The Testaments will still appeal to fans who never saw The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale sequel The Testaments will still work for people who never saw the original show.
The Testaments will be "open" to people who never watched The Handmaid's Tale.
The hit show ended in May after six seasons, but the franchise is continuing with an adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 2019 sequel novel, which was officially announced six years ago.
In an update on the Hulu series, Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich - who oversees ABC and Hulu Originals - told Deadline: "We’re very happy with The Testaments.
“It’s definitely a different view of that world, but I think will both will be satisfying to Handmaid’s fans, but open it up to to new viewers as well.”
While the upcoming series is also set in Gilead, the novel picks up after the events of The Handmaid's Tale.
The series will follow three women - Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), Daisy (Lucy Halliday) and Agnes (Chase Infiniti), who is the daughter of Elisabeth Moss' daughter June - as they uncover the truth about Gilead, and those rebelling against it.
Moss will be back in a behind the scenes role as executive producer, it's not yet known if she'll reprise her role as June on screen.
Meanwhile, Erwich insisted Disney are "very proud" of Handmaid's Tale, despite the show only getting one Primetime Emmy Awards nomination this year.
Cherry Jones - who won an Emmy for her recurring role of Holly Maddox in 2019 - is on the 2025 shortlist for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series, but the programme didn't get the nod in any other categories.
Erwich said: “The Handmaid’s Tale is judged by the audience’s reaction to the final season, which was overwhelmingly excited, gratified, satisfied.
“It’s a show we’re very proud of. It was the first streaming show ever to win Best Drama, it will be attached to that achievement forever and really defined Hulu, defined a generation of viewers.
"So everything beyond that, quite frankly, is gravy. This was a really good year for Handmaid’s. We’re very happy of the way it sailed off, bittersweet as it is.”
