Spoilers ahead for the Season 1 finale of The Testaments.

Shortly after its debut, The Handmaid's Tale became an Emmy-winning success and one of the best Hulu shows to watch. While that series ended with The Handmaid's Tale series finale, those with a Hulu subscription were recently treated to its spinoff The Testaments. Fans were delighted when Elisabeth Moss returned as June, and she did another appearance in the Season 1 finale. While huge revelations were shared about her character and Hannah/Agnes, Moss explained why a rescue mission would be "complicated" where things currently stand.

The Testaments finale had some huge bombshells, with June realizing that Daisy knows Hannah/Agnes, and Chase Infiniti's character learning who her birth mother was. During an interview with TV Line about the book-to-screen adaptation, Elisabeth Moss explained why the former Handmaid can't just rush in and extract her daughter. In the actress/director/producer's words:

Points were made. While June tried to rescue her daughter a number of times throughout The Handmaid's Tale, they often resulted in Hannah being moved further away from her. And now that she's a young woman who's been further indoctrinated in the ways of Gilead, it might be even harder. That is, until Daisy slowly helps her realize that she needs to get out of the fictional country. The Testaments has been renewed for Season 2 on Hulu, so we'll have to see what comes next for the spinoff.

The final scene of June reading Daisy's note might have also included an appearance of her younger daughter Baby Nichole, who was born in Gilead. While Daisy is an older Nichole in the Testaments book, showrunner Bruce Miller confirmed that wasn't the case in the TV show. After all, he wanted Daisy and Hannah/Agnes to be around the same age, rather than have a significant age difference. So it's perfectly possible that the little girl seen playing is actually June's other daughter. We'll have to wait for Season 2 for more information.

When The Handmaid's Tale ended with its sixth season, some fans were disappointed that June and Luke didn't actually get to rescue Hannah. Those of us who read The Testaments knew why this couldn't happen just yet, but now that Elisabeth Moss' character knows where her daughter is, it should be interesting to see what comes next.

The Testaments is streaming in its entirety on Hulu as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Hopefully, production on Season 2 starts soon so we can return to this very different corner of Gilead.

Spoilers ahead from The Testaments through the Season 1 finale ("Secateurs")! If you're not caught up, you can catch the latest episode with a Hulu subscription. 🛑

As season finales go, The Testaments had a little bit of everything we could hope for in a big episode, including a wedding (albeit a sad one), a kiss, a tragic end for one character, and a lot of uncertainty about quite a few things to leave us waiting for Season 2. To say that I have a lot of feelings after the episode arrived on the 2026 TV schedule would be an understatement. However, the thing I want to talk about right now is Daisy's relationship with June.

The Scene That Got Me Emotional

In the Season 1 finale of The Testaments, there's a scene where Daisy (Lucy Halliday) reunites with June to petition her help to get Becka out of Gilead so she isn't executed for killing her father. June, however, is there to retrieve Daisy and pull her out of this situation, deciding that it's too dangerous for her. And then she finds out that Agnes -- her daughter Hannah -- is one of the girls Daisy is close to. This throws June for a loop and also leaves her torn about what to do, because Daisy is clearly treading on thin ice working undercover for May Day, and proving to be a bit unpredictable. Yet Daisy stands her ground, even saying:

It seems to go against June's protective instincts, but she lets Daisy return to Gilead, after a hug, a kiss and a desperate plea to stay safe. It's impossible not to see so much June in the way Daisy stands her ground and wants to protect the girls she's becoming close to. It's impossible for me not to wish that June was actually Daisy's mother, but she really isn't, as much as I wish she was, and this scene totally messed with my heart!

Daisy Is Not June's Biological Daughter (In The Show, Anyway)

If you've read Margaret Atwood's 2019 book, The Testaments, on which this new sequel series is based, you're aware that Daisy is actually Nichole in the novel. However, The Testaments showrunner made it clear in an interview with THR in April that Daisy is not Nichole in the TV show:

From what Miller went on to say, the goal was very much to make June a mother-figure (albeit an "absent mother figure") to Daisy. This big change for the book-to-screen adaptation makes sense, from a timeline perspective, considering the TV show takes place four years after the finale of The Handmaid's Tale, while the book had a 15-year jump forward.

June and Nick's daughter, Nichole/Holly, was just a baby at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, and significantly younger than her half-sister Agnes/Hannah, June's daughter with Luke. For the story we're seeing in this series, where Daisy and Agnes are around the same age, they would've needed to ignore the timeline from the original series in order to age-up Nichole.

Maybe a part of me is still holding onto what I know from the book when I see June and Daisy together, but I think that wish that they were actually mother and daughter also stems from seeing how June is with Daisy on screen. And, let's face it, Daisy looks like she could be June's daughter.

In an interview with People that ran today, following the finale, Miller addressed their resemblance while also describing his intention for the dynamic between Daisy and June, saying,

I love the relationship we're seeing between June and Daisy on screen. Still, I can't help but feel a bit of loss, not only for the mother-daughter connection June and Daisy had in the book, but also for the connection Daisy and Agnes had, being half-sisters. At the same time, I can't deny the sense of sisterhood we're seeing develop between Daisy and Agnes. There's no doubt that that matters, especially in a show where bonds among women -- by blood or not -- are everything. So I guess I'm not really complaining, just in my feelings a bit and sad the season is over.

As I said, I have a lot of other big feelings about the finale (and the series in general!). It's had me on the edge of my seat all season, and I can't wait for Season 2. Beyond Daisy's plans to unite some of the young women she's close with against Gilead, there's also the question of what will happen for Becka now that she's married to Garth, grief-stricken over losing her mom, and maybe emotional after the kiss she shared with Agnes (does Agnes now have an idea of how Becka feels about her?).

Speaking of Agnes' fate, now that she's no longer engaged, and how she'll deal moving forward knowing June is her mother. It's a lot to wonder about, but Season 2 is confirmed, so we'll just have to wait and see!

As you may or may not be aware, a sequel series to The Handmaid's Tale called The Testaments has arrived on the 2026 TV schedule, with part of Season 1 now available to anyone with a Hulu subscription (and more episodes on the way). As I wasn't quite finished with the original series, I'd been putting off the new show until I could get caught up, which I now am. I've also since watched all six released episodes of The Testaments, and it got me thinking about people who might be hesitant to check out this show.

Maybe you've hesitated because you never watched The Handmaid's Tale, or because you fell behind on the Hulu series and aren't sure if you can jump into this new one without getting caught up. Heck, maybe you are caught up on all six seasons of THT, but this is the first you're hearing about The Testaments. If you fall into one of those three camps, I still think you can jump right into this show, though there are a few basic things you'll want to know.

I will be aiming to avoid major spoilers from both The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments, up until the final section, where you'll see a warning.

If You've Never Seen The Handmaid's Tale

Before we get into The Testaments, for those who haven't seen The Handmaid's Tale, here are a few key things to know about the setting and story.

• The Handmaid's Tale is based on a novel by Margaret Atwood
• THT takes place in the not-so-distant future where fertility rates are drastically down.
• Most of America has been overthrown and turned into a totalitarian nation called Gilead.
• Patriarchy is an understatement here, as men hold all of the power. Even the Wives and Daughters of the most elite families are forbidden to do things like read and write, or be included in the running of things outside of their own household.
• Religion and politics are all twisted together in pretty much every part of Gilead life.
• Married couples seeking and unable to conceive will regularly rape their Handmaid in a ritualistic ceremony in hopes of making her pregnant. If she bears a child, they keep the baby and raise it as their own.
• Unable to escape to Canada with her husband and their daughter, June (Elisabeth Moss) is forced to be a Handmaid. The series begins with her already serving this role, but it gradually shows us events leading up to it.
• There are people on both sides of the Gilead-Canada border working to try to dismantle Gilead, including the resistance group known as Mayday.

THT is rated TV-MA and includes some extremely disturbing and violent scenes, including gun-related violence and sexual assault.

What The Testaments Is About

While the original series focuses on June and the other characters in her life, including her fellow handmaids, the people working in secret to try to take down Gilead, and the people in charge of Gilead, The Testaments jumps forward in time to focus on Chase Infiniti's character -- June's daughter Agnes (née Hannah) -- who has been raised almost entirely in this new society. Though Agnes is still very young, she's on the brink of being married off, which is the goal for a woman of her age and status.

Lucy Halliday plays Daisy, who comes into the story as a "Pearl Girl," a teen who's joining Gilead's society as an outsider (in Daisy's case, she's a Canadian claiming to seek a better life for herself in Gilead).

The Testaments Will Spoil You On Events From The Handmaid's Tale

One spoiler from The Handmaid's Tale that's impossible to avoid is the fact that Gilead still exists, but there are other things in The Testaments that unavoidably give away events and outcomes from the original series, simply by the existence of returning characters and the things we learn about their backstories.

As of this writing, we're six episodes into The Testaments (a new episode drops each Wednesday), and there are already key characters from the original series that appear, Agnes among them. I can't say with certainty that this will continue to be the case, or that the THT spoilers will get even bigger with more returning characters, but it seems highly likely. In short, this show is going to spoil you on The Handmaid's Tale, which only really matters if you plan to go back and watch the original series.

While I think The Testaments would be more satisfying from the start if you've seen the original series, the new show is doing a good job so far of reintroducing us to this world at a new starting point. So if it sounds like your kind of show, you should be able to start here. Like THT, The Testaments is also rated TV-MA and contains some very disturbing and violent content.

If You're Not All The Way Caught Up On The Handmaid's Tale

This was me up until recently, when I finally watched the last season of The Handmaid's Tale. I had seen most of the series but fell behind on Season 6 until last week. Though I was already spoiled on the fate of a few characters due to reading The Testaments, I couldn't bring myself to skip the end of The Handmaid's Tale just to start the new series. I'm glad I didn't, too, because I ended up really enjoying the final season of THT, and feeling my appreciation of the show refreshed in anticipation of The Testaments. So if you're mostly caught up on the original series, I do recommend finishing it.

If you're not interested in returning to The Handmaid's Tale, and if you're ok with being spoiled on some things about how THT ends, you should be able to jump right into The Testaments. As I mentioned in the previous section, so far, the new series has been a reintroduction to the world.

If You're All Caught Up On The Handmaid's Tale

Obviously, there's no reason you can't dive right into The Testaments if you've seen all of THT. (Vague Handmaid's Tale spoilers ahead!) If you're on the fence about watching it, I'll get a bit more specific here, as a fan of the original series.

The Testaments is more than just a continuation of June's story through the perspective of her daughter; it's also a look inside the state of Gilead in the aftermath of the events of THT.

The original series focused mainly on June as a Handmaid, while this one really dives into what it's like for the young women being raised and trained to be good wives of Gilead. We got a glimpse of that with Sydney Sweeney's character Eden in Season 2 of THT, when she was married to Nick, despite their disturbing age difference. June and Luke's daughter Hannah is right on the brink of being of age to be married -- well, of age by Gilead's low standards, anyway. As unsettling as it is to get a closer look at this corner of Gilead's society, the stakes here seem especially high when considering we're seeing Agnes/Hannah coming of age in a world her parents tried to save her from.

We knew from the end of The Handmaid's Tale that this story wasn't finished. If you're ready to see what happens next, check out The Testaments on Hulu.

If you're still on the fence about watching The Testaments, check out what the critics have said about the new series.

Shortly after Hulu was launched, The Handmaid's Tale became an Emmy-winning sensation. One of the best Hulu shows to watch, the book-to-screen adaptation wrapped last year and ended June's story. Those with a Hulu subscription recently returned to Gilead with The Testaments, and there's one character from the flagship series I'm really hoping pops up: Ever Carradine's Naomi Putnam/Lawrence.

