The Testaments: why isn’t it season 7 of The Handmaid’s Tale?

The new series is a direct sequel to the previous one. Creator Bruce Miller explains.

Of course, there is Margaret Atwood’s book. In 2019, while The Handmaid’s Tale is in full swing on television, the writer is releasing a sequel to her cult dystopian novel from 1987 in bookstores. Thus, the first series adapted the first book (in reality, only season 1, since everything else went well beyond the novel) and the second brings this sequel to the screen. On paper, The Testaments therefore has its own identity.

Except that in fact, it presents itself as a direct continuation of the story of June Osborne. Elisabeth Moss already makes an appearance at the end of the first episode. The star of The Handmaid’s Tale is there, with a real role in this plot which takes place a few years after the finale broadcast in 2025. The chronology is quite simple: The Testaments is not really a spin-off, but rather a continuation.

“It doesn’t matter what the terminology is, really,” admits creator Bruce Miller, whom Première was able to meet during the Séries Mania festival in Lille. “I don’t really know what this all amounts to. I prefer to say that The Testaments is a new adaptation of another book by Margaret Atwood. There are connections, obviously. So certainly Margaret would say that it is another chapter in this saga. And in itself a direct sequel, indeed…”

But then why not present the story of Agnes in Gilead, the continuation of Mayday’s fight against the commanders, as the natural season 7 of The Handmaid’s Tale? Producer Warren Littlefield responds:

“It’s well seen, and there is an answer to this question: we made the creative choice not to do season 7 of The Handmaid’s Tale. We relocated the story elsewhere, during another period, with other voices. Of course, Aunt Lydia is there to make the connection. But it’s really a new series in my opinion.”

The idea, for the creators, is also not to discourage those who have not seen – or not finished – the original series, in order to attract a wider audience: “If you have never watched The Handmaid’s Tale, no problem! You can still enter The Testaments”, they assure. It’s still better to have some basics to understand everything about Gilead’s issues…

The Testaments, season 1, to watch on Disney+ from April 8, 2026.