The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 updates are starting to arrive. The new season will explore the fallout from season 5’s dramatic finale. The Handmaid’s Tale season 5’s ending threw massive curveballs at several of the show’s ongoing storylines, with twists for most major characters. After a season-and-a-half back in Canada, June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) is once again separated from Luke Bankole (O-T Fangbenle) and on the run, with Gilead increasingly making its presence felt north of the US border. This is also where the Hulu series has begun to stray from the ideas in the source novel.
After June’s escape from Gilead (or now Canada, rather) The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 has a lot of disparate plot threads to bring together. The show’s story has become bigger and more sprawling than before, not least now it looks to expand even beyond Canada and has several key characters on both sides of the border. With major changes coming for June, Luke, Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski), The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 is going to be highly anticipated, and here’s everything known about the next season.
The Latest The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 News
Bruce Miller has been the showrunner for The Handmaid’s Tale since it first premiered on Hulu in 2017. After five seasons of working on the show, however, MIller is stepping down from his position as showrunner. Miller will be doing so to focus on a different series, but one still in the world of The Handmaid’s Tale. He’s also the showrunner for Testaments, which has been in development since 2019 and is set to be a sequel series.
Taking over the show running duties for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 are Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang. Tuchman has written several episodes on the show and has been a co-exective producer since the first season. Chang joined the writer’s room in the second season and has also served as a co-executive producer.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 is Confirmed
Shortly before season 5’s premiere, Hulu officially renewed The Handmaid’s Tale season 6. The show has been one of the streaming service’s biggest hits since it debuted back in 2017, so a renewal at this point isn’t surprising. The Handmaid’s Tale season 5’s ending makes it clear the show has more story to tell, so a cancelation would’ve been a major shock. Hulu and showrunner Bruce Miller seem very excited about moving forward with more of this intense story as well. Miller said as much in a comment about season 6:
“It has been a true honor 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. 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 Season 6 Release Date
While an exact premiere date for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 hasn’t been revealed, fans will be glad to know that it’s likely to release in 2024. Janine actress Madeline Brewer appeared on The Graham Norton Show’s 2022 New Year’s Eve Special and revealed that Season 6 would be “coming in 2024.” Like the previous seasons, it will be available to stream on Hulu.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Cast
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6’s cast should largely look the same as season 5’s. The cast has been pretty consistent, bar the exit of Alexis Bledel’s Emily Malek (though given she went back to Gilead, a return may not be entirely out of the question). The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 cast will once again be led by Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne, and the rest of the main cast should presumably include:
- Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford
- O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole
- Max Minghella as Commander Nick Blaine
- Samira Wiley as Moira Strand
- Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence
- Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia
- Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello
- Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue
- Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Story Details
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6’s story is nicely set up by season 5’s ending, which includes some dramatic twists and works as the beginning of the end. Most notably, June runs into Serena on the train leaving Toronto, a fateful reunion that seems likely to drive season 6’s plot. Their initial thoughts may be on freedom, but it seems likely that June and Serena’s uneasy relationship will be restarted in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, and that the two women could work together to help bring Gilead (and its growing support in Canada) down.
Luke’s arrest in The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 finale means that season 6 will begin with a reversal of season 1: June is on the run and Luke has been captured by the dark forces taking greater control. It’s hard to imagine Luke will spend the entire season in prison, but he could be at the forefront of the growing tensions in Canada and may be at the center of June and Serena’s plans to take on Gilead as well. Either way, it seems certain June and Luke will reunite, though less so that they’ll get a happy ending. The same also goes for their daughter, Hannah, who remains in Gilead and is further away from being saved than ever before.
Elsewhere, there’s still a tease of Nick’s romance with June and his admittance that he can’t let her go. He’s at the point of risking everything for her, it would seem, which could have bigger payoffs (maybe a sacrifice?) in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6. Janine, meanwhile, has been taken away by the Eyes, which could have devastating consequences for her depending on what happens next, as well as a major impact on Aunt Lydia (who is shoved down and has her authority completely undermined). With all that, there’s a lot for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 to get through.
The Handmaid’s Tale Is Ending With Season 6
Despite its renewal, The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 updates include the news it will be the last one. This was confirmed at the same time as it was picked back up. The Hulu show has already outstripped its source material, and with June in Canada, it has felt like the ending was on the horizon. Though there’s still some interesting story set up for season 6, the show ending at that stage does make sense as it’s hard to imagine The Handmaid’s Tale being stretched further.