What we know about The Testament has been limited, but the first few seasons definitely started things off with a bang. The show picked up the narrative after The Handmaid's Tale finale, and has already had some intriguing connections to that show's events. While Ann Dowd's Aunt Lydia is a main character, I think it would be awesome to see Naomi also return to the narrative sometime in the future.

Naomi Is Presumably Still In Gilead And/Or Working With Lydia

Ever Carradine was a scene stealer as Naomi throughout the entire run of The Handmaid's Tale, although she was promoted to a series regular in the sixth and final season. When we last saw her it was the series finale, where she and Aunt Lydia finally gave Janine her daughter back. It was a huge moment of redemption for the pair of Gilead women, and now I want to know what happened to one of the fictional country's most iconic wives.

In the Testaments novel, Aunt Lydia ends up fighting against Gilead and making up for her villainous ways. This has yet to play out on the TV adaptation, but I have to assume we'll see that story play out as written. But the Aunt is going to need some help, so maybe Naomi would be the perfect person.

Critical response to The Testaments has been positive, and I have to assume that Handmaid's Tale fans would be thrilled to see more returning characters pop up. It was thrilling when Elisabeth Moss showed up as June, so it doesn't seem out of the question for Ever Carradine to get the same treatment... especially if/when the young women of the spinoff become Wives.

Of course, it's possible that things didn't go great for Naomi after the finale of The Handmaid's Tale. Joseph Lawrence was the second husband to have died, and Wives don't have many rights without being married. She also helped Lydia return Angela to Janine, which could have landed her on the wall. Then again, maybe she was inspired to join Mayday. Her fate left us with plenty of questions, and it would be awesome to see them answered in the new spinoff. Fingers crossed.

New episodes of The Testaments air Wednesdays on Hulu as part of the 2026 TV schedule. It should be fascinating to see how the novel is adapted, and if we get more connections to The Handmaid's Tale.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 1 of The Testaments and MAJOR spoilers ahead for the novel and rest of the series. Read carefully!

Every streaming service has some hit originals, and The Handmaid's Tale is definitely one of the best Hulu shows to watch. Those with a Hulu subscription followed the Emmy-winning dystopian drama for years, before its series finale in May of 2025. Luckily we're back in Gilead for the book to screen adaptation The Testaments, based off Margaret Atwood's sequel novel. The premiere episode had a killer cameo from the original series, but I'm worried it lowkey spoiled a major twist.

What we know about The Testaments has been limited... unless you read the novel. While it remains to be seen how the work is brought to the screen, readers already know about a number of forthcoming story points. And although June doesn't physically appear in the source material, Elisabeth Moss had a surprise cameo in the final moments of Episode 1. Although I think it might have been a little too early, thanks to heavily hinting at a major twist.

After being introduced to Pearl Girl Daisy (Lucy Halliday) throughout Episode 1, we got a moment alone with her. First audiences saw her listen to "Radio Free America" with a portable radio that she seemingly smuggled into Gilead. Then we're treated to a scene of her in Toronto, where she's watched by a smiling June.

MAJOR spoilers for the future of The Testaments below. Final warning for those who want to be surprised by everything coming on the spinoff.

Daisy's backstory is something that'll gradually be revealed throughout The Testaments, but I thought that the June cameo in Episode 1 was a clear indicator of what those have read the book already know. Namely that Daisy is actually Baby Nichole, June's daughter who Alexis Bledel's Emily brought to safety when she escaped Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale. That's the reason that Elisabeth Moss' signature character was shown watching over her, in a scene that already makes an exciting deviation from Atwood's novel.

The details of how Daisy/Nichole came to be in Gilead will likely be shown in subsequent episodes. In The Handmaid's Tale series finale Nichole was left with June's mother Holly as both she and Luke continued to fight for a reunion with Hannah (aka Agnes).

While those who read the book obviously know the full story, I have to assume that more than a few Handmaid's Tale fans might have made this connection when June surprisingly showed up and smiled as she watched Daisy. I'm eager to see how much Elisabeth Moss appears in the spinoff, or if this was simply one way to help hook audiences into this corner of Gilead. Either way I was happy to see her, even if it might have revealed a twist of the series a hair early.

In addition to her Emmy-winning performance as June Osbourne, Moss also directed a whopping 10 episodes on the original series, as well as being a producer. And I'm hoping that Moss will end up directing for The Testaments as well, which she's also an Executive Producer on.

The first three episodes of The Testaments are streaming now on Hulu as part of the 2026 TV schedule. New episodes will air once a week moving forward on Wednesdays.

Stephen Colbert may be getting ready to say goodbye to being in front of the camera, at least for a while, but the man is certainly not having any issues finding work, even if you can’t see him.

The long-time late-night host certainly has a distinctive voice, and so when you hear him, you tend to notice. Fans of Star Trek heard him recently as the voice of the Digital Dean of Students on Starfleet Academy. However, that's not his only heard but not seen role on streaming these days. He also appeared in the first episode of The Testaments.

The series is a follow-up to The Handmaid’s Tale. In the first episode, one of the characters turns on a hidden radio in order to listen to Radio Free Boston, and the DJ is very recognizable. Showrunner Bruce Miller tells EW he was very thankful Colbert was willing to be involved, saying…

Miller is open that the reason he felt Colbert was an appropriate choice was that The Late Show host is known as somebody willing to speak truth to power. This made him a fitting voice of the resistance to an authoritarian government as seen in The Testaments.

Of course, Colbert’s speaking out about those in power has arguably gotten him in some trouble. It’s been suggested that Colbert’s criticism of Paramount’s lawsuit settlement with President Trump contributed to the decision to cancel The Late Show. Of course, as Miller joked, the fact that the show was ending meant that Colbert might have been more open to the voice cameo…

Colbert’s cameo isn’t without precedent. The Handmaid’s Tale had an iconic, and equally fitting, voice cameo as well when Oprah Winfrey appeared in the series. Bruce Miller thinks the two cameos fit very well together because of what they mean to people, which is something that the audience watching the show will certainly understand. He continued…

The incredibly short length of the appearance may have actually had quite a lot to do with why Colbert agreed to appear. The host recently admitted that he hasn’t been able to consider his post-Late Show career much because hosting the show is still a full-time job. So he likely won’t be able to think about the future until the show wraps its run next month.

Once the show does finish its run, however, Colbert may certainly appear in more places. We know he’s working on the screenplay for an upcoming Lord of the Rings movie, and knowing that Starfleet Academy has another season on the way, I hope he returns as the Digital Dean of Students. If anybody else wants to hire him as a voice actor, it seems like he'll take the call.

It’s been less than a year since the book was closed on The Handmaid’s Tale, and already a sequel is set to hit the 2026 TV schedule. The Testaments is another book-to-screen adaptation of a Margaret Atwood novel, with this story centering around the next generation. Chase Infiniti, the breakout star of last year’s One Battle After Another, stars as Agnes — the kidnapped daughter of June Osborne. Critics have seen the first season, so how do they think it holds up to its popular predecessor?

The Testaments series jumps ahead a few years from The Handmaid’s Tale’s series finale, where a teenaged Agnes is a student at Aunt Lydia’s prestigious preparatory school for future wives. Yes, that means Ann Dowd is back to reprise her role from the original series, and according to Lauren Thoman of The Wrap, she’s able to peel back even more of Lydia’s layers in what is essentially a YA version of the flagship show. The critic writes:

Lacy Baugher of RogerEbert notes that the spinoff takes a less-violent approach to its dark subject matter, but The Testaments’ themes are no less complex, and its story is no less necessary than what The Handmaid’s Tale offered. The adaptation takes some liberties with the source material, but the spirit of the final product is “exactly right.” Baugher says:

Tara Bennett of IGN gives it a “Good” 7 out of 10, calling it “Gossip Girl meets The Handmaid’s Tale,” and noting how disturbing it is to see the young women navigating teenage life in their patriarchal regime. Bennett's review says:

Belen Edwards of Mashable says much of the grimness of its predecessor remains in The Testaments, but it also has new power. Its focus on a new generation through the use of YA tropes may bring The Handmaid’s Tale’s important message to a younger audience. In Edwards’ words:

Not all of the critics are as happy. Daniel Fienberg of THR says he doesn’t think it’s possible to watch the spinoff without having seen the predecessor. And while it’s different enough from the first Margaret Atwood adaptation, there’s not enough to make it truly distinctive. Fienberg continues:

Christina Izzo of AV Club gives it a C+, writing that Chase Infiniti gives a commendable performance, but with The Handmaid’s Tale ending less than a year ago, the message related to issues like women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive rights feels more redundant than relevant. The critic says:

Well, you can’t please everybody, but the majority of critics seem to think The Testaments is a worthy and relevant follow-up to the previous hit Hulu series. It’s garnered a Certified Fresh 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.

If this series sounds interesting enough to check out, the first three episodes will be available to stream on Wednesday, April 8, with a Hulu subscription. Episodes drop weekly thereafter.

Spoilers ahead for The Handmaid's Tale.

Every streaming service has a number of hit TV shows, and The Handmaid's Tale is surely on that list for those with a Hulu subscription. The book to screen adaptation recently ended its tenure on the air, and all of our favorite characters got involved in rebelling against Gilead. That includes former Martha Rita, with actress Amanda Brugel reflecting on her character's ending (and possibly returning for The Testaments).

What we know about The Testaments is limited, and fans are curious about what familiar faces we might see in the spinoff. The fandom is recovering from The Handmaid's Tale series finale, which saw the return of beloved characters like Emily. In the penultimate episode Rita got physically involved in Mayday's rebellion, using a gun to help save June's life. When speaking with THR about the way her story ended, Brugel shared:

Rita started off as a tertiary presence in The Handmaid's Tale Season 1, mostly quipping from the kitchen while serving the Waterfords. But the layers of her character were slowly peeled back through six seasons, with Brugel bringing both her ferocity and vulnerability to the forefront. And that ultimately ended with Rita working with Mayday at both Serena's wedding and Boston's liberation.

While Rita secretly poisoning Serena's wedding cake was an on-brand way for her to join the fight against Gilead, fans like me were shocked when she joined Luke and Mayday to stop June's execution. Seeing her brandish a gun and take out a Gilead soldier was a huge payoff, and one that Brugel seemed thrilled about. As she shared:

In this interview, Brugel revealed that Rita was on the list of characters that Margaret Atwood said the show may not kill off. But fans didn't know that, and I was worried for Rita in New Bethlehem. And in the end she got to reunite with her family and help Mayday at the same time.

Rita wasn't present in the finale of The Handmaid's Tale, except for June's fantasy karaoke scene. The character wasn't included in the novel of The Testaments, something pointed out by THR during its interview with Brugel. She teased her possible return to her signature character, offering:

Well, I'm intrigued. While this isn't an official confirmation, it seems like Amanda Brugel would be happy to play Rita again in The Testaments. We'll just have to wait as that spinoff series is brought together, and if she's confirmed to be a character in the next series set in Gilead.

The Handmaid's Tale is streaming in its entirety on Hulu now, with the final season part of the 2025 TV premiere list. Hopefully we get information about the spinoff sooner rather than later.

Spoiler warning for the series finale of The Handmaid's Tale.

The series finale of The Handmaid's Tale recently premiered for Hulu subscription holders, and it left many viewers with a mix of emotions. While it won over our own Corey Chichizola, many fans were left feeling pissed off. And Elisabeth Moss, who stars as the series lead June Osborne, is well aware of the diverse reactions. She says take it up with the book's author Margaret Atwood if you’re not happy about the finale.

Fans' frustrations over the finale primarily stem from the fact that June never reunites with her daughter, Hannah, which has been the central focus of the entire narrative. The show’s lead discussed the choices made in the finale with Variety, emphasizing the significant influence of Margaret Atwood's sequel novel, The Testaments, on the conclusion:

One of the most persistent questions from fans has been about June's quest to reunite with her daughter, Hannah. Moss addressed this directly, acknowledging the audience's deep investment in this storyline of the book-to-screen adaptation. The actress continued:

The Handmaid’s Tale wraps up in a pretty mixed way. Gilead is still around, but it’s looking a bit rougher than before. June is determined to keep fighting and speaking out. She says goodbye to her husband, Luke (O-T Fagbenle), and it doesn’t really feel like a permanent goodbye. She also tells Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), her former tormentor, that she forgives her as they part ways. Plus, there’s a nice callback to the series opener when June goes back to the house where she was held captive.

