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IMDb 8.3 18+ HD

The Handmaid's Tale

2017 6 seasons Drama · Science Fiction

A theocratic dictatorship forces fertile women into sexual servitude as child-bearing surrogates. One Handmaid's struggle to survive and resist drives a six-season drama.

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United States 5 services With a subscription 1 service Purchase 4 services
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Amazon Video — Purchase
Apple TV Store — Purchase
Google Play Movies — Purchase
Fandango At Home — Purchase

Availability data by JustWatch

About the series

Blessed be the fight

What it’s about

In the Republic of Gilead, a fundamentalist regime run by military commanders and their wives has seized power. Most women are infertile, so those who can conceive are rounded up and assigned as Handmaids: surrogates who must submit to ritualized rape and hand over any child they bear. June Osborne is one such Handmaid, placed in the household of a powerful commander and his wife. She must learn the strict rules of her new life while hiding her memories of the time before and her hope of escape.

What hooks you

Elisabeth Moss plays June Osborne, the Handmaid whose perspective anchors the series; she appears in every episode. The cast also includes Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford and Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia Clements. The show has won eight major awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Drama Series and an Emmy for Moss. It was the first Hulu series to take the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. The source novel by Margaret Atwood, who has a cameo in the first season, was influenced by George Orwell's "1984".

Who it’s for

It suits viewers who appreciate dystopian fiction that examines gender, power, and religious extremism. Those who like slow-burning tension, moral complexity, and a central performance of quiet fury will find much to hold their attention.

In collections
Hulu Award-Winning Movies
Technical details
Country
United States
Year
2017
Genres
Drama, Science Fiction
Episode length
60 min
Age rating
18+
MPAA
TV-MA
Status
Streaming
World premiere
Apr 27, 2017

Ratings

MOVIE․ONE · 208 votes
8.5 /10
IMDb
8.3295,000
Kinopoisk
7.9275,864
Your rating —
— /10
1 · Didn't land 10 · Masterpiece

Creative team

All 13
Director Kari Skogland
Starring
  1. 01 Elisabeth Moss June Osborne
  2. 02 Yvonne Strahovski Serena Joy Waterford
  3. 03 Ann Dowd Aunt Lydia Clements
  4. 04 Joseph Fiennes Actor
  5. 05 Max Minghella Nick Blaine
  6. 06 O-T Fagbenle Luke Bankole
  7. 07 Samira Wiley Moira Strand
  8. 08 Nina Kiri Alma
  9. 09 Madeline Brewer Janine Lindo
  10. 10 Amanda Brugel Rita Blue
  11. 11 Sam Jaeger Mark Tuello

Trivia

All facts 10
  1. In one of the episodes of the 1st series, Margaret Atwood played a small role; the series is based on her novel of the same name (1985).
  2. In the source novel there were no Black characters, because Gilead (the repressive theocratic regime that seized power in the US by the time the book begins) classified all Black people as "Children of Ham." This is a reference to the belief of some fundamentalist Christian sects that Black people are descended from Noah's son Ham and are therefore subject to the "curse" Noah placed on Ham. In the novel, Black people are forcibly relocated to the Midwest. The producers of the series deliberately deviated from this aspect of the book so that Black characters (and actors) could be included in the cast.
  3. 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.
  4. In Margaret Atwood's original novel, only the protagonist's new name is known - Offred. Her real name is never mentioned.
  5. The first series released by the Hulu service to win an Emmy in the Outstanding Drama Series category.
  6. The regime that has taken over the United States in the series, as in the original novel, is called the Republic of Gilead. Gilead is mentioned repeatedly in the Bible both as a geographical place and as a figurative or literal source of balm (a healing or curative substance).

Awards and nominations

7 wins 34 nominations

All
  1. 2 wins Golden Globe Awards 2018 · 4 nominations
  2. 4 wins Emmy Awards 2017–2019 · 18 nominations
  3. 1 win MTV Movie & TV Awards 2019 · 1 nomination
Top wins
  1. Best Actress on TV (Drama) Elisabeth Moss Golden Globe Awards · 2018
  2. Best Drama Series Golden Globe Awards · 2018
  3. Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series Cherry Jones Emmy Awards · 2019
  4. Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series Alexis Bledel Emmy Awards · 2017
  5. Best Drama Series Leila Gerstein, Sheila Hockin Emmy Awards · 2017
  6. Best Actress in a Drama Series Elisabeth Moss Emmy Awards · 2017

Also nominated Screen Actors Guild Awards9 Saturn Awards2

Franchise

2
  1. 2017
    The Handmaid's Tale You are here
  2. 2026 The Testaments Sequel

Reviews

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