Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale may be over now, but the story isn’t finished just yet.

Hulu is already working on a new show called The Testaments. It’s based on a book by the same name, written by Margaret Atwood, the same author who wrote The Handmaid’s Tale. This new part of the story is already in the making.

The Testaments was first announced six years ago, not long after the book came out in 2019. This new series will take us back into the dark world of Gilead, but it will take place after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale. This time, the story will focus on three women: Aunt Lydia, Agnes (who is June’s daughter), and Daisy.

Each of them has grown up knowing only the strict and scary world of Gilead. They don’t really remember what life was like before all the rules and control. As they start learning the truth about Gilead and the people rebelling against it, their paths cross and their lives become connected in surprising ways.

According to Hulu, these young women have been trained to live under Gilead’s rules since childhood, that’s all they’ve ever known. Now, as they face things like forced marriages and being treated like servants, they’ll have to look for people they can trust, both old faces and new, to help them fight back for their freedom and the kind of life they truly deserve.

So, if you’re wondering what’s coming after the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments is the next big chapter, and it’s going to dive even deeper into the world, the secrets, and the fight for freedom.

The Testaments is set in Gilead and continues the story a few years after The Handmaid’s Tale. In the book, it’s set 15 years later, but for the TV series, Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia) mentioned it’s more like four to five years after. The show focuses on three main characters, Aunt Lydia, Daisy (who is June and Nick’s daughter, Nichole), and Agnes (who is June and Luke’s daughter, Hannah).

The showrunner, Bruce Miller, explained that while The Handmaid’s Tale was about a woman being pushed to the bottom of society and treated like she was nothing more than a womb, The Testaments shows a different side. It focuses on girls who are actually born into power in Gilead, like Agnes, the daughter of a high-ranking Commander. Even though they’re at the “top” for women in that world, their lives are still full of fear, control, and danger. It doesn’t feel any better, and in some ways, it’s even more intense because they’re expected to be perfect.

Miller said the story is about growing up in Gilead. These young girls, considered precious and elite, are still trapped, just in a different way. Hannah, for example, has to deal with the spark of rebellion inside her that comes from her mom, June. She starts feeling bold, angry, and ready to fight back, just like her mother once did.

Through Agnes, we also get to see more of who June truly was. The parts of June that live on in her daughter, the strength, the fire, the sense of right and wrong, start to come out in ways she can’t hide. In the end, Miller said The Handmaid’s Tale was like the spark, but it’s the girls, June’s daughters and their generation, who actually set things off and begin to bring Gilead down, just like the book The Testaments shows.

As for Aunt Lydia, her story is more complicated. She isn’t openly part of the rebellion, but she is slowly starting to turn against the Gilead regime. Bruce Miller said Lydia is struggling with her own beliefs. She wants to control the girls, but deep down, she’s starting to feel that it’s wrong. She’s torn between her loyalty to the system and her growing doubts.

Miller described Lydia as someone who doesn’t just give up when she loses control; she fights harder. She’s not just a person who wants power; she’s good at holding it. So, when she starts to question everything and loses her grip, she doesn’t just fade away. Instead, she starts pushing back. Miller hinted that Lydia could become a powerful force against Gilead, not by stepping aside, but by taking it down from the inside.

The Handmaid’s Tale ends in a way that sets things up perfectly for The Testaments. One of the most important parts is that June is still separated from her eldest daughter, Hannah. At the beginning of The TestamentsHannah (who is called Agnes in that story) is still living in Gilead. That’s why the creators of the show didn’t let June and Hannah reunite in the final season, because doing that would’ve made things confusing for the next chapter.

Even though it might have felt disappointing to some fans who were hoping for a reunion, the show’s creator, Bruce Miller, explained that there’s something meaningful in how it ended. He said it’s powerful to show that there are many people, like June, who are out there risking everything to help, to fight back, and to find their loved ones.

Miller also said June’s presence and influence are still very much a part of The Testaments. She may not always be seen on screen, but her impact is there, especially in how others are inspired to resist and rise against Gilead.

He added that there’s a whole world of people inside Gilead who secretly hate the regime and want to bring it down. The Testaments will explore more of those people and their stories, showing how the fight for freedom is happening in so many different corners.