If you are one of the many viewers frustrated that June never reunites with her daughter, it’s worth noting that the reason for that is that Margaret Atwood wrote The Testaments, a 2019 sequel novel to the original The Handmaid’s Tale. There’s a new series based on this sequel in the works, so technically, the series finale has been spoiled for some time. The creator admitted that the follow-up book shaped what the show’s creators had planned for the series ending. If you're unaware, The Testaments follows characters like Hannah and Aunt Lydia, so their fates were largely predetermined for the OG show's finale.

While some viewers may have their complaints, I personally believe that the show concluded in a beautifully poetic way. It offered slight closures to The Handmaid's complicated relationships with Aunt Lydia and Serena. Series finales can often be messy, but this Emmy-winning show managed to wrap things up in the best possible way, given the circumstances and the forthcoming spinoff.

Production on The Testaments has already begun, but a release date has not yet been announced. As soon as we know when to expect it to be added to the streaming schedule, we will be sure to update you.

Spoilers ahead for the series finale of The Handmaid's Tale.

Every streaming service has its own huge hits, and for those with a Hulu subscription The Handmaid's Tale is definitely on that list. The book to screen adaptation has been an Emmy-winning hit, and finally came to its conclusion with the Season 6 finale. I had one request for the final season: to give us an update about Alexis Bledel's Emily. The last episode did that, and brought back more beloved characters.

While some folks figure out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, I'm an OG fan who eagerly awaited each new episode. Bledel's departure from the show was a bummer since Emily was a fan favorite, and I was worried we'd never get any answers about her fate. I would have been happy with a few lines revealing what happened to the former Handmaid, but she actually showed up during the finale and got lovely scene mirroring her Season 1 work with Elisabeth Moss.

Emily's appearance was a huge surprise, considering it has been almost two full seasons without her on The Handmaid's Tale. But the latter half of the series finale had June reflecting on her long and violent journey, and Emily aka Ofglen was her first ally and member of Mayday that she met.

It turns out that Emily worked with Mayday as an Aunt for months, and has maintained a relationship with her wife Sylvia and son Oliver. When she left offscreen prior to Season 5, it seemed like perhaps she was fueled entirely by violent rage to hunt down and make Aunt Lydia suffer. It was a tragic fate, especially after finally reuniting with her family in Canada.

I was over the moon when Bledel's character appeared in the final episode of The Handmaid's Tale, but the show's creatives delivered even more than that. Because in June's fantasy of Boston we saw all of her friends from Gilead singing karaoke... including Alma and Brianna who died back in Season 4 during that horrifying train sequence.

Seeing the group together, and seeing Janine without having her eye taken out by Aunt Lydia, was a touching happy ending for the Handmaids... even if it was fictional. In her fantasy June sees the women in a world where Gilead never existed, allowing them to appear happy and carefree in a way that we never got to witness throughout the show's six seasons on Hulu. Alma was one of my favorite characters in the show, so it as a lovely surprise to see her back alongside Brianna.

With the flagship series ended, fans are looking forward to the upcoming spinoff The Testaments to continue the story. And those who read the books are expecting both Aunt Lydia and June's daughter Hannah to appear.

Spoiler alert for the penultimate episode of The Handmaid's Tale "Execution".

The Handmaid's Tale is one of the most successful book to screen adaptations in TV history, and there is just one episode left before the Emmy-winning series ends its tenure on the air. Episode 9 featured a Taylor Swift song, and also ended with the deaths of both Lawrence and Nick. And Rose actress Carey Cox recently responded to hate she's gotten online after that episode aired.

While some folks figure out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, the hardcore fan is still recovering from its wild penultimate episode. After being hospitalized thanks to the drugs that were slipped into Serena's wedding cake, Nick's wife Rose told him to finally take a stand and chose Gilead over June. This resulted in him joining the rest of the High Commanders on the plane that Lawrence ultimately bombed. Over on Carey Cox's Instagram, she addressed the hate she's gotten as a result of her character's actions. As she put it:

Points were made. The hate thrown at Rose seems out of place, given how many actual villainous characters there are in The Handmaid's Tale. I mean, we've watched for years as characters (primarily the men) murdered, mutilated and sexually assaulted people. So claiming Nick's wife is a true villain seems a bit out of pocket.

Rose isn't cruel or violent, but she is a Gilead Wife who seems to believe in the fictional country's values. While June is our hero, that's not her relationship to Elisabeth Moss' protagonist. And her plea for her husband to stand up for them unfortunately resulted in his death.

Rose and Nick had a strained relationship last season, but seemed to be in a better place for Season 6. But now that Max Minghella's character perished, Cox is seemingly receiving a ton of hate. In her same post, she clapped back about comments made on her looks online. As she put it:

Talk about a strong sense of self. No one wants to hear negative comments about their appearance, but being a public figure can subject you to the darker sides of the internet. And Cox is putting a spotlight on the way women in particular are treated online.

In her IG post, the actress also mentions that she's been the subject of misinformed and ableist comments following Nick's death on The Handmaid's Tale. She once again stood up for herself, with the caption reading:

Online hate can be truly oppressive, but it's comforting to see that Carey Cox isn't letting the ignorant comments from fans bother her. And I have to say that I think The Handmaid's Tale protagonist June would be on her side, and encourage her to not "let the bastards grind you down."

As previously mentioned, there is just one more episode of The Handmaid's Tale left, and it should be fascinating to see the fallout of the High Commanders being wiped out. I'm also hoping to get another scene with Rose, especially after she lost both her husband and her father in one fell swoop.

All will be revealed when The Handmaid's Tale airs its series finale on Tuesday, May 27th as part of the 2025 TV release list. We'll have to see how the story ends, and how it sets up the spinoff The Testaments.

Spoilers for Season 6, Episode 9 of The Handmaid’s Tale are ahead. Read with caution, and stream the series with a Hulu subscription.

We’ve been clowning about the release of Reputation (Taylor’s Version) for years, literally. However, the clown noses are back on in a big way after “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)” was used in Season 6, Episode 9 of The Handmaid’s Tale.

At the start of Episode 9, which just dropped on the 2025 TV schedule, Elisabeth Moss’s June is seen leading the Handmaids in formation in an uprising against the Commanders. Scored over that moment is the iconic first single from Taylor Swift’s sixth album, take a look:

Notably, the caption on this post says “Rebellion (June’s version),” which is an obvious nod to the fact that the version of Swift’s song being used in this clip is “Taylor’s.” This is a major moment because the scene uses a very large chunk of the track, giving Swifties their first sizable soundbite from Reputation (Taylor’s Version).

Now, we Swifties are known for clowning, and we’ve theorized about the release of Rep on many occasions. From the use of a new bodysuit on the Eras Tour to surprise songs, we’ve thought an announcement was coming, but are still empty-handed. However, this feels different, as Faith Crowder commented on The Handmaid’s Tale’s TikTok:

For the last few weeks, Swifties have been suspecting that the pop star could announce something at the American Music Awards, which are on May 26 at 8 p.m. ET. This started when TikTokers noticed that Swift’s merch site lined up its items in a way that spelled out AMAs. Now, Handmaid’s Tale has added to that ongoing theory, and pushed us all in the Rep direction, as jessicalynnslocum theorized.

Basically, to quote @BornThisSwift, who retweeted the “LWYMMD” and Handmaid’s Tale news:

Admittedly, this does feel like a sign that Reputation (Taylor’s Version) is coming. It doesn’t feel like a coincidence that this track was used in a pivotal scene during the sixth season of The Handmaid’s Tale, six days before the AMAs, and it happens to be the sixth song on Taylor Swift’s sixth album.

Fans are driving the same “Getaway Car” as me here, as many took to social media to share their Rep-related thoughts and theories:

• HOW MANY DAYS BEFORE THE AMAS!?!?!!??!!?!?! -@kush07_
• 6 days til AMAs, track 6, and her sixth album 👀 -@arshedxox
• 6 days before AMA’s, Rep is Taylor’s 6th album, (Junes Version) bc she’s dropping Rep TV in June?? Oh the stars are aligning -@SarahBelles23
• 6 days before the AMA’s? LWYMMD track 6? reputation is her 6th studio album? NO I AM NOT CLOWNING -TS13 on TikTok

Now, notably, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version).” It was also used in the 2023 show Wilderness. So, really, anything is possible when it comes to whether Swift will announce Reputation or not.

However, we’ve been waiting a long time for this re-release, and the Easter egg-shaped stars all seem to be aligning a little too perfectly. So, maybe, this time we clowns are right, and maybe this epic Handmaid’s Tale moment is a sign that Reputation (Taylor’s Version) is right around the corner.

Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The Handmaid's Tale "Exodus".

Every streaming service has some hits, The Handmaid's Tale is definitely on that list for those with a Hulu subscription. The Emmy-winning series is currently in the midst of its sixth and final season on the air, and revolution is coming to Gilead. In the most recent episode "Exodus" the former Handmaids confronted Aunt Lydia about her contribution to their pain, and the cast has since talked about what it was like bringing that sequence to life.

While some folks figure out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, I'm eagerly awaiting each final episode. Seeing June, Moira, and Janine all convince Lydia to let the Handmaids fight back was powerful to watch, and it sounds intense to film as well. Janine actress Madeline Brewer spoke to THR about why it was so satisfying, saying:

Points were made. The Handmaids' relationship with Aunt Lydia is a complicated one, especially Janine's. She's fueled by her faith, but has seen the fault in Gilead's ways over the last few seasons. And one has to assume that this is making way for the spinoff The Testaments, where Lydia will presumably be one of the main characters.

Janine has had a particularly tragic story, even by The Handmaid's Tale standards. Lydia took her eye from her in her first episode, and she had mental issues following the birth of her child (who was promptly taken away by Naomi). She was eventually sent to The Colonies, and has most recently been sexually and physically abused at Jezebels. And as she tells Lydia in the scene "you have us to them."

While the scene originally saw Moira standing up to Lydia and calling her a "fucking bitch", June and Janine took a more tender approach to the Aunt. In the same interview, Ann Dowd spoke about how June helped to bring out the villainous character's humanity in that moment. In her words:

It turns out that June was originally much much cruel to Lydia in an an early draft, before the scene was reworked. And the revised approach makes sense, especially as the Handmaids appealed to her morality and love for "her girls."

Eventually Lydia relented and made way for the Handmaids to continue their plan for revolution in Gilead. It seems like Episode 9 is going to bring all sorts of violent chaos to the table, so I truly can't wait until we get another episode next week.

The Handmaid's Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. And there are only two more episodes until its gone for good.

Every streaming service has its own mega hits, and those with a Hulu subscription have been treated to The Handmaid's Tale. We're currently in the middle of its sixth and final season on the air, and Handmaid's Tale fans have had strong emotional reactions to the dystopian drama. And Moira actress Samira Wiley recently spoke to CinemaBlend about how her work on the show and Netflix's Orange is the New Black has affected LGBTQ+ fans.

While fans figure out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, I'm already dreading the show coming to an end. As you can see in the above video, I had the privilege of speaking with Wiley, where I asked about the way fans have responded to her work on Handmaid's and OITNB. She got honest about her feelings, saying:

This is a refreshingly candid take. While no one could blame Wiley for wanting to simply do her job and clock out, she also understands the way her work has affected audiences for both The Handmaid's Tale and Orange is the New Black. One can only imagine the conversations she has on the street with fans as a result.

