
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ has been renewed for a sixth and final season!
Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres Sept. 14 on Hulu and will be the penultimate season of the hit drama series
The end of The Handmaid’s Tale is approaching.
Hulu has announced that the award-winning program has been renewed for a sixth season, but it will also be the show’s final season, ahead of the season 5 debut.
“It has been a true honor to tell the story of Margaret Atwood’s groundbreaking novel and the chillingly relevant world, and we are thrilled to bring viewers a sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale,” Bruce Miller, creator, showrunner, and executive producer said in a press release. “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 is in awe of our incredible fans for their unwavering support, and without whom we never would have gotten to this point.”
“Five years ago, almost to the day, The Handmaid’s Tale made history when it became the first show to win an Emmy for a streaming service,” said Craig Erwich, President, ABC Entertainment, Hulu, and Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals. “In the time since, it has been a privilege and pleasure to work with some of the finest creative talents in our industry on this show – a distinct and exceptional group of people who continue to produce the highest quality television that has made and continues to make a significant cultural impact. Bruce, Warren, Lizzie, and the entire team at MGM have been amazing partners, and we hope fans enjoy these last two seasons.”
The hit drama series, starring Elisabeth Moss, is based on the novel by Margaret Atwood and set in a future world plagued with infertility that assigns handmaids to have babies. It premiered on Hulu in April 2017 and has since produced four seasons.
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Throughout its run, the series created history by being the first streaming show to win an Emmy for Best Drama Series. It has since received 14 Emmy Awards, including three for Moss, 39, for outstanding lead actress in a drama series, as well as a Peabody Award.
Ann Dowd, Bradley Whitford, Samira Wiley, and Alexis Bledel have all won Emmys for their roles in the show.
The Handmaid’s Tale has received 75 Emmy nominations and six Golden Globe nominations.
Besides the awards, The Handmaid’s Tale has garnered much attention due to the dystopian tale’s themes — namely, a woman’s right to free will and bodily autonomy — as they find relevance in the present day. The topic became especially relevant in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Atwood, now 82, had previously told PEOPLE that she never intended for the book to be prophetic.
“There’s a precedent in real life for everything in the book,” she said in 2017. “I decided not to put anything in that somebody somewhere hadn’t already done. But you write these books so they won’t come true.”