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The fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale has not premiered yet, but the TV show has already been renewed for a fifth season. The fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale is currently filming and is expected to premiere in 2021. To announce the fifth season, the cast of The Handmaid’s Tale put together a special video message.

Elisabeth Moss
Elisabeth Moss | Erik Voake/Getty Images for Hulu

Season 4 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ will have 10 episodes

The Handmaid’s Tale premiered on Hulu in 2017, and the series is based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel by the same name. The first season of The Handmaid’s Tale consisted of 10 episodes and drew heavily from the novel.

Since the first season ended, the show has continued to fill in the gaps between the last chapter of the novel and the novel’s epilogue. Both the second and third seasons of the show featured 13 episodes.

Going forward, the fourth season will resemble the first season in that it is slated to have 10 episodes. Production for the fourth season originally began in March 2020, but it was quickly shut down due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It has since resumed, and the fourth season is expected to premiere on Hulu sometime in 2021.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ was renewed for Season 5

Based on its previous success, it is clear that Hulu has a lot of faith in The Handmaid’s Tale. On Dec. 10, Hulu posted a video of the cast members announcing the show was recently renewed for a fifth season.

Bruce Miller, the creator and showrunner, also released a statement about the renewal.

“We’re very grateful to Hulu and MGM that the show will be returning for a fifth season, and especially to our loyal fans for their support,” said Miller according to The Hollywood Reporter. “We are thrilled to be able to continue to tell these stories, with our incredible cast and crew, and can’t wait to be back on the air with season four next year.”

What to expect from Season 4

Compared to past seasons, fans can expect something completely different from the fourth season. While June (Elisabeth Moss) is still in Gilead, she will take on a larger role in the rebellion.

“June is going into a very interesting world, she’s on the run, she’s got women with her who she feels responsible for. She’s also bleeding to death, basically, at the end of season [three]. June has a taste of freedom now, and we’re going to follow her,” Miller told The Hollywood Reporter.

Moss will direct a few episodes in the fourth season, and Miller explained that the season will be satisfying for viewers for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that the upcoming season will feature numerous new characters.

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“Because June is moving through a new world, at least at the beginning she’s out and about. And who do you interact with, and who do you trust? So the guest players have been so important this season, and they’ve been for the first few episodes, so good,” Miller said.

If any fans felt past seasons were stagnant, Season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale seems to be heading in a totally new direction.

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