Wiley became a household name for portraying Poussey Washington in Orange is the New Black (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription). She was a strong lesbian woman, and Poussey's death is arguably the most devastating moment of the entire series. Since then, she's spent almost a decade portraying Moira in The Handmaid's Tale, who is a queer woman, survivor of sexual assault, and someone who was forced into sex work by Gilead. In our same conversation she shared how her characters' trauma has influenced fans, saying:

Talk about powerful. It sounds like Wiley has had some intense conversations with fans of her TV shows, which I can imagine is emotionally grueling in its own way. But she's obviously seen first-hand the power of representation in the media, particularly when it comes to queer fans and their families.

We're currently halfway through the final season of Hulu's Emmy-winning drama, as Episode 5 "Janine" just premiered. The pressure is on for The Handmaid's Tale series finale to deliver for the fans, who have spent years following Gilead and hoping for a happy ending. And I'm definitely hoping to see June and Moira both survive the final season.

The Handmaid's Tale airs new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. All eyes are on what how spinoff The Testaments is set up in the final episodes.

Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The Handmaid's Tale, "Promotion."

It's hard to believe it, but we're almost done with The Handmaid's Tale's run on television. The Emmy-winning drama (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription) is in its sixth and final season, and the tension is really building. But after the most recent episode featuring New Bethlehem I'm seriously worried about Rita's fate on the show.

While folks figure out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, hardcore fans like myself are looking forward to the series finale. This season has put a focus on New Bethlehem, which is presented as a more forgiving Gilead and a safe place for refugees. In Episode 4, Amanda Brugel's character confirmed she was staying until she got her family out of Gilead, and I immediately got a pit in my stomach.

The public is very emotionally invested in The Handmaid's Tale, and Rita is one of the most beloved figures from the dystopian drama. Fans were thrilled when she escaped Gilead during Angel's Flight, and were satisfied when she finally stood up to Serena Joy and Fred Waterford. But now that she's back in the fictional country, I'm very concerned about her safety.

When Rita reunited with Nick in New Bethlehem, she revealed she was staying until she got her family back... even if took years. It looks like she'll be in that location for most of the final season, but what's going to happen to the community if/when the citizens of Gilead begin rising up? I doubt that the full cast of principal characters is going to survive Season 6, so this character's particular location within the story is likely giving other fans reason to pause as well.

As precarious as Rita's fate appears to be from my end, it was really satisfying to see her finally reunited with her sister. She mentions her sibling early into the run of The Handmaid's Tale, as well as having a nephew. When the former Martha is safe in Canada during Season 4, she mentions that she's been searching for her sister, hoping she was also a refugee.

Ultimately it looks like her sister was made into an Econowife in Gilead, and has remained in the country in the years that have passed since Rita's escape. She asks Nick for helping finding the rest of her family and bringing them to New Bethlehem, which he says has the potential to take years.

I remain worried about Rita, but I am excited about the narrative possibilities of putting her and Serena Joy in the same location. The dynamics of their relationship are fascinating, and maybe they'll end up on the same side of history together. Only time will tell.

New episodes of The Handmaid's Tale airs Tuesdays on Hulu as part of the 2025 TV schedule. Luckily for those who don't want to say goodbye, a spinoff The Testaments is also in development.

It's hard to believe it, but we're almost done with The Handmaid's Tale's tenure on the air. The book to screen adaptation (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription) is currently in the midst of its sixth and final season, and all eyes on how June's story will end. On top of starring as the titular character, actress Elisabeth Moss is also a producer and director on the Emmy-winning series. And her co-stars spoke to CinemaBlend about what it's like working with her as she wears those multiple hats.

While some viewers figure out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, I've been a hardcore fan since day one. I had the privilege of speaking with the cast ahead of the new season's premiere, where I asked about collaborating with Moss as she does multiple jobs at once. Luke actor O-T Fagbenle offered a sports analogy, saying:

Honestly, how can you not be inspired? As a mere fan its dizzying to think about what Moss is able to accomplish, especially given the emotionally grueling nature of portraying protagonist June Osborne. But actually seeing it up close while also acting opposite her must be something else.

Fans are wildly emotional about The Handmaid's Tale, and it seems like those feelings also extend to the cast and crew. Another actor who praised Moss' work on the long-running series is Orange is the New Black alum Samira Wiley, who portrays Moira. She spoke about her collaboration with Elisabeth Moss over the years, offering:

Considering her strong work on the screen and stage, this is more high praise. Wiley has proven herself as a strong performer, but it sounds like Moss was able to get even more out of her as Moira in The Handmaid's Tale.

In our conversation, Wiley made it clear that she wasn't the only actor who feels this way about what Moss brings as both a scene partner and director. As she told me:

One Handmaid's Tale star who had a previous relationship with Moss ahead of the Hulu series is Bradley Whitford. The two worked together on The West Wing when she was young, and he spoke to me about what it's been like seeing her take the reins on Handmaid's Tale. As he put it:

How sweet is that? Despite all the misery that happens in Gilead, there does seem to be a ton of love on the set of The Handmaid's Tale. One can only imagine what it was like saying goodbye after the show wrapped.

New episodes of The Handmaid's Tale air Tuesdays on Hulu as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. While fans will miss the show, at least a spinoff The Testaments is in development.

The streaming wars have been going strong for years, with each service buoyed by a few megahit original shows. Those with a Hulu subscription have been treated to years of the book to screen adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, and we're currently in the midst of the sixth and final season. And while Season 6 has been thrilling, I am desperately needing one final update from a fan favorite character.

Fans are figuring out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, and I'm looking forward to how the dystopian drama will end. The fans are invested in Gilead's stories, but my favorite character has been gone for over a season now. Yes, I'm talking about Alexis Bledel's Emily Malek.

The Gilmore Girls alum was an Emmy-winning scene stealer throughout The Handmaid's Tale's first few seasons. But Bledel left the show after Season 4, and Emily was promptly written off. While her returning in the final season might be a long shot, I'd at least like some exposition revealing the former Handmaid's fate.

Emily was the first Handmaid we saw violently resisting Gilead, and she was brutalized as a result of her actions. While Bledel's character was able to escape to Canada, she continued to struggle with violent rage towards her abusers. After Season 4's violent finale where she helped kill Fred Waterford, the actress left the show.

During exposition in the Season 5 premiere, Emily's wife (played by Clea Duvall) revealed that Emily went back to Gilead, in hopes of tracking down Aunt Lydia and getting revenge for her mutilation. She hasn't been mentioned, seen, or heard from since.

There's been no indication that Bledel was interested in returning to The Handmaid's Tale for its sixth and final season. And as such, I'm hoping the forthcoming series finale ends up offering some much needed closure.

Was Emily killed on her mission in Gilead? Did she somehow survive and manage to once again escape the tyrannical fictional country? I'd really like to know, especially considering the unceremonious way the fan favorite character was written off. And since Season 6 is going to be the final chapter, there's precious few episodes left for the show to provide answers.

If the final season of The Handmaid's Tale doesn't reveal that happened to Emily, there is the potential for closure somewhere else. A spinoff called The Testaments is in active development, and will adapt Margaret Atwood's sequel novel of the same name. If the show follows its source material, Ann Dowd's Aunt Lydia will be a major character. And as such, she could offer an update about Emily at some point during the spinoff's time on the air. I'm just spitballing, but I'm not the only fan passionate about this character.

The Handmaid's Tale airs new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu as part of the TV premiere list. We'll just have to wait and see the fate of all our favorite characters in these final episodes... including Emily.

Every streaming service has its own wildly popular original shows, and those who have a Hulu subscription have spent years following The Handmaid's Tale. The book to screen adaptation is currently airing its sixth and final season, and fans are curious about how it's going to end. But after the show's creator mentioend fans having "questions", I'm worried we're going to be stuck with a cliffhanger.

While some folks are figuring out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, I'm a hardcore fan who is looking forward to the series finale. While the last episode will presumably set up the spinoff The Testaments, I'm still hoping we get a definitive ending to June's story. While speaking with Us Weekly, creator Bruce Miller spoke about the show's conclusion, offering:

Well, suddenly I'm nervous. While the story of Gilead is obviously going to continue with The Testaments, I'm hoping the lingering questions won't ruin the ending of The Handmaid's Tale. If so, it might join the ranks of the most disappointing TV finales.

Given how emotional Handmaid's Tale fans are about the show, I doubt I'm the only one hoping for closure. We've seen characters like June, Moira, and Janine suffer at the hands of Gilead, and they all really do deserve happy endings. Later in that same interview, Miller spoke about why he wants some things to be open ended for the series, offering:

He's not wrong. The Handmaid's Tale book basically covers Season 1 of the show, with June being carted away by The Eyes from The Waterfords and her fate left more or less ambiguous. Its epilogue offered more clues about the narrator, but readers are left with lots of questions. While the sequel novel The Testaments finally revealed what happened to June and her children, it wasn't released until decades later.

Since we know that a TV adaptation for The Testaments is being developed by Hulu, the series finale of The Handmaid's Tale will presumably plant some narrative seeds for that spinoff. Perhaps these are the questions that Miller is referencing when he talked about how the flagship series will end.

The stakes for the final season of The Handmaid's Tale certainly feel high, and the trailers for the season show that resistance is finally coming to Gilead. Hopefully June and her loved ones will manage to make it out alive.

The Handmaid's Tale airs new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu as part of the TV premiere list. It's currently unclear when The Testaments will begin production.

For as long as the streaming wars have been going on, each provider has had some wildly popular original programming. The book to screen adaptation The Handmaid's Tale is at the top of that list for those with a Hulu subscription, with the sixth and final season officially kicked off. And the cast of the long-running series spoke to CinemaBlend about just how emotional fans have been about June's story and the turmoil of Gilead.

What we know about The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 has been limited, but the stakes feel high since it's going to be the set of episodes. While some folks figure out how to watch The Handmaid's Tale final season, I had the privilege of speaking with the cast ahead of its airing. As you can see in the video above, I asked about how strongly fans have felt about the Emmy-winning series. Naomi Lawrence actress Ever Carradine offered her perspective, saying:

Shortly after its debut on Hulu, the red garb on the Handmaids has been used as a political symbol in the real world. We've seen plenty of activists wear these costumes in order to protest policies, including the overturning of Roe Vs. Wade in the United States.

Another member of The Handmaid's Tale's cast who spoke to me about the impact of the show is Luke actor O-T Fagbenle (Black Widow, No Good Deed). He shared his perspective, saying:

Art is about getting audiences to feel something, whether it's laughing at a comedy or crying at a drama. Given the sensitive nature of The Handmaid's Tale's plot, including stories about sexual assault, and the cast has seen the way the show has emotionally affected fans. Mark Tuello actor Samuel Jaeger told me about his reaction to those stories, saying:

Whie he might have started as a small cog, the role of Tuello has gotten bigger and bigger throughout the years. And having seen the first handful of episodes of Season 6, I can say we're going to get even more new sides of Jaeger's character.

After the long wait between seasons, the first three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 are streaming now on Hulu as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. We'll have to see how the show ends, and how it sets up the spinoff The Testaments.

Some weeks are better than others when it comes to new streaming content, and then thare weeks like this one that aren’t just better; they’re incredible. This week brings something of note to virtually every major streaming platform. There’s so much good stuff ithat t’s difficult to keep it all in one list.

Four different high-profile series debut this week from four different major streaming services. On top of that we have a documentary look at one of the great cult classics in animated movie history and a high-octane action movie. It’s a little something for everybody.

Not Just A Goof - April 7 (Disney+)

It’s been 30 years since Disney released A Goofy Movie in theaters, and somehow, three decades later, the popularity of the film has yet to subside. Not Just a Goof debuted at last year’s D23 event and now the documentary film on the enduring legacy of A Goofy Movie will be available with a Disney+ subscription.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Sixth & Final Season Premiere - April 8 (Hulu)

The adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has been insanely popular since it first debuted, and more than two years after the previous season 5, your Hulu subscription can finally bring you the end of the story as the finale season arrives to complete the story.

