The Handmaid's Tale season 6: Release date speculation, cast, plot and latest news

The sixth season will also be the final outing for the show, which airs on Channel 4 and Amazon Prime Video in the UK and Hulu in the US.

Based on Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name, the series centres on June – known in dystopian Gilead as Offred – who was forced to work as a natal slave for the Waterford family in a world where fertility rates had collapsed.

Along the way, we've been introduced (and sadly bid farewell) to a whole bunch of characters, mainly women who are in the same position as June and are fighting to survive in a world they don't recognise in whatever way they know how.

But that's not all, as a follow-up series based on Atwood's novel of the same name, The Testaments, is "actively being developed" according to Deadline also – how exciting.

"It has been a true honour to tell the story of Margaret Atwood's groundbreaking novel and chillingly relevant world, and we are thrilled to bring viewers a sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale," showrunner Bruce Miller said in a press release.

"We are grateful to Hulu and MGM for allowing us to tell this story, which unfortunately has remained as relevant as ever throughout its run, and are in awe of our incredible fans for their unwavering support, and without whom we never would have gotten to this point."

Read on for everything you need to know about The Handmaid's Tale season 6.

*Spoilers ahead for The Handmaids Tale season 5*

The Handmaid's Tale season 6 release date speculation: When could it air?

After experiencing delays due to the SAG-AFRA writers' strike, things were pushed back for the sixth season of The Handmaid's Tale, but we now have a confirmed release window.

In an interview with Deadline, Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich, who oversees content for Hulu Originals, confirmed that the sixth season is set to kick off production this summer 2024 for an expected premiere in 2025.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6 cast: Who's returning?

We'd expect the following faces to all return for season 6:

• Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
• Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford
• Madeline Brewer as Janine
• Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia
• O-T Fagbenle as Luke
• Max Minghella as Nick
• Samira Wiley as Moira
• Bradley Whitford as Commander Lawrence
• Amanda Brugel as Rita

But Alexis Bledel, sadly, won't be back. Her character Emily was written out during season 5 after it was revealed she had returned to Gilead, presumably for revenge.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6 plot: What will happen?

Speaking about his hopes for the final season, Miller said: "I just want it to be a solid season. But I also have been watching other shows end successfully or unsuccessfully, and I've got to take those lessons.

"I just want every episode to be solid, and therefore I want every scene to be solid. And that's all I'm thinking about. And if it doesn't feel like the finale of a show, that's okay. The beginning of it didn't feel like the beginning of a show either."

At the end of season 5, June and Serena crossed paths on a train heading to Vancouver – and hopefully onwards to Hawaii – which raises questions about what their dynamic will look like in the next chapter. Will they unite and crucially, will they defeat Gilead?

"When we played out Serena's story, it seemed so logical, given June's story, that they'd probably end up in the same place," Miller told The Hollywood Reporter. "They're both trying to anonymously flee Toronto among a crowd of people. How many options do you have?

"I thought this is where Serena would end up before I thought this was where June would end up. It did feel like they were not running toward each other but running toward the same spot."

But while June is currently free, Luke has been captured after handing himself in to spare her and Nichole, leaving his future cloaked in uncertainty. Will he be able to escape and rejoin June in her efforts to defeat the regime?

There's also Nick, who found himself in hot water after assaulting Commander Lawrence. And his pregnant wife has also chosen to distance herself from him.

"[With] Nick, the problem is he tries to stay out of trouble, and now he can't because the thing that's pulling him back to trouble is June," Miller told Entertainment Weekly.

"I feel like this is the most romantic Nick/June season ever because they spend the whole time trying to convince themselves that they don't need to be together. And by the end, they are not successful at all, they fail entirely... but they're so in love, they can't think about anything else."

And we can't forget Janine, who has been taken by The Eyes, leaving Aunt Lydia heartbroken.

"Janine is channeling her inner June, and look at the consequences," Miller told EW. "But being picked up by The Eyes can mean a lot of things. They have for a long time wanted Janine to be useful and reproductive, and if she isn't doing that at the Red Centre, they will move her somewhere else. And they're not very polite about it.

"But she also could just get pulled out and shot in the middle of the street. It's that kind of place."

Is there a trailer for The Handmaid's Tale season 6?

Not just yet! As the final season is yet to go into production, we can expect a trailer closer to the release date in 2025.

The Handmaid's Tale airs on Channel 4 and Prime Video in the UK – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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