Sophie Giraud/Hulu The Handmaid's Taleaired its series finale on May 27 A spinoff,The Testaments, is currently in production Ann Dowd is returning to reprise her role as Aunt Lydia Don't say goodbye to Gilead just yet. After six seasons,The Handmaid's Taleaired its series finale on May 27. This chapter of June Osborne's (Elisabeth Moss) story may have come to a close, but the dystopian world of Gilead will continue for a new generation of young girls in the upcoming sequel series,The Testaments. "It's aboutMean Girlsgrowing up Gilead,"The Handmaid's TaleandThe Testamentsshowrunner Bruce Miller toldEntertainment Weekly. "It really is about what it's like to be young and full of energy when the country is trying to turn you into something awful," he continued. "When all of a sudden they've been telling you, 'you are wonderful, you're perfect, and now do these terrible things.' " So, who are these new women growing up in Gilead? How will the story ofThe Handmaid's Talecontinue, and will Moss make an appearance in the new series? Here's what to know about the highly anticipated follow-up,The Testaments. Warning: Spoilers ahead for the series finale ofThe Handmaid's Tale! Disney/Steve Wilkie Gilead was dealt a lethal blow in "Execution," the penultimate episode ofThe Handmaid's Tale, when June (Moss) and Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) schemed with Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) to sneak a bomb onto a plane filled with Gilead commanders. Once the bomb exploded and the commanders were killed, Gilead began to fall, with Boston being liberated and the rebellion spreading across other parts of the U.S. In the final episode, June is reunited with old friends (likeAlexis Bledel's Emily Malek) and family, including her mother, Holly Maddox (Cherry Jones), and her younger daughter, Nichole. Boston is free, but June's fight isn't over. She is headed to Colorado to find her older daughter, Hannah, who is still living under Gilead's rule. The finale ends with June returning to the burnt-down remains of the Waterford house, where she was originally kept as a Handmaid. Sitting in her former bedroom, June's story comes full circle as she takes out a tape recorder and dictates what's around her, with her voiceover being the same as her narration from the very first episode. "My name is Offred," she says with a smirk, looking into the camera as the credits roll. Disney/Steve Wilkie The Testamentsis based on the 2019 book of the same name byMargaret Atwood. The novel is a sequel set 15 years after her 1985 original,The Handmaid's Tale. The upcoming spinoff series takes place "somewhere around three or four years after" the events ofThe Handmaid's Taleshow, Miller toldVariety.The Testamentswill follow June's daughter, Hannah (or Agnes, as she has been renamed by Gilead), and a new generation of young women growing up in Gilead, "grappling with the bleak future that awaits them." "Facing the prospect of being married off and living a life of servitude, they will be forced to search for allies, both new and old, to help in their fight for freedom and the life they deserve," reads the series description. "We tried not to make the same show — it's got younger voices, it's got a completely different feel and a completely different vibe but it's still Gilead," series creator Miller toldThe Hollywood Reporterin April 2025. "So I hope that the continuing threads continue to interest people while the new stuff is exciting." Executive producer Warren Littlefield explained how even thoughThe Testamentsis set in the same world asThe Handmaid's Tale, it will look different from the original series. "It's pastoral, it's beautiful, it's a different architecture, different color palette and a young wonderful cast," he teased. "But make no mistake, there's still a Gilead there, so that will reveal itself as well." Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Marc Piasecki/WireImage; Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty The Testamentscast is led byAnn Dowd, reprising her role of Aunt Lydia. The rest of the series' cast includes Chase Infiniti, Lucy Halliday, Rowan Blanchard, Mattea Conforti, Mabel Li, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Eva Foote, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Isolde Ardies, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Birva Pandya and Kira Guloien. Moss serves as an executive producer on the new series, so will her character pop up in the spinoff? "I mean, 'No,' " the Emmy-winning actress toldTV Insiderwhen asked if she would be reprising her role inThe Testaments. "[But] I would totally lie to you if I was!" There is reason to hold out hope that Moss might return, since June (Offred, as she is known in the book) does make an appearance inThe Testamentsnovel. "You're just going to have to watch the show," Moss teased toThe Hollywood Reporter. Sophie Giraud/Hulu Production onThe Testamentsstartedin April 2025. A premiere date for the series has not been announced. "It's coming much sooner than I think the next season ofHandmaid'swould have come, but we're well into it, and it's coming along just splendidly," Miller toldVariety. "I think it'll be a lot of — in the waymyshow is a lot of fun, I think it'll be a lot of fun. George Kraychyk/Hulu The Testamentswill stream onHulu, joining all six seasons ofThe Handmaid's Tale. Read the original article onPeople