Black Mirror, Season 7 April 10 (Netflix)

Netflix’s anthology of the strange and surreal hasn’t been seen for nearly two years, but Black Mirror finally makes holding on to your Netflix subscription worthwhile. This season includes appearances from Awkwafina, Will Poulter, Paul Giamatti and more. It also will include a sequel double episode to the “USS Callister” episode, possibly the most popular episode of the series to date.

G20 April 10 Prime Video

Viola Davis received critical raves for her starring role in The Woman King, which showed everybody just how good the actress could be as a powerful action-heroine. Now, in the new movie G20, available with a Prime subscription, Davis takes on the bad guys once again, this time as an ass-kicking President of the United States who must save her family after terrorists take over the G20 summit in South Africa.

Doctor Who, Season 2 Premiere - April 12 (Disney+)

Disney scored a major coup when it became the home for all things Doctor Who, and after a strong Freshman outing for Ncuti Gatwa’s version of The Doctor, he returns with a new companion and brand new adventures throughout time and space.

The Last Of Us Season 2 - April 13 (Max)

Season 1 of The Last of Us was arguably one of the best adaptations of a video game ever put on screen, and now, with Season 2, the show will attempt to do it all over again. The Last of Us Part II had a lot to live up to as a video game, and the HBO series (which is available with a Max subscription) will be following in equally significant footsteps.

If somehow, there’s nothing quite for you on this list, worry not. The rest of April will continue to drop some great shows and movies. Something made for you should be coming along shortly.

Each streaming service has a few super popular shows, and for those with a Hulu subscription, The Handmaid's Tale is definitely on that list. The book to screen adaptation brought Margaret Atwood's novel to life, and it became an Emmy-winning success. The sixth and final season is about to start airing, and the showrunner promises a "satisfying" ending. Given my strong emotions tied to the show, I sincerely hope she's right.

What we know about The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 is limited, but it's going to be the final chapter in the long-running series. The pressure is on to stick the landing, and not join the ranks of disappointing TV finales. Showrunner Yahlin Chang spoke to SFX Magazine about the final chapter, and trying to give fans everything they want. In her words:

That's definitely a thrilling update. Since Season 6 was planned as the final entry into The Handmaid's Tale, it sounds like the writers and team behind the show got to throw everything at it. Gilead is actually rebelling, and it sounds like fans are finally going to get to see the people of the fictional country rise.

"Wish fulfillment" is definitely not something I would use to typically describe the events of The Handmaid's Tale. The acclaimed drama is often grueling to watch, with fans like myself watching for years as our favorite characters are brutalized, murdered, and completely stripped of their identity. But it seems like Season 6 is going to finally give fans what they want, which will presumably come with the powerful figures in Gilead finally getting theirs.

Every TV viewer wants a satisfying ending to their favorite shows, but that's easier said than done. Just look at Game of Thrones's controversial ending or the final season of Dexter. And for The Handmaid's Tale, fans are going to want to see June finally get her happy ending.

There is one bit of wish fulfillment I have that I'm not expecting to actually come to fruition for Season 6: the return of Emily. Alexis Bledel departed the series after four seasons, and her fan favorite character was written off at the start of Season 5. She's seemingly not going to be back for the final set of episodes, which means we might not ever get answers as to her fate.

If Bledel doesn't physically appear, maybe Emily can at least be referenced in the final episodes. I just don't want the show to end without finding out if she's still alive! Fan questions will begin to be answered when The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 debuts April 6th as part of the TV premiere list.

Every streaming service has its hit original shows, and for those with a Hulu subscription The Handmaid's Tale is likely on that list. The dystopian book to movie adaptation won some Emmys and remains super popular, and fans are gearing up for its sixth and final season on the air. And the showrunner's tease about what's coming next has me seriously hyped for the upcoming Hulu TV series' return.

What we know about The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 is limited, but the trailers for the season have made it seem like an epic conclusion to June's story. While we'll be getting more Gilead stories with the spinoff The Testaments, it sounds like the final episodes of the flagship series are going to be wild. Showrunner Yahlin Chang spoke to TV Insider about the show's final chapter, saying:

Sign me up. The Handmaid's Tale is a grueling TV watch, largely because of the sexual and physical violence often carried out on the women of Gilead. And it sounds like that population, both Handmaids and others, are finally going to rise up and rebel against the puritanical government. And I'm eager to see how it all goes down.

While Season 1 of The Handmaid's Tale was a pretty accurate adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name, the following seasons had to cook up some original stories. And with the sixth season being the final batch of episodes, the writers seemingly didn't hold back regarding its scale. As Chang shared in the same interview:

Honestly, that sounds awesome. It sounds like Season 6 being the final entry allowed Chang and company to really throw whatever they want into The Handmaid's Tale. The limited trailers for the new season have teased the violent way the women of Gilead will be revolting, including a scene where Handmaids are given knives, presumably to attack their Commanders with. Add in June and Luke going back into the fictional country to find their daughter Hannah, and it seems like just about anything could happen.

The Handmaid's Tale will return for its sixth and final season on April 8th as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. And I can't wait to see how it ends.

The upcoming sixth season of The Handmaid’s Tale will be arriving on Hulu in the relatively near future, ending the crazy ride that fans have adored since 2017. After the cliffhanger-heavy Season 5 finale, there will be much to look forward to in the final batch of episodes. While Handmaid's Tale will be one of the many series ending in 2025, a premiere date still has not been set, though we finally have news we’ve been waiting for.

O-T Fagbenle, who plays Luke Bankole, took to Instagram to share some fun photos with Elisabeth Moss and the rest of the cast from filming, revealing that The Handmaid’s Tale has officially wrapped its final season. Although it’s been a long wait for the final season since Season 5 aired in 2022, this post is proof that the extended break between episodes is finally be coming to an end...eventually.

It was announced back in 2022, ahead of the fifth season's debut, that The Handmaid’s Tale was renewed for a sixth and final season. Now that filming has officially wrapped, however, it feels a lot more real. Of course, it’s still as mysterious as ever, since there haven't been any big reveals or leaks from production.

But with filming wrapped, it’s likely there will be some official BTS content getting released over the next several months to keep fans occupied while awaiting a trailer. Speaking of those fans, Fagbenle’s question about predictions certainly drew some responses.

Fans Are Split Over What Should Happen In The Final Season

The Handmaid’s Tale could go in any direction, even if it’s possible The Testaments might have spoiled the series finale, since there’s going to be an adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel to follow the final season. That isn’t stopping fans from still coming up with their own theories.

• June and Serena Joy partner up to make big changes. Serena dies and June is going to raise her baby. -mysticalblossoms
• Get hannah back and want June and Nick together ❤️ -carlyjayne24
• Hannah needs to be returned home or I’m gonna be in shambles. Luke also better be OK after going to jail. Love him so much. I really need Hannah to meet Nicole. -italian_ink81
• Hannah Luke and June live happily ever after 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 and Janine too she need some good luck 😅 -ciarasweendogg
• Luke & June will get Hannah back & Nick will die helping June to get her back. Can not wait for this it’s been too long!! 😍😍 -clarevalentine76

Although many fans have different opinions as to what should happen, it seems like many of them want June (Moss) and Nick (Max Minghella) to live happily ever after, and for Hannah (Jordana Blake) to come home. But it is interesting to see that some are also holding out for June and Luke to be together. But who's to say either of those happy endings will occur? There is still plenty of time to get theories and predictions in, and at this point, it’s anyone’s guess.

Even though filming has officially wrapped on The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6, it might still be a while until more information, such as a premiere date, is announced. Fans have already been waiting over two years, so it’s not like it really matters how much longer it is. At the very least, now would be a good time to watch the first five seasons with a Hulu subscription to get any last-minute theories.

Gilmore Girls was not just a hit that ran for seven seasons in the early 2000s, but a show that’s still beloved by fans to the point where a sequel miniseries was made in 2016 (which you can watch with your Netflix subscription), nine years after the original finale. It’s also one of the most rewatchable shows ever that gives fans a nostalgic experience, but if you’ve recently completed a binge of the family dramedy, then it’s good that we have a list for you of 32 movies and shows that feature the Gilmore Girls cast. Enjoy!

Supernatural (2005-2020)

Sure, this list could have started anywhere, but why not start with the portrayer of (mostly) sweet Dean, Jared Padalecki? His supporting role on Gilmore Girls couldn’t have prepared fans for his hugely successful run as the creature-of-the-night hunting Sam Winchester on Supernatural. The series ran for 15 seasons and has tons of amazing episodes, especially if you enjoy spooky stuff.

How To Get Away With Murder (2014-2020)

Overall, most of the players from GG saw a boost in their careers after the show, and likely helped make it possible for Liza Weil, who played the ever-stressed Paris Geller, to eventually make her way to a major role on the thrilling ABC hit, How to Get Away with Murder.

The O.C. (2003-2007)

Is bringing up Fox’s early aughts mega-hit teen drama The O.C. this quickly a bit of a cheat? Sure, but we can’t deny that without the popularity of his Dave Rygalski in Season 3, we might never have gotten actor Adam Brody as the funny, loyal, Summer-obsessed Seth Cohen in one of the defining teen shows of all time.

The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-2021)

Much like viewers were probably not prepared to watch Padalecki fight monsters after his time on Gilmore Girls, I doubt most could have expected to see star Alexis Bledel take on Dr. Emily Malek, the strong-willed and rebellious Handmaid first known as Ofglen. She won an Emmy Award for her role, so this is one drama not to miss.

Parenthood (2010-2015)

There might be no character more strong-willed, funny and quirky than Lorelei Gilmore, who was brought to life so exceptionally by Lauren Graham. If that character description sounds a lot like Sarah Braverman-Holt from NBC’s family drama, Parenthood, then you get why Graham was a perfect fit for both.

Bride & Prejudice (2004)

A small role is a role nonetheless, and if you check out the amazing Jane Austen-inspired rom-com, Bride & Prejudice, you’ll see Bledel as Georgie Darcy, Will’s younger sister.

The Good Wife (2009-2016)

Say what you will about being Team Logan, but the Huntzberger boy still has his supporters even today. This is probably because Matt Czuchry did such a good job portraying him, much like he did the charming go-getter Cary Agos on CBS’ legal drama, The Good Wife.

Fire Country (2024)

As one of the biggest dramas on CBS, Fire Country is hard to miss and even harder to dislike. That’s why it’s the perfect show to check out to see Jared Padalecki as the still-grieving firefighter Camden Casey during Season 3.

Saw IV (2007)

Honestly, were you expecting to see something as horrific as Saw IV on this list? Well, you might be even more surprised to know that Scott Patterson, who played Luke Danes, appeared in a total of three Saw films as determined FBI agent Peter Strahm.

This Is Us (2016-2022)

Can you imagine if anyone has forgotten This Is Us? NBC’s family drama was an immediate success, with the trailer for the very first season racking up a staggering number of views. Of course, you can revel in your Team Jess status by watching Milo Ventimiglia portray loving patriarch Jack Pearson.

13 Reasons Why (2017-2018)

13 Reasons Why is a teen drama that made major waves during its run on Netflix, but you might not know that Keiko Agena, who brought Lane Kim to life on GG, spent the first two seasons playing the kind and protective communications teacher, Pamela Bradley.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024)

If you can be in the mood for a holiday film all year long, then 2024’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever should be added to your viewing calendar. In it, Lauren Graham brings her signature charm to the role of Beth Bradley.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

Of all the GG actors who one might have expected to appear in a giant blockbuster franchise, few fans would likely have bet on the actor who gave us the wonderfully nice but odd Kirk Gleason, Sean Gunn. After a supporting role as Kraglin in the original Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, he’s now reprised the part in seven MCU films and TV series.

