HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

‘Handmaid’s Tale’ sequel series ‘The Testaments’ gets exciting renewal after staggering Season 1 numbers

The sequel series 'The Testaments' is based on author Margaret Atwood's bestselling 2019 novel of the same name, with Bruce Miller as the showrunner.

Within a few days of its premiere, the debut season of 'The Testaments' is already generating significant buzz among audiences. 'The Handmaid's Tale' sequel series has been met with widespread acclaim, and Hulu has officially renewed the series for Season 2. Created by Bruce Miller in association with 20th Television and MGM Television, 'The Testaments' stars Chase Infiniti, Ann Dowd, and Lucy Halliday in leading roles. As of this writing, the debut season has aired 8 of its 10 episodes, with an exciting update from the network.

'The Testaments' has enjoyed steady weekly viewership growth. The debut season premiered with three episodes dropping together on April 8. At the time, Infiniti was still riding the wave of success from her contribution to the Academy Award-winning movie 'One Battle After Another,' directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The popularity of the sequel show kept rising: the fourth episode, which dropped on the streamer on April 15, registered a 20% increase in first-day viewership compared to the premiere. Moreover, the series as a whole managed to stream 11M hours globally across Hulu and Disney+ in its first eight days. 

By the time the eighth episode arrived, first-day release views had catapulted by 76% from the premiere. All in all, the available episodes have streamed over 45M hours globally to date. The ninth episode arrives on Wednesday on Hulu and Disney+ in the U.S., available to bundle subscribers. On the other hand, the episode will drop on Disney+ for international audiences. The debut season currently has a high 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is scheduled to air its finale on May 27. In terms of the plot, 'The Testaments' is described as a coming-of-age story set once again in Gilead. Infiniti plays the character of Agnes, while Daisy is portrayed by Halliday. While both Agnes and Daisy are teenagers, Daisy is a newcomer from beyond Gilead’s borders

Dowd plays Aunt Lydia, who runs an elite preparatory school for future wives, and it is there that Agnes and Daisey develop a mutual bond while learning to navigate the oppressive world. The girls are subjected to strict discipline with an iron hand, and the punishments they receive are justified by divine will. The rest of the cast also includes Rowan Blanchard, Mattea Conforti, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Eva Foote, Mabel Li, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Isolde Ardies, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Kira Guloien, and Birva Pandya. Miller serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Steve Stark, Shana Stein, Maya Goldsmith, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Daniel Wilson, and others.