The Handmaid's Tale 

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

Creator:

Bruce Miller

Stars:

Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 73 wins & 182 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Elisabeth Moss	...	June Osborne 46 episodes, 2017-2021
Yvonne Strahovski	...	Serena Joy Waterford 41 episodes, 2017-2021
Joseph Fiennes	...	Fred Waterford 39 episodes, 2017-2021
Ann Dowd	...	Aunt Lydia Clements 39 episodes, 2017-2021
Amanda Brugel	...	Rita 36 episodes, 2017-2021
Madeline Brewer	...	Janine Lindo 34 episodes, 2017-2021
Max Minghella	...	Nick Blaine 34 episodes, 2017-2021
O-T Fagbenle	...	Luke Bankole 31 episodes, 2017-2021
Samira Wiley	...	Moira Strand 28 episodes, 2017-2021
Alexis Bledel	...	Emily Malek 26 episodes, 2017-2021
Nina Kiri	...	Alma 24 episodes, 2017-2021
Bradley Whitford	...	Joseph Lawrence 23 episodes, 2018-2021
Bahia Watson	...	Brianna 20 episodes, 2017-2021

Storyline

A religion-based autocracy has taken over most of the United States, renaming the country Gilead. In this country women are second-class citizens. Anyone trying to escape is punished. One such person is June, who is captured while trying to escape with her husband and child and is sentenced to be a handmaid, bearing children for childless government officials. As a handmaid, June is renamed Offred. This is her story.

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Plot Keywords:

rape | dystopia | violence against women | slavery | torture | 

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Taglines:

Know the lies behind their laws. (Season 1)

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

There were no black characters in the original source novel, because Gilead (the repressive theocratic regime that had taken over the US government by the time the book starts) had classified all black people as Children of Ham. This is a reference to the belief held by some fundamentalist Christian denominations that black people are descended from Noah's son Ham and are therefore subject to a "curse" leveled at Ham by Noah. In the novel, black people are forcibly resettled in the upper Midwest (Chapter 14). The producers of this show made a conscious choice to deviate from that aspect of the book so that there would be a chance to include black characters (and actors) in the show, including the casting of Samira Wiley as Offred's friend and fellow handmaid Moira. In a January 2017 interview with "TVLine", executive producer Bruce Miller explained that the producers engaged in a "huge discussion with Margaret Atwood, and in some ways it is 'TV vs. book' thing," arguing that in a TV show it would be harder than in a book to explain the persistent absence of black characters. He continued, "What's the difference between making a TV show about racists and making a racist TV show? Why would we be covering [the story of handmaid Offred, played by Elisabeth Moss], rather than telling the story of the people of color who got sent off to Nebraska?" He also justified it by reporting that the "evangelical movement has gotten a lot more integrated [since the book's publication, and] I made the decision that fertility trumped everything." The source novel also included a brief explanation for the absence of Jewish characters in the story: the Gileadean government gave them the options of either converting to Christianity or emigrating to Israel--though the ones who chose emigration were really loaded onto ships that were then dumped into the ocean.

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Goofs

Although all guards (security personnel) have earphones, there's always a radio chatter audible.

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Quotes

Moira: Hey, that shit is contagious. You want to see your baby girl again? Then you need to keep your fucking shit together.

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Connections

Referenced in BH90210: Picture's Up (2019)

User Reviews

Third season flop

Loved the first two seasons. Honestly, almost halfway through season 3 and not much is happening. Boring. Maybe too many producers? Maybe they should have left off where the book ended. I'm still hopeful that it will pick up the pace. Fingers crossed.

Details

Official Sites:

Hulu Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Greek

Release Date:

26 April 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Handmaid's Tale

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

MGM Television, MGM/UA Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1