Bridesmaids (2011)

For the first time on this list, we get to Melissa McCarthy, who played beloved chef Sookie St. James. She was in several projects after Gilmore Girls ended, but the comedy hit Bridesmaids, where she played the loyal but crude and somewhat erratic Megan, launched her career into the stratosphere. She received an Oscar nomination for her work, so it’s not to be missed.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (2020-2021)

The jukebox musical dramedy series, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, was a treat, but if you missed its two seasons on NBC, know that Lauren Graham played a major role in Season 1 as Zoey’s strict boss, Joan.

The Cleaning Lady (2022-Now)

Any show about gangsters needs a good cop investigating and trying to bring them down, and Liza Weil has starred as confident and cunning FBI agent Katherine Russo on The Cleaning Lady for the thriller’s entire run so far.

The Heat (2013)

Need a wild action comedy about two mismatched officers (one a prim, by-the-book FBI agent, and the other a crass, quick-to-anger, by-any-means-necessary local cop) who have to get along enough to get a drug lord off the streets? Then you should watch Melissa McCarthy as police detective Shannon Mullins ASAP.

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (2021-2022)

This follow-up to The Mighty Ducks film franchise hit Disney+ and brought GG fans more of Lauren Graham, as she starred as Alex Morrow, who forms and then coaches a new underdog hockey team after her son is cut by the Ducks.

The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (2005)

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a two-film franchise that still means a lot to those who were young women at the time it was released. There’s no better time than now to revisit (or watch for the first time) Alexis Bledel as Lena in both films.

An Unmarried Woman (1978)

Here’s a throwback for you. The 1978 romantic comedy-drama, An Unmarried Woman, features a performance from none other than Emily Gilmore herself, Kelly Bishop, as Elaine, a good friend of the title character.

The Lost Boys (1987)

Alright, this one’s technically a throwback, too, it just doesn’t go back quite as far. But, The Lost Boys is a definite teen horror classic, along with talents like Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman, stars Richard Gilmore actor, Edward Hermann, in an important role.

Prodigal Son (2019-2021)

This Fox crime drama may not have lasted long, but it certainly had a dedicated fanbase, and some of that was likely because of Keiko Agena’s work as the kind, trusting, and socially awkward medical examiner, Dr. Edrisa Tanaka.

Sullivan’s Crossing (2023-2024)

The family drama, Sullivan’s Crossing, came to The CW with a treat for Gilmore Girls fans, as it brought Scott Patterson back to the network as the estranged father, Sully, of the lead character, big city neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan, who returns to her small Nova Scotia town after a scandal.

Mike & Molly (2010-2016)

The long-running comedy Mike & Molly is another of Melissa McCarthy’s post-GG projects. This CBS hit saw the titular couple fall in love after a health-related meet-cute, and work on their relationship while attempting to deal with their often wacky families and friends, and life’s many ups and downs. Check it out for McCarthy’s Emmy-winning performance.

Sin City (2005)

Based on the comic book series of the same name, Sin City is a noirish, action-filled crime drama that just so happens to feature Alexis Bledel as a…well, not entirely trustworthy participant in the rampant criminal shenanigans that abound in the sinful city of the title.

The John Larroquette Show (1993-1996)

One of the very few series to take place in St. Louis, Missouri, The John Larroquette Show was a sitcom that saw the actor portray the night manager of a run-down downtown bus station, with Liz Torres, who played the bubbly and gossipy dance teacher Miss Patty on Gilmore Girls, as his secretary. Torres received two Emmy nominations for her work here, so it’s definitely worth a watch.

The Resident (2018-2023)

Considering the number of medical shows that tend to fill the airwaves, it’s a bit of a surprise that it’s taken this long to get to one, but it is a pretty fine one. The Resident stars Matt Czuchry as the conceited (but still somehow charming) Dr. Conrad Hawkins, a third-year resident who practices with unconventional techniques and a knowledge of the business of medicine who’s determined to stop younger residents from putting their chosen profession on a pedestal.

All In The Family (1971-1978)

If you haven’t yet watched the classic ‘70s sitcom, All In the Family, you’re missing out. Not only does the Norman Lear series use its humor to tackle a number of hot-button issues that are still very relevant for today’s audiences, but it also features Sally Struthers (she was Lorelei and Rory’s nosy neighbor in Stars Hollow, Babette) in her Emmy-winning role as Gloria, the somewhat childish, college-aged daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker.

Walker (2021-2024)

After his immensely successful run on Supernatural, Jared Padalecki moved right on to yet another show on The CW. This one, Walker, was a reimagining of the long-running Chuck Norris hit Walker, Texas Ranger, which saw Padalecki take on the lead role as he returned home after being undercover for two years while trying to reconnect with his teenage children and figure out how his wife really died.

True Blood (2008-2014)

Here’s one that’s easy to miss, even if you’re a die-hard Gilmore Girls fan. Among the many characters, human and supernatural, who populated the HBO vampire series True Blood for seven seasons, you see plenty of Merlotte's Bar & Grill short order cook, the kind but troubled Terry Bellefleur. But, did you know that he’s portrayed by Todd Lowe, the same guy who brought us Hep Alien’s dim, womanizing, guitar-playing, lead-singing wanna-be rock star Zack Van Gerbig? Well, now you do!

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Melissa MacCarthy was able to hit the Academy Awards red carpet as a nominee again when she starred in the biographical film Can You Ever Forgive Me? As writer Lee Israel. It’s based on Israel’s memoir of the same name, where she talks about her attempt to revive her writing career by forging letters from deceased celebrities and selling them. This critically acclaimed drama is one not to miss.

Spy (2015)

Last, but not least, we have another of Melissa McCarthy’s winning comedies in Spy. The movie follows CIA employee Susan Cooper, who is only allowed to assist her James Bond-esque partner via a desk job at the home office and an earpiece. But, when an operation goes wrong and leads to her partner’s death, Susan volunteers to go into the field and get to the bottom of things. Seeing as how this is a McCarthy film, you can bet that the situation gets hilariously out of hand before all is said and done, and you’ll be better for it!

As you can clearly see, while Gilmore Girls has been off the air for nearly 20 years, not only has it not been forgotten, but its stars have continued to keep us entertained in a number of other TV shows and movies, and hopefully will for many years to come!

As the back end of the 2025 TV schedule starts to fill up with premiere dates for both new and returning series for Fall TV and beyond, that means we're thankfully beyond the biggest batch of widespread cancellations tied to May upfronts, at least for broadcast networks. But the boob tube's Grim Reaper waits for no one.

June 2025 was privy to quite a few disappointing cancellation announcements that finally cleared up the bubble shows left over after the May TV bloodbath, with a few additional disappointing surprises also making headlines. So while it doesn't please me to address any amount of bad news, let's shine a light on the most disappointing chopping-block decisions from the start of the summer, followed by a more comprehensive list of series facing bad news this year.

The Most Disappointing TV Cancellations In June 2025

Éoile (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino's ballet dramedy appeared destined for multi-season glory like the creators' Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls, but sadly suffered a Bunheads-esque fate when Amazon reversed its original two-season order and canceled Étoile after its single season dropped all at once in late April. (Like The Bondsman, this series didn't follow the platform's usual weekly episode drops.) Despite critics and audiences being won over by the charms of Luke Kirby, Charlotte Gainsbourg and others, it was canceled six weeks after it first arrived.
• Final Episode: April 24, 2025

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: It's somewhat hard to slot this as a disappointment, considering Paramount+ confirmed the genre-mashing series' fifth season even before Season 3 premiered. (That's happening July 17.) Still, the prequel to the original Trek series delivered so much fun in the first two seasons that it's easier and better on the psyche to just pretend that the final-season announcement never happened and wait until just before the shortened six-episode Season 5 arrives to start getting emotional.
• Final Episode: TBA

Gross Pointe Garden Society (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Created by Grey's Anatomy writer/producer Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs, Grosse Pointe Garden Society centered on the classic hook of suburbanites with secrets (and bodies) to hide, with a talented cast of TV vets bringing the goods. Unfortunately, the drama got off to a bad ratings start with its late February debut, and that was the only episode that brought in more than 1.5 million viewers, with one episode falling below a million. Without a massive streaming audience to bolster those numbers, broadcast networks can't afford to stick with that level of succes, and NBC canceled it on June 27, 2025, around six weeks after its cliffhanger-y finale.
• Final Episode: May 16, 2025

Doctor Odyssey (ABC)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: With Ryan Murphy as a co-creator, and a seemingly endless number of oddball at-sea plotlines to explore, Doctor Odyssey never quite seemed to settle its footing with critics or audiences, leading to fluctuating stats that likely played into the medical drama's "on the bubble" status for so many weeks after ABC's other cancellations were unleashed. Technically speaking, the network didn't officially cancel the show; rather, the cast's contracts were allowed to expire without renewal, meaning that ABC will need to work with the cast and crew on new negotiations should execs eventually decide to make Season 2 a reality.
• Final Episode: May 15, 2025

Shows Set For Planned Endings In 2025

Andor (Disney+)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: While the original plan for the upcoming Star Wars project was for a five-season run, the massive scope involved (and thus the enormous budget reported) meant that showrunner Tony Gilroy was limited to just two seasons to tell the entire prequelized story of Gabriel Luna's Cassian Andor.
• Final Episode: TBA to follow Season 2 premiere on April 22, 2025.

Bel-Air (Peacock)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: It's unclear exactly why Peacock chose to make Season 4 the final one for its dramatized Fresh Prince reboot, but given the lower episode count (eight instead of ten) and three-month stretch between the Season 3 finale and the final season renewal, it's likely the lower viewership combined with rising budgets to force execs' hands.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Big Mouth (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 8
• Reason For Ending: Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg's animated adult comedy will be Netflix's longest-running original non-kids series when Season 8 arrives, and there doesn't appear to be any straightforward reason for it to be ending, beyond the fact that its characters have been in middle school for seven years now.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Billy The Kid (MGM+)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Though Billy the Kid was touted as being one of MGM+'s three biggest shows for its second season, the burgeoning streaming service decided in October 2023 to make the impending third season the finale one. Historically speaking, Billy the Kid didn't exactly live to a ripe old age, so it makes sense for the show to be somewhat limited in season number.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Blood Of Zeus (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Netflix's epic-scale animated action-adventure Blood of Zeus has been a critical darling for its sharp animation and effective voice actors, but never quite became as much of a mainstream hit as some of the streamer's other American anime, and the creators announced at SDCC 2024 that the series was ordered for a third and final season to debut in 2025.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Bosch: Legacy (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Titus Welliver's now-retired Harry Bosch is getting his swan song in the third season of Bosch: Legacy ahead of the Maggie Q-starring spinoff set to debut in the back half of 2025. The series' end coincided with the confirmation that Amazon Freevee was going away in light of Prime Video launching its ad-based tier, and while no hyper-specific reasons have surfaced for why the series is ending with Season 3, it's theorized that the show's questionable value for advertisers played into it.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Cobra Kai (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 6
• Reason For Ending: The Karate Kid franchise follow-up Cobra Kai was revealed to be ending with Season 6 back in January 2023, when creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg released a Netflix-emblazoned letter to fans that addressed their goal to end Johnny, Daniel, and other characters' stories on their own terms, possibly implying the streaming service did not show interest in continuing with a seventh season.
• Final Episode: The final 8 episodes comprising Season 6 Part 3 will drop on Thursday, February 13.

