Handmaid’s Tale earns Season 2 pickup
Less than a week after premiering, The Handmaid’s Tale has won a second season from Hulu.
The drama, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, is set in a dystopian future in which a theocratic regime has taken over the United States, now known as the Republic of Gilead, and stripped women of their rights.
It stars Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss as Offred, a woman who is enslaved and forced to bear children for a military commander and his infertile wife.
The renewal hardly came as a surprise. The Handmaid’s Tale has been a critical hit, earning mostly glowing reviews and social-media buzz. Hulu says the debut was watched by more viewers than any other series premiere.
It airs in Canada on Bravo, which had not released ratings by press time.
“The response we’ve seen to The Handmaid’s Tale in just one week since its premiere has been absolutely incredible,” said Craig Erwich, Hulu’s head of original content.
For Hulu, The Handmaid’s Tale has the makings of a breakout success on the order of Netflix’s House of Cards or Amazon’s Transparent.
The second season will premiere in 2018.