Black people as 'Children of Ham.' This is a reference to the belief held by some fundamentalist Christian sects that Black people descend from Noah's son Ham and are therefore subject to the 'curse' placed on Ham by Noah. In the novel, Black people are forcibly relocated to the Midwest. The series producers consciously deviated from this aspect of the book to allow for the inclusion of Black characters (and actors) in the casting.
In the novel, Commander Fred and Serena Waterford are much older than they are portrayed in the series. They are described as wrinkled people with gray hair.
In Margaret Atwood's original novel, only the protagonist's new name—Offred—is known. Her real name is never mentioned.
The first series, released by Hulu, won an Emmy in the category of Best Drama Series.
The regime that seized the US in the series, as in the original novel, is called the 'Republic of Gilead.' Gilead is mentioned several times in the Bible, both as a geographical location and as a figurative or literal source of balm (a medicinal or healing substance).
According to the actresses, the headgear they had to wear completely blocked their peripheral vision. They could only see each other by looking directly at the person, and they had to rely solely on sound to navigate.
Margaret Atwood admitted that George Orwell's (1903-1950) dystopian novel '1984' (1949) had a huge influence on her.
Elisabeth Moss is the only cast member who appears in every episode.
Joseph Fiennes refused to film a scene in the second season where his character rapes Serena, stating that the scene felt out of place within the overall narrative. The showrunners were convinced by his arguments, and the scene was removed.
According to Joseph Fiennes, it takes him months to grow the beard for the role of Fred, and he shaves it off as the very first thing he does once filming for a season ends.