"The Testaments" Premieres on Hulu: Handmaid's Tale Sequel Drops Today

"The Testaments," the highly anticipated sequel series to "The Handmaid's Tale," premiered on Hulu on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, with its first three episodes dropping at once and subsequent installments releasing weekly. The series is set in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead more than 15 years after the events of the original show.

Source Material

The series is based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood's 2019 Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. Showrunner Bruce Miller, who created the original "Handmaid's Tale" adaptation, returns to ensure creative continuity across the two shows. The coming-of-age story follows two young women — Agnes, a dutiful young woman raised within Gilead's rigid system, and Daisy, a new arrival and convert from beyond Gilead's borders — as they grapple with the bleak future awaiting them in the theocratic regime.

Cast and Characters

Ann Dowd reprises her iconic role as Aunt Lydia, a return that has generated intense excitement among fans of the original series. A new generation of actors plays Agnes and Daisy, and their journey of discovery forms the central narrative of the early episodes. The series explores Gilead's harsh rules for young women reaching adulthood and introduces new forms of resistance emerging within the regime itself.

International Release

The series is available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US, and on Disney+ internationally — meaning viewers in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, and most of the world can stream it from day one. Critics have praised the opening episodes and describe the series as one of the most anticipated premieres of recent years. The reaction from longtime fans has been overwhelmingly positive.