The Conners (ABC)

• Number Of Seasons: 7
• Reason For Ending: The Conners wasn't originally intended to go beyond a single season clearing up Roseanne issues, yet John Goodman & Co. are returning for their eighth year, which will officially be its final one due to a combination of salaries, schedules and dwindling viewership, with only six episodes ordered up to close out this beloved sitcom universe.
• Final Episode: TBA in Spring 2025

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

• Number Of Seasons: 6
• Reason For Ending: Hulu ordered up the sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale ahead of Season 5's heavy cliffhanger ending, with creator Bruce Miller saying he was given the opportunity to close out June's story on his own terms. That announcement, which coincided with development confirmation on adapting Margaret Atwood's sequel tale The Testaments, happened back in September 2022, with strikes and other factors delaying the production's start until Summer 2024.
• Final Episode: TBA in Spring 2025

9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: With flagship drama 9-1-1 having previously shifted from Fox to ABC, Rob Lowe's 9-1-1: Lone Star spinoff was immediately theorized as a future goner, and such rumors persisted ahead of its strike-delayed premiere, right up until the point in September 2024 when it was confirmed ahead of the Season 5 premiere that it would serve as the final season. Drooping ratings from year to year likely meshed with budget issues to inspire this particular cancellation.
• Final Episode: February 3, 2025

Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Starz)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: The second successful spinoff from 50 Cent's Power franchise, the Mekai Curtis-starring crime drama was renewed for Season 5 back in March 2024, with the "final season" confirmation happening in May 2025. Showrunner Sascha Penn shared a statement saying it was always his goal to tell Kanan's backstory in five seasons, with the final season focusing on the introduction of Breeze, as portrayed by Spider-Verse's Shamiek Moore.
• Final Episode: TBA

The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: Just a week before its long-awaited fourth season's premeire date was finally revealed, The Righteous Gemstones' creator Danny McBride broke the news that it would be the Gemstone family's final outing, telling GQ in January 2025 that it felt like a natural decision to send the show to the choir invisible after this cycle, given the way the season was crafted to bring "all these themes and these ideas and these characters to a conclusion, to something that felt like completion." No word yet on whether a Baby Billy Freeman spinoff will ever get prayed into existence.
• Final Episode: May 4, 2025

Solar Opposites (Hulu)

• Number Of Seasons: 5 currently, will end with Season 6
• Reason For Ending: Hulu announced Solar Opposites' Season 6 renewal at SDCC 2024, ahead of Season 5 and its folllow-up special. But it wasn't until mid-March 2025 that fans learned it would be the final batch of misadventures for Korvo, Terry, Yumyulack, Jesse,The Pupa, and everyone in and outside The Wall. No specific reasons were laid out, but it does appear as if this will serve as a proper conclusion for the animated hit.
• Final Episode: TBA Late 2025

Squid Game (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Months ahead of the premiere of its globe-conquering second season, Squid Game Season 3 was ordered up in July 2024, with series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirming in the announcement that it would be the final outing. Though he didn't even originally plan for Season 2 to happen, Hwang has spoken since about seeing a third season as the natural conclusion for the characters and games.
• Final Episode: TBA late 2025

Stranger Things (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: Since their earliest days working on the project, Matt and Ross Duffer envisioned that Stranger Things Season 5 would likely be the time to conclude things, assuming (correctly) that four wouldn't be enough. The duo confirmed that to be reality in June 2022, well before the Hollywood strikes pushed back filming and premiere plans.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

The Summer I Turned Pretty (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: The Summer I Turned Pretty was secured for its third outing a month after Season 2 concluded in 2023, with plans to wrap up Jenny Han's novel trilogy. In May 2024, Amazon MGM delayed new episodes until 2025 while also revealing an expanded episode order. So all the signs were there for this to be the final season, and the streaming platform confirmed this to be the case when the final season's premiere window was finally announced.
• Final Episode: TBA Summer 2025

Upload (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: The tech-afterlife comedy Upload was initially conceived for a four-season arc, according to creator Greg Daniels, and while that number wasn't always guaranteed, the quirky satire has proven successful enough for Amazon execs to take the characters to their natural conclusions with a final season.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

You (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: Ahead of the 2023 strikes, Netflix put the word out that Penn Badgley's killer thriller You was getting a fifth and final season. Though no reasoning was given, it's possible that part of the decision stemmed from co-creator and showrunner Sara Gamble exiting the series (amicably) and being replaced by a pair of EPs taking her spot to tell Joe Goldberg's swan song.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Shows That Were Straight-Up Canceled For 2025

After Midnight (CBS)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: After two seasons of helping usher in CBS' most random late-night comedy in years, After Midnight host Taylor Tomlinson announced in March 2025 that she would be vacating the series to focus more on her stand-up comedy. After that, CBS reversed its previous Season 3 renewal decision and canceled the show outright, with low ratings no doubt a factor. It's believed that the panel show's time slot will revert back to local affiliates post-finale, which will mark the first time in 30 years that CBS isn't programming the 12:30 a.m. ET hour.
• Final Episode: TBA June 2025

Alert: Missing Persons Unit

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: One of Fox's pair of bubble shows that survived the May cancellations, Alert: Missing Persons Unit stayed on the table as a potential renewal due to network execs' faith in Hawaii Five-0 vet as a lead, as well as positive feelings about the third season highlighting more buddy-cop vibes. But the series didn't top 1.5 million nightly viewers beyond its Season 2 premiere, and the cancellation decision was revealed less than two weeks later.
• Final Episode: May 27, 2025

Based On A True Story (Peacock)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Lovable TV mainstays Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina made for a winning team in the mystery-laden dark comedy Based on a True Story, with two seasons of well-received thrills and kills. Out of the blue in mid-April 2025, news broke that it was canceled, without any initial sign of a motivation on Peacock's part to wrap up after that game-changing Season 2 finale.
• Final Episode: November 21, 2024

The Bondsman (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Kevin Bacon's gory horror dramedy The Bondsman might have had a bigger impact on Prime Video subscribers had Amazon promoted it beyond the front page of its streaming site. But the series arrived largely out of nowhere in April 2025, made quite a few horror fans giddy with excitement, and then got axed six weeks later. Despite making a showing on Nielsen's streaming charts during its first week of release, The Bondsman's impact wasn't enough for a second round of demon-destroying mayhem.
• Final Episode: April 3, 2025

Bookie (Max)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Sitcom creator extraordinaire Chuck Lorre made the jump to Max by teaming with stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and voice-actor Nick Bakay for a closer look at the financially irresponsible world of sports betting and bookies. Perhaps it’s saying something that more attention went to Lorre’s reunion with Charlie Sheen after their Two and a Half Men feud than Bookie itself, and news spread in February 2025 that the dramedy was axed.
• Final Episode: January 30, 2025

Citadel: Honey Bunny (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: The breakout success of spythriller Citadel sparked two spinoffs, with Honey Bunny taking the prequel route with Varun Dhawan's Bunny and Samantha's Honey, the parents of Priyanka Chopra's Nadia in the flagship series. The Indian-Hindu series was a hit in its native countries, but did not take hold of global audiences in the way its predecessor did. But in announcing that it would not return for Season 2, Amazon confirmed that the characters' stories will be woven into Citadel Season 2 when it finally arrives.
• Final Episode: November 26, 2024

Citadel: Diana (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: The sequel-ish Citadel: Diana was Amazon's Italian set spinoff of its hit spy-action series Citadel, starring Matilda De Angelis as an undercover Citadel agent trying to make her way back to safety after getting stuck behind enemy lines. As it went with Honey Bunny, Diana did not garner enough of a global impact to warrant a second season, though its storyline will be worked into the second season of Citadel when it arrives in Q2 2026.
• Final Episode: October 10, 2024

The Cleaning Lady (Fox)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: The fact that Élodie Yung's mob cleaner Thony De La Rosa was able to survive four seasons on Fox is a feat in and of itself, considering its third season's dip in viewership. Despite bringing in Dexter vet Daniel Cerrone as a new showrunner for the fourth season, the numbers didn't go upwards at all, although debuting during the last week of March probably didn't help its chances. That said, Fox execs clearly waited until after it ended to go forward with the decision, rather than ending it pre-finale along with the other cancellations.
• Final Episode: June 3, 2025

Cruel Intentions (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Starting in 2015, NBC attempted to get a Cruel Intentions TV show off the ground, based on the hit 1997 movie, and Amazon swooped in years after those initial attempts were given up on. Unfortunately, neither general audiences nor critics felt very strongly about the series and its focus on Greek life. Four months or so after its eight-episode season dropped, the studio dropped the show altogether.
• Final Episode: November 21, 2024

The Equalizer (CBS)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: Fans of Queen Latifah’s The Equalizer had to wait until CBS made decisions for all of its other shows to learn that it was canceled. Addressing this decision and others, one exec pointed to financial issues as a cause, though BTS reports allege the cast and crew agreed to accept budget cuts to acquire a smaller episode order. It’s unlikely the series will be shopped to other studios, but that could depend on how star and EP Queen Latifah herself wants to move forward.
• Final Episode: May 4, 2025

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Despite its breakout success as a post-strike premiere in 2023, Found’s fate was sealed for a trifecta of reasons. 1. The first season’s dynamic changed when Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s Sir escaped. 2. The sophomore season’s larger than average drop in viewership. 3. NBC’s upcoming NBA coverage, which required a major decrease in scripted primetime offerings. But as of this writing, Warner Bros. TV is reportedly shipping the thriller around to other platforms for a potential third outing.
• Final Episode: Airing May 15, 2025

FBI: International (CBS)

Number Of Seasons: 4

Reason For Ending: Similar to its weeknight roomie Most Wanted, FBI: International had its fate sealed without any of the usual motivational factors popping up, such as a drop in viewership or generally low ratings. At the moment, the going idea is that both dramas were folded to make room for the in-the-works CIA spinoff, but that project has not yet been ordered to series.

Final Episode: TBA Spring 2025

FBI: Most Wanted (CBS)

Number Of Seasons: 6

Reason For Ending: When the news first dropped that CBS had pulled the plug on its currently airing (and timeslot-winning) FBI spinoff Most Wanted, the going theory was that the network had to make room for another impending spinoff, FBI: CIA, which fans are not exactly happy about. No official reasons have sprung up just yet, but some viewers are hoping for the Dylan McDermott-starring drama to be saved by a streaming service or by NBC, where Dick Wolf's Law & Order and One Chicago franchises have thrived.

Final Episode: TBA Spring 2025

Found (NBC)

The Franchise (HBO)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Five or so weeks after wrapping its highly chaotic chronicling of superhero blockbuster Tecto: Eye of the Storm, the abundantly satirical comedy The Franchise faced its somewhat ironic cancellation after a single, non-franchising season, albeit a well-received one. While the HBO spokesperson who confirmed the cancellation to Deadline in early January didn't explain the reasoning, the show's seemingly limited viewership likely didn't justify its budget.
• Final Episode: Aired on November 24, 2024

Frasier (Paramount+)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: In January 2025, Paramount+ announced that Kelsey Grammer’s largely enjoyable return to the Frasier universe was ending after two seasons, largely due to the show’s inability to breakout as a hit across the full audience spectrum. Grammer has since gone public confidently stating that he believes Season 3 is still going to happen, but it’s unclear where or who would be paying for it.
• Final Episode: November 14, 2024

Harlem (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Fans only learned the Meagan Good-starring comedy Harlem would be ending when Prime Video released the first trailer for Season 3 on January 8, 2025, more than a year after the third batch of episodes was ordered with no hint that they would conclude the series. But neither that reveal, nor the follow-up from creator Tracy Oliver, addressed a reason for the surprise decision.
• Final Episode: The final two Season 3 episodes will stream on Thursday, February 6, 2025.

