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Early Reviews Land for The Testaments as Handmaid’s Tale Sequel Nears April 8 Debut

The sequel shifts the Handmaid’s Tale universe to a teen point of view inside Aunt Lydia’s elite school.

Overview

  • Early reviews posted Thursday focused on standout performances from Chase Infiniti and Lucy Halliday, while some critics questioned how much new the series adds.
  • Set about four years after The Handmaid’s Tale finale, the story follows teens Agnes and Daisy inside Gilead’s wife‑training school run by Aunt Lydia, framing the sequel as a coming‑of‑age tale.
  • Hulu will release the first three episodes on April 8 in the U.S., with Disney+ carrying the show in the U.K., and weekly episodes will continue through May 27 for a 10‑episode season.
  • Showrunner Bruce Miller returns with Ann Dowd reprising Aunt Lydia, and Miller said he cast Infiniti in part because her unpredictability reminded him of Elisabeth Moss.
  • The TV adaptation updates Margaret Atwood’s novel by making Agnes and Daisy contemporaries and by spotlighting the young elite’s indoctrination, a shift several outlets said gives the franchise a fresh lens.