“The Handmaid’s Tale” (aka Paul Ryan’s Feel Good Show) might arguably be one of the biggest series Hulu has on their calendar this year, as the streaming service tries to wedge itself into the same streaming space that Netflix and Amazon currently own. And certainly, it’s one of their most attractive offerings yet, with Elisabeth Moss leading the adaptation of Margaret Atwood‘s scarily relevant classic novel.
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Set in a dystopian future, the drama sees the world turned upside down, with women forced into sexual servitude while men make the draconian rules that break both the body and spirit of those under them. Here’s the official synopsis:
Golden Globe® Winner Elisabeth Moss (TOP OF THE LAKE, TRUTH, MAD MEN) is Offred, a Handmaid trying to survive in the male-dominated totalitarian regime of Gilead. Enslaved by a society that values only her fertility, Offred must find a way to survive in this world of oppression and swift, cruel punishments.
Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s influential and acclaimed novel, THE HANDMAID’S TALE is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted religious fundamentalism that treats women as property of the state. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world. In this terrifying society where one wrong word could end her life, Offred navigates between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead — all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.
Co-starring Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd and O.T. Fagbenle, “The Handmaid’s Tale” kicks off on April 26th.