The Testaments drama makes major changes to the book – 7 key differences explained

Just one year after The Handmaid's Tale ended on TV, the franchise returns to Gilead with a spin-off titled The Testaments. This adaptation of Margaret Atwood's sequel follows two young women named Agnes (Chase Infiniti) and Daisy (Lucy Halliday) who navigate life under this fascist regime in very different ways.

While the first book was published in 1985, the sequel was released by Atwood in 2019, two years after the Handmaid's Tale series began. The acclaimed author has since noted that Ann Dowd's performance as Aunt Lydia in the first series helped inspire her character's trajectory in the second book (via Time).

Atwood also let the writers of the show know the direction these characters would develop so they could plan accordingly (via Variety).

Yet even so, adapting a book to screen will always necessitate changes of some kind. TV is a very different medium to text, so it should come as no surprise that The Testaments show walks a slightly different path than fans of the novel might expect.

Some alterations that have been made are bigger than others, but it's all in service of the story and capturing the essence of what made Atwood's novel a worthy sequel in the first place. So without further ado, let's go in grace and take a closer look at some of the biggest changes made to The Testaments story in this new adaptation on screen.

The Testaments book to show differences explained

1. The Testaments is set 4 years after The Handmaid's Tale

Before we dive into the nitty gritty, the most immediate change is where this new series is placed within the franchise's overall timeline. While the book starts 15 years after the main events depicted within Atwood's first Handmaid's book, this show only jumps four years ahead following the final season of The Handmaid's Tale.

The Testaments showrunner Bruce Miller explained this in more detail last year during a chat with The Hollywood Reporter. "There are parts of the [Testaments] book that take place very far in the future, and we want to save those things for far in the future," said Miller.

"They’re goals we’re working towards. But there’s a compact bit of the story that takes place with the girls when they’re going through this process of finding husbands. That, as a core, is what we’re shooting for."

2. Tabitha doesn't appear in season 1

In the original book, Agnes is raised by Commander Kyle and his wife Tabitha, who later dies from sickness. Following her death, Kyle marries a woman named Paula who also lost her partner.

This all happens in the show as well, but the storyline is compressed so we don't really see much of Tabitha at all beyond what Agnes recalls of her. The common thread between both versions, however, is that Tabitha loved Agnes as much as Paula (Amy Seimetz) despises her now.

3. Aunt Lydia changes jobs

The Testaments book reveals that Aunt Lydia worked as a judge before Gilead took over. But as we've seen as far back as The Handmaid's Tale season 3, Ann Dowd's version was a teacher instead.

This thread continues in season 1 of The Testaments through flashback sequences that occur in later episodes.

4. Aunt Vidala is different too

The Testaments book introduces a new Aunt character named Aunt Vidala who supported Gilead even before the takeover. In fact, Vidala handpicked Lydia and other women to become Aunts under Commander Judd's supervision.

Mabel Li's version of Aunt Vidala didn't back Gilead in those early days, however. Wait until later in the season to find out the specifics of Vidala's story and how she got tangled up with Dowd's take on Lydia.

5. Daisy arrives earlier in the show

Along with Agnes and Lydia, a third character named Daisy also narrated the story, and her on-screen counterpart is quite similar to start with. Both versions lived in Toronto until their parents were killed because they were secretly working with Mayday against Gilead.

In both cases, Daisy also infiltrates Gilead as a spy to help Mayday bring them down and get justice for her parents. What's different here is that Lucy Halliday's version is around the same age as Agnes, so they attend school together. That's a big change from the book where Agnes is around 10 years older than Daisy, working now as an Aunt named Victoria.

By deviating from this specific age gap and power dynamic, the show puts Agnes and Daisy on more equal footing, thereby transforming the nature of their relationship entirely.

6. Garth plays a different role in the series

The series first introduces Garth (Brad Alexander) as one of the Eyes charged with protecting Agnes and her household. It's not until episode 3 that we learn he's actually working with Mayday to bring Gilead down from the inside.

The original Garth is also a Mayday agent, but he doesn't work within Gilead. This version emigrated from Texas to Canada so he could help bring Gilead down from the outside. It's there in Canada that he helps Daisy trick the Pearls into recruiting her.

The reason for this change is that the show enlists June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) to help Daisy in Canada, so it makes more sense to bring Garth into Gilead directly, completely changing the trajectory of his narrative.

7. June Osborne's expanded role in the show

Perhaps the biggest change of all is the involvement of June Osborne. In the book, June doesn't appear until briefly at the very end in an epilogue where she's reunited with her daughters, Hannah and Nicole, in Canada. Still, her influence as a key Mayday operative is felt throughout.

Given how disappointed some fans were when this reunion didn't happen at the end of The Handmaid's Tale series, it makes perfect sense that The Testaments would find more ways to bring June in, potentially setting up that reunion later down the line. And that's especially true when you factor in Moss's involvement in The Testaments as an executive producer.

In the series, June shows up to help Daisy, first with the loss of her parents and then with her future working for Mayday. Moss's iconic character is not the focus this time though, not like before.

Despite June's expanded role, the story of The Testaments still belongs to Daisy, Lydia, and Agnes. It's now their turn to make sure the you-know-whats don't grind them down.

The Testaments premieres on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK on Wednesday 8 April 2026.

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