Over five years ago, “The Handmaid’s Tale” series premiered. The adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s suddenly timely 1985 novel quickly got renewed for a second season on May 3 the same year, rolling out the sophomore series almost exactly a year later on April 25, 2018. The fifth, but not final season of the television show is on its way out amid news of the show’s renewal for a sixth and final season.
Attached to many political protests like The Women’s March, “The Handmaid’s Tale” continues to fuel the conversation of bodily autonomy. Original fans of Atwood’s novel or the show itself may be wondering how to watch “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5, including when new episodes premiere and how many there are.
When Does “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5 Premiere?
Season 5 of the dystopian show premieres worldwide Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. The first two episodes will be available to watch.
Is “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5 Streaming on Hulu?
Yes, as was the case with previous seasons, entirety of “The Handmaid’s Tale” can be streamed on Hulu with a $7 subscription for the tier with ads. The ad-free tier costs $13 a month. After the first two episodes arrive Sept. 14, the rest will roll out weekly on Wednesday nights until the last episode launches Nov. 9.
Who Is in “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5 Cast?
The fifth installment of the dystopian series will welcome back staple cast members Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne and Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford. Others like Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia Clements), O-T Fagbenle (Luke Bankole), Samira Wiley (Moira Strand) and Bradley Whitford (Joseph Lawrence) come back alongside Moss and Strahovski. Max Minghella (Nick Blaine) and Madeline Brewer (Janine Lindo) will return as well. Alexis Bledel has departed the show, so her character Emily Malek will not be returning.
What Is “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5 About?
The logline for the fifth season reads: “June faces consequences for killing Commander Waterford while struggling to redefine her identity and purpose. The widowed Serena attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influence creeps into Canada. Commander Lawrence works with Nick and Aunt Lydia as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power. June, Luke and Moira fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah.”
The overall story is set in a futuristic New England in the state called the Republic of Gilead, which clings to a strong patriarchal structure as well as a totalitarian economy. The Republic of Gilead overthrew the United States government. In the fundamentalist regime of Gilead, women are treated as property of the state, which faces environmental decline as well as a decrease in birth rate. Fertile women become forced to bear children in order to try and repopulate the world, and June, who gets the new name Offred when she becomes a handmaid, struggles to break through the obsolete system and find the daughter she bore who was taken from her.
