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.
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9 Characters Who Could Die In The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, Ranked By Likelihood
Quite a few main characters in The Handmaid's Tale are at the risk of being killed off in the show's final outing, but some are more likely to go.
The Latest The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 News
Another Trailer For Season 6 Arrives
As anticipation builds for the show's triumphant final return, the latest news arrives in the form of a trailer for The Handmaid's Tale season 6. The exhilarating new trailer puts an emphasis on revolution and opens with June and Luke sneaking back into Gilead. After that, things take a violent turn as the Handmaids begin to revolt against the country's armed forces, and the fight for freedom finally begins in earnest. Another, more personal drama is also teased, and June is clearly torn between her love for Luke and her love for Nick.
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 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 Good Place star D'Arcy Carden will appear in the final episodes in an as-yet-unknown guest role.
The cast of The Handmaid's Tale season 6 is expected to include:
Actor |
The Handmaid's Tale Role |
|
---|---|---|
Elisabeth Moss |
June Osborne |
|
Yvonne Strahovski |
Serena Joy Waterford |
|
O-T Fagbenle |
Luke Bankole |
|
Max Minghella |
Commander Nick Blaine |
|
Samira Wiley |
Moira Strand |
|
Bradley Whitford |
Commander Joseph Lawrence |
|
Ever Carradine |
Noami Putnam |
|
Ann Dowd |
Aunt Lydia |
|
Sam Jaeger |
Mark Tuello |
|
Amanda Brugel |
Rita Blue |
|
Madeline Brewer |
Janine Lindo |
|
Josh Charles |
Unknown |
|
Timothy Simons |
Unknown |
|
D'Arcy Carden |
Unknown |
|
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 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 ittance 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 ed 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.
The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 Trailer
Watch The Teaser Below
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.
Another trailer for The Handmaid's Tale season 6 premiered in March 2025, and it reveals even more about the final season. Opening with Luke and June sneaking back into Gilead, the trailer highlights the resistance to the country's armed forces and the beginning of the physical fight for freedom. The Handmaids actively fight the military, and an eruption of resistance grips Gilead. However, June deals with her own personal struggles, including her mixed feelings about Luke and Nick.

The Handmaid's Tale
- Release Date
- 2017 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Hulu
- Showrunner
- Bruce Miller
Cast
- Elisabeth MossJune Osborne / Offred / Ofjoseph
- Serena Joy Waterford
The Handmaid's Tale is a television adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel, released in 2017. It is set in a dystopian future where a woman is compelled to live as a concubine under a strict fundamentalist theocracy.
- Writers
- Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman, Yahlin Chang, John Herrera, Jacey Heldrich, Dorothy Fortenberry, Marissa Jo Cerar, Lynn Renee Maxcy
- Seasons
- 6
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Story By
- Margaret Atwood
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