‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Renewed for Season 4 on Hulu

We won’t be escaping Gilead quite yet. Friday morning at the the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour, Hulu announced that The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed for a fourth season, which will likely debut sometime next year. The streamer did not announce how many episodes will be included in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4, but Season 3 features 13 episodes (with the remaining three airing in the next few weeks), so it stands to reason that next year’s installment will be the same.

The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Season 4 renewal isn’t a huge surprise given the drama’s pedigree as an Emmy and Golden Globe-winner with major star power, but it may throw a wrench into the third season’s “let’s get as many people out of Gilead as possible” trajectory. This season has seen June (Elisabeth Moss truly giving it her all) go through some major changes: she began as a mother looking for her daughter Hannah, then transformed into a rebel with a “the ends justify the means” attitude, and, in recent episodes, has become a hero looking to shuttle children out of Gilead. While it would be rewarding to see June get out with these children — as well as prominent leaders and their wives, ahem ahem – the renewal means that she will likely be remaining in Gilead to continue the action in Season 4. Sigh.

If June is going to stay in Gilead, can we at least get some more Canada scenes in Season 4? Alexis Bledel and Clea Duvall’s brief scenes are among this season’s best, and it would be well-deserved if The Handmaid’s Tale chose to expand the scope of their story. Plus, Bledel is putting this show on her back — give her more screen time!

Season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale is currently airing on Hulu. The final three episodes air every Wednesday, with the season finale on August 14.

Watch The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu