After a long wait, The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 news is starting to arrive. 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 by Margaret Atwood.
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, especially as 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 highly anticipated, and here’s everything known about the final season.
The Latest The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 News
The Release Date & Trailer Are Revealed
Not long after it was announced that filming had wrapped, the latest news confirms the release date for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6. Coming more than two years after the season 5 finale, it has now been announced that the sixth and final season of the dystopian thriller will premiere on April 8, 2025. To announce the release date, Hulu released a new poster featuring June smirking while wearing the familiar Handmaid’s outfit.
On top of the release date, Hulu also dropped the first teaser for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, and it hints at a climactic final battle. Narrated by June as she recounts the significance of the Handmaid’s outfit, short clips begin showing how the resistance is building. Women are seen brandishing retractable knives, and someone is killed before being incinerated. Though the trailer only teases what’s to come, The Handmaid’s Tale is clearly going out with a bang.
The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 concluded on November 9, 2022.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Release Date
Season 6 Arrives In Spring 2025
the universe of The Handmaid’s Tale isn’t over yet, and The Testaments is still in development.
After several years of waiting, Hulu has finally put The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 on the schedule. Set to premiere its final outing on April 8, 2025, the upcoming season is already shaping up to be an explosive conclusion. Despite the fact that the main show is riding off into the sunset, the universe of The Handmaid’s Tale isn’t over yet, and The Testaments is still in development.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Cast
Elisabeth Moss Returns For The Final Season
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6’s cast should largely look the same as season 5’s. The cast has been pretty consistent, except for 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, who earned an Emmy nomination for her work in season 5. With Ever Carradine promoted to a series regular for season 6, it’s also been confirmed that she’ll be returning as Naomi Putnam.
The cast of the climactic final season is already beginning to grow with the addition of The Veil star Josh Charles. Nothing is currently known about the role Charles will be playing, but he has been tapped to be a series regular which suggests the part will be crucial to season 6’s story. Likewise, Veep‘s Timothy Simons has also been cast in an undisclosed role.
The cast of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 is expected to include:
| Actor | The Handmaid’s Tale Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Elisabeth Moss | June Osborne |
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| Yvonne Strahovski | Serena Joy Waterford |
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| O-T Fagbenle | Luke Bankole |
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| Max Minghella | Commander Nick Blaine |
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| Samira Wiley | Moira Strand |
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| Bradley Whitford | Commander Joseph Lawrence |
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| Ever Carradine | Noami Putnam |
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| Ann Dowd | Aunt Lydia |
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| Sam Jaeger | Mark Tuello |
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| Amanda Brugel | Rita Blue |
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| Madeline Brewer | Janine Lindo |
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| Josh Charles | Unknown |
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| Timothy Simons | Unknown |
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The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Story Details
Season 5 Ended On A Massive Cliffhanger
there’s a lot for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 story to get through before the series comes to an end.
Season 5’s ending saw June run 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. 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.
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 even 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. With all that, there’s a lot for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 story to get through before the series comes to an end.
The Handmaid’s Tale Is Ending With Season 6
A Shocking Conclusion Is Expected
Despite its renewal, The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 news includes the revelation that it will be the last one. Bruce Miller has been the showrunner for The Handmaid’s Tale since it first premiered in 2017. After five seasons of working on the show, however, Miller is stepping down from his position and there will be two new showrunners sharing the duties in the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale. Miller is 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-executive producer since the first season. Chang joined the writer’s room in the second season and has also served as a co-executive producer. Though there’s still some interesting story set up for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6, the show ending at that stage does make sense as it’s hard to imagine The Handmaid’s Tale being stretched further.
With only a few months until the show’s return, Hulu dropped the first teaser for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 in February 2025. Opening with narration from June who explains the importance of the Handmaid’s garments, the teaser then switches to scenes of active resistance against the repressive regime. Women are seen sporting sharp knives, and someone is killed before having their body incinerated.
