The Handmaid's Tale, season 5: everything we know

This article contains spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale, season 4.

With days growing darker and weather going colder (hopefully), autumn provides the perfect mood for The Handmaid’s Tale. Is there a colder and darker series on TV at the moment? It’s often to the series’ detriment: the patriarchally dystopian world of Gilead, formerly the USA, is not a happy or even bearable place to visit. Each episode feels like a new challenge in emotional stamina.

However, it’s the political resonances that chime with audiences the most. Gilead's treatment of women as slaves, for sexual or domestic duties, reflects – like good dystopias do – the current state of society. Many compare modern politics to Margaret Atwood's speculative theocracy, especially after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

Now, The Handmaid's Tale is entering its fifth season, which may or may not be its final chapter. Here’s everything we know.

Photo: Channel 4

What's The Handmaid's Tale, season 5 plot?

In season four, the former handmaid and Mayday revolutionary June finds asylum in Canada after so much suffering in Gilead. But then she and a gaggle of former handmaids kill Commander Fred Waterford, the chief antagonist of the series, after whom June was once named (Offred). He and his wife Serena Joy were imprisoned in Canada for crimes against humanity, and the latter is currently carrying his baby.

Season five will see June facing the consequences of her actions. Will she go into hiding again, or will she face up to her crime? At a distance, she’s also still searching for her daughter Hannah with Luke and Moira. But when June last saw Hannah, her daughter recoiled in fear. Will Hannah want to leave Gilead?

Elisabeth Moss as June in The Handmaid's Tale, season 4. Photo: Channel 4

Meanwhile, Serena Joy is attempting to raise her profile in Toronto as Gileadian influence spreads through Canada. And in Gilead, Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia continue their unlikely alliance – determined to reform their country from the inside.

No official announcement has yet been made about whether this is the final season or not. In Deadline last year, Hulu's Head of Scripted Originals claimed to be in talks with writer/creator Bruce Miller, executive producer Warren Littlefield, and star/producer/director Elisabeth Moss 'about what the best way to end The Handmaid’s Tale is. We haven’t landed on an answer…'

They're really leaving it to the last minute, aren't they?

Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy in The Handmaid's Tale, season 4. Photo: Channel 4

Who's in The Handmaid's Tale, season 5 cast?

Most of the major players are set to return, including Elisabeth Moss as June, Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy, O-T Fagbenle as Luke, Samira Wiley as Moira, Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, Bradley Whitford as Commander Lawrence, Max Minghella as Commander Nick Blaine, and Madeleine Brewer as Janine.

Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale, season 4. Photo: Channel 4

Alexis Bledel (aka Rory Gilmore) is not returning for season five to play the escaped handmaid Emily. Although Joseph Fiennes hasn’t been officially confirmed to return as Fred Waterford – his character being dead and all – it’s possible he’ll appear in flashbacks.

New additions to the cast include Christine Ko (Only Murders in the Building) as Lily, a refugee from Gilead who’s now the leader of a resistance movement in Canada, and Genevieve Angelson (The Afterparty) as Mrs Wheeler, a mega-fan of Serena Joy.

What's The Handmaid's Tale, season 5 release date?

The fifth (and final?) season arrives on Wednesday 14 September on Hulu in the US. A UK date hasn't yet been announced by Channel 4. Watch the new trailer below.