Offred and co. are coming back for more.
Hulu has renewed “The Handmaid’s Tale” for a fourth outing. The news comes with three episodes of the third season still to air. “Handmaid’s” has become a signature original series for Hulu, which claims that it is the most watched show, original or acquired, on the streaming service.
The series picked up a hatful of Emmys in its opening season, including one for drama series, one for lead actress Elisabeth Moss and one for supporting actress Ann Dowd. At last year’s ceremony, the series came home with three Emmys. A trio of episodes from season 2 are eligible at this year’s Emmys and picked up nominations in 10 different categories, while the entirety of season 3 will compete at the 2020 edition.
Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, “The Handmaid’s Tale” follows the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the United States. Moss stars with Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O.T. Fagbenle, Max Minghella, and Samira Wiley. The show is executive produced by Miller, Warren Littlefield, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Ilene Chaiken, Eric Tuchman, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Frank Siracusa and Moss. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is produced by MGM Television.
In her review of season 3, Variety critic Caroline Framke deemed that the show “is stuck in a repetitive loop, both by design and accident,” as it chooses to “hammer home its greatest hits to the detriment of the possible new avenues it could explore.” While Framke said that it “occasionally” still “hits a worthy, specific nerve,” overall the third season suffers from “zooming too far out.”