The Testaments

Premise

The series is set in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead, serving as a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. It follows a new generation of young women, including Agnes, who has grown up entirely within Gilead, and Daisy, a newcomer from beyond its borders. Facing arranged marriages and lives of strict obedience, the series follows their coming of age under Gilead's rigid rule.

Cast and characters

Main

Chase Infiniti as Agnes MacKenzie (known as Hannah Bankole in The Handmaid's Tale), a girl at the top of the heap in Gilead and biological daughter of June Osborne, who begins to rebel against the regime's oppressive structure as she uncovers her true identity.

Lucy Halliday as Daisy, a young Canadian teenager whose life is upended by a horrifying family secret that links her to Gilead, leading her to work as an undercover Mayday operative. As revealed in "Commitment," her real name is Marguerite and Daisy is just a nickname.

Mabel Li as Aunt Vidala, a founding member of the Aunts and a brutal disciplinarian who strictly enforces Gilead's rules while vying for more power and security. In "Stadium," her real name is revealed to be Vivian and she is shown to have been an elementary school teacher who worked with Lydia before Gilead.

Brad Alexander as Garth Chapin, a young Guardian working for the MacKenzie family, who secretly operates as a deep-cover agent for the resistance group Mayday as well as Daisy's handler. Garth is later promoted to Commander.

Isolde Ardies as Hulda Marie Edwardson, a guileless and optimistic young "Plum" who is eagerly anticipating her coming-of-age and future womanhood within Gilead's traditions.

Rowan Blanchard as Shunammite Hayes, a pampered and blunt teenager from a high-ranking family whose status grants her significant power and respect among her peers.

Mattea Conforti as Rebecka "Becka" Grove, a student of humble origins at Aunt Lydia's academy who, unlike her peers, views her groomed future with dread and begins to question her fate. It is implied she is attracted to Agnes.

Zarrin Darnell-Martin as Aunt Gabbana, a strict and uncompromising disciplinarian at Ardua Hall who serves as Aunt Vidala's right hand and a firm proponent of Gilead's core values.

Eva Foote as Aunt Estee, the youngest and most compassionate Aunt at the academy, known for her kindness and "cool" reputation among students. It is later revealed that she is not originally from Gilead.

Guest

Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne, the biological mother of Agnes (Hannah) who, while living in exile in Canada, remains a pivotal leader in the Mayday resistance and continues her mission to rescue her daughter from Gilead.

Reed Diamond as Commander Weston, a high-ranking official who runs the Eyes, Gilead's secret police force.

Charlie Carrick as Commander Michael Judd, a powerful, high-ranking official in Gilead with control over women's affairs who maintains a coercive, mutually beneficial alliance with Aunt Lydia to further his political ambitions.

Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello, a US government representative and friend of June Osborne. Tuello appears in a voice cameo as an announcer of Radio Free Boston.

Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue, a former Martha and a friend of June's who helps Daisy to prepare for her mission.

Margaret Atwood makes a cameo appearance as a prison matron talking to Lydia in "Secateurs."

Stephen Colbert as an announcer of Radio Free Boston, in a voice cameo role.

Production

Development

In March 2023, Bruce Miller stepped down as showrunner of The Handmaid's Tale to focus on adapting The Testaments for television. In February 2025, The Testaments was nearing a series greenlight. Miller would executive produce alongside fellow Handmaid's Tale executive producer Warren Littlefield of The Littlefield Company, with MGM Television as the studio. In March 2025, it was announced that Mike Barker would direct the first three episodes and also executive produce the series.

In April 2025, Hulu officially ordered The Testaments to series. The Handmaid's Tale lead Elisabeth Moss would executive produce the project alongside Miller, Littlefield, Barker, Steve Stark, Shana Stein, Maya Goldsmith, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Daniel Wilson, and Fran Sears. Priscilla Poriand would serve as co-executive producer. In May 2026, Hulu renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

In February 2025, Chase Infiniti was cast as the lead character Agnes, joining The Handmaid's Tale's Ann Dowd, who was expected to reprise her role as Lydia. In March 2025, it was announced that Lucy Halliday joined the series as co-lead Daisy. The same month, it was announced that Rowan Blanchard and Mattea Conforti joined the cast as Shunammite and Becka, respectively. In April 2025, it was announced that Mabel Li, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Eva Foote, Isolde Ardies, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Birva Pandya, and Kira Guloien joined the cast as Aunt Vidala, Paula, Garth, Aunt Gabbana, Aunt Estee, Hulda, Jehosheba, Miriam, and Rosa, respectively.

Filming

Principal photography on the series began on April 7, 2025, and wrapped on August 15.

Release

The Testaments premiered with the first three episodes on Hulu on April 8, 2026.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 88% approval rating, based on 57 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Testaments ably continues The Handmaid's Tale's fight through a coming-of-age lens in a slow-burning world builder that features an excellent cast of fresh talent." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.