How To Die Alone (Hulu)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: The White Lotus breakout star Natasha Rothwell tapped into a vaguely similar mix of drama, comedy and romantic entanglements for her streaming series How To Die Alone. Though the eight-episode first season largely won over both critics and audiences, Hulu opted not to move forward with the show for a second season, a choice that shocked Rothwell, who is reportedly shopping the series around to other platforms.
• Final Episode: September 27, 2024

The Irrational (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Though Season 1 was a hit for NBC in the dregs of post-strikes TV, earning a renewal just a few months in, the Jesse L. Martin-starring drama The Irrational fell short of maintaining its initial audience when Season 2 arrived, perhaps due to a shift from Mondays to Tuesdays. Due to its sizable dips in viewer stats, the series didn’t have an advantage where renewal convos were concerned, especially with the uptick in NBC’s NBA games on the way.
• Final Episode: Aired March 25, 2025

Lopez Vs. Lopez (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Comedian George Lopez and daughter Mayan Lopez’s eponymously titled sitcom was never big with critics, and never delivered huge audience totals, which is likely why it was an on-the-bubble decision for NBC in each of Lopez vs. Lopez’s three seasons. But while its familial charms earned last-minute renewals in years past, the choice was made to pull the plug after Season 3, despite a small-but-present uptick in audience numbers during its post-midseason run.
• Final Episode: Aired February 7, 2025

Mr. Throwback (Peacock)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Co-starring one of the oddest TV comedy pairings with Happy Endings vet Adam Pally and NBA icon Steph Curry, Mr. Throwback was met with a warm enough reception when it landed on Peacock, but didn't spark much beyond silence in the months that followed. The streaming service's decision finally went public in April 2025, without a second season on the way.
• Final Episode: August 8, 2024

Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur (Disney+)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Cancellation: In October 2024, several of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur's excellent cast members confirmed Disney+ canceled the animated Marvel Comics adaptation following executive producer Steve Loter's cryptic online hints. No specific reasons have been confirmed, but there's a silver lining in that fans will still get to see more episodes, as the animation team was still working on nine episodes when the cancellation news dropped.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Mythic Quest (Apple TV+)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: Apple was confident enough to order up a third and fourth season of Mythic Quest back in October 2021, with Season 4 arriving at last in January 2025. Unfortunately, just two weeks after the finale hit streaming, Apple pulled the plug on Mythic Quest, GrimPop and any future expansion plans. The cancellation appeared to come as a surprise to co-creators Rob McElhenney, Megan Ganz and David Hornsby, who were granted the opportunity by Apple to adjust the finale's ending to account for its sealed fate.
• Final Episode: March 26, 2025 (original), TBA April 2025 (updated version)

Night Court (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Melissa Rauch’s major Big Bang Theory follow-up, NBC’s Night Court revival also boasted O.G. fave John Larroquette and (occasionally) Marsha Warfield, and the evolving sitcom played up its TBBT ties with Simon Helberg and Young Sheldon’s Raegan Revord guesting in Season 3’s cliffhanger finale. Unfortunately, the show’s loyal viewership fell with each season, and while there’s potential for it to get shopped around (per Deadline), NBC canceled Night Court without an official wrap-up.
• Final Episode: Aired May 6, 2025

The Recruit (Netflix)

Number Of Seasons: 2

Reason For Ending: Alexi Hawley has enjoyed extended runs with ABC procedurals Castle and The Rookie, among others, but his initial jump to streaming was cut short when Netflix spy canceled its spy dramedy The Recruit just over a month after its second season debuted in January. Early numbers indicate more critical acclaim and a higher completion rate for streamers, albeit with a smaller overall audience (per Deadline), and fans angered by the cancellation news have theorized that the sophomore season’s premiering a week after the sorta-similar Night Agent’s second season played a part in the decision.

Final Episode: January 20, 2025

Rescue Hi-Surf (Fox)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Rescue Hi-Surf’s troubled existence began in COVID-striken 2020 as a project for then-branded HBO Max, and after stagnating for 2-3 years, was picked up by Fox and retitled from Ke Nui Road to the punctuation-friendly Rescue: Hi-Surf. The lifeguard drama enjoyed an NFL lead-in for its September 2024 preview, but immediately lost half of its audience with its Monday night timeslot, and its nightly viewership dipped below 2 million by Episode 4 and never looked back. The fandom’s pulled together for an online renewal campaign, but no updates so far.
• Final Episode: Aired March 31, 2025

The Sex Lives Of College Girls (Max)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: After two successful seasons, The Sex Lives of College Girls bid farewell to co-star Reneé Rapp early in its third-season, and the series never quite reached the levels it had in earlier years, despite two new characters being introduced to help fill the voice. While Max didn't give a specific reason for cancelling the LGBTQ+-friendly comedy, it's believed that dips in viewership accounted for part of the decision.
• Final Episode: January 23, 2025

Star Trek: Prodigy (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Despite the creators' hopes for a seven-season run, the youth-skewing Star Trek: Prodigy's fate was first tested by Paramount+'s cancellation as the already ordered Season 2 was still being made. Netflix stepped in to give the second season a home, but presumably due to lower than expected viewership numbers, the streaming service opted out of going forward with a third season, though without making that decision known until May 2025.
• Final Episode: July 1, 2024

The Sticky (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Despite having the power of stars such as Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos, the darkly comedic heist caper The Sticky didn’t appear to draw the kinds of crowds most deserving of its fairly universal critical acclaim. Without a huge viewership to lean on, Prime Video chose not to renew the syrup-covered series for a second outing.
• Final Episode: December 6, 2024

Suits LA (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Brought to life entirely due to Suits’ shockingly massive streaming success at Netflix, Suits LA was heavily promoted with lead Arrow vet Stephen Amell, who was soon joined by O.G. vet Gabriel Macht’s Harvey. Unfortunately, the spinoff’s viewership and ratings paled in comparison to Netflix’s stats, and NBC overruled any hopes for a second season both ahead of the upfronts, and ahead of the hopefully conclusive Season 1 finale.
• Final Episode: Airing May 18, 2025

S.W.A.T. (CBS)

Number Of Seasons: 8

Reason For Ending: Most shows need to change networks to survive multiple cancellations, but S.W.A.T. never had to leave CBS to experience getting canceled three different times. Its first came in 2023, and was reversed two days later, while its second pink slip was issued in Feb. 2024, only for CBS to conjure up a surprise renewal for an eighth and now-final season. Despite its star’s hopes for another go, network execs canceled the Shemar Moore series for a third time in March 2025, choosing to forego the usual contractual talks.

Final Episode: TBA May 2025

Teacup (Peacock)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Cancellation: Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman's horror thriller Teacup, based on author (and EP) Robert McCammon's novel Stinger, debuted as a Peacock exclusive in October 2024, two years after it was first ordered. Unfortunately, the show failed to make impactful waves with either critics or streaming audiences, and Variety reported the cancellation news without any additional insight from the streaming service's side.
• Final Episode: October 31, 2024

Tiana (Disney+)

Number Of Seasons: 0

Reason For Ending: A rather standalone entry in the world of canceled TV shows, Disney's episodic The Princess and the Frog spinoff was first announced all the way back in December 2020 (alongside other defunct projects like Armor Wars and Swiss Family Robinson). And despite attempts by multiple creative teams to expand the world of Anika Noni Rose's Tiana, the project was officially scrapped in early March 2025, with production costs cited as a reason alongside the creative issues.

Final Episode: No episodes were aired

Tyler Perry's Young Dylan (Nickelodeon)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: Tyler Perry's Sistas-verse may be growing, but the mega-producer's family-friendly fare at Nickelodeon took a hit as Dylan Gilmer's Young Dylan sang its hip-hop swan song. The unfortunate news came via series director Carl Payne on Instagram, just two days after the final episode went live, and the cable network followed up a few days later and confirmed it wouldn't be moving forward with a Season 6 order. No specific reasons were alluded to.
• Final Episode: Aired April 30, 2025

The Wheel Of Time (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: As an expensive fantasy series, The Wheel of Time earned its first two renewals due to both critical acclaim and the size of the audience streaming the weekly episodes. Unfortunately, even with Prime Video's worldwide audiences in the mix, the numbers for the Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson adaptation's third season weren't quite enough to justify the budgetary costs for a fourth season. Just over a month after the Season 3 finale released, the platform pulled the plug.
• Final Episode: April 17, 2025

Potential spoilert alert for both The Testaments and The Handmaid's Tale.

The streaming wars have been going on for years, and are showing no signs of slowing down. Each service has its own set of megahits, and for those with a Hulu subscription one of those titles is definitely The Handmaid's Tale. The Emmy-winning dystopian series is wildly popular, and gearing up for its sixth and final season. A spinoff is expected to follow the final season, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel The Testaments. But based on what we know about The Testaments so far, I'm worried The Handmaid's Tale series finale will be partly spoiled.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 is officially in the rear view, and those who've read The Testaments might have some clues as to how the story will continue with the spinoff. The pressure is on for the new show to find success, after the flagship series planted narrative seeds for the forthcoming spinoff. And since I've read the sequel novel, I'm worried that the series finale will have less impact... especially if they're setting up the story I read.

When will The Testaments Premiere?

The news that The Handmaid's Tale's sixth season would be its last came with along with some good news: Hulu is planning on continuing the story with a TV version of The Testaments. The series finale of The Handmaid's Tale brought back some OG characters, and also offered final resolution for June and Serena. And it should be fascinating to see how the final episodes factor into the spinoff.

Of course, the biggest question is: exactly when will the upcoming series premiere? IT as just revealed that The Testaments will debut April 8th on Hulu. Exactly how closely the book to screen adaptation is to its source material remains to be seen, but the project has never felt closer.

Who will star in The Testaments?

Information about The Testaments is limited, but the fandom is no doubt hoping that some of the beloved Handmaid's Tale cast ends up making the transition into the spinoff. One actor has already been confirmed for the developing follow-up series: Aunt Lydia actress Ann Dowd.

This won't be too surprising for those who read The Testaments, as Lydia is one of the book's three narrators. The novel offers an intimate look at her psyche and backstory (which differs from the one we were shown on The Handmaid's Tale). Fans will likely also be crossing their fingers to see Elisabeth Moss back as June, especially as she's also a director and executive producer on the acclaimed series. But we do know more about the starring cast; Chase Infiniti will star as Agnes/Hannah, June's daughter who is still living in Gilead. Lucy Halliday will star as Daisy, a Canadan young woman with ties to Gilead. Rowan Blanchard plays Shunammite a pampered daughter of a prominent Gilead family.

How Did The Testaments Tease The Handmaid's Tale Ending?

Here is where we really get into some spoilers for The Handmaid's Tale's sixth and final season on the air. Because the mere plot of The Testaments offers hints at how the show might end up wrapping up... especially since the spinoff is in active development. Buckle up.

The Testaments is set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale novel (which ends at around Season 1 of the TV series). Offred is no longer the narrator, instead the narrators consist of a remorseful Aunt Lydia, June's daughter Hannah/Agnes who grew up in Gilead, and an older version of Baby Nichole named Daisy, who doesn't realize that she played a role in the global Gilead conflict just by being born. These three stories start off separate, and end up connecting by the time the book's thrilling conclusion comes to pass.

If the TV version of The Testaments ends up being accurate to the novel, then we might be able to surmise a few things.

1) June and Luke potentially never get Hannah back from Gilead.

2) They eventually give up Nichole for her own safety.

3) Lydia will regret her cruelty and end up finding redemption.

And all three of these would seemingly need to happen before The Handmaid's Tale ends. But whether or not these are actually the plans remain to be seen. If they are, then unfortunately the hardcore fandom might already know how certain things end up.

Big Questions About Season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale We Still Don't Know

What's the latest Testaments news?

Since the creatives behind The Handmaid's Tale were busy with its final season news about The Testaments is super limited. But from the looks of its casting and sneak peek images, it appears that the story is going to closely follow Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name. And I have to wonder what legacy characters from The Handmaid's Tale might appear alongside Aunt Lydia. I'm personally crossing my fingers for Naomi to pop up. Elisabeth Moss is attached as an Executive Producer, so she should help to make sure the spinoff has the same tone as its pedecessor.

Luckily for fans of this dystopian world, answers to our questions will arrive when The Testaments arrives April 8th as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll be treated to three full episodes before it shifts to a weekly release schedule.

The streaming wars have been in full effect for years, and each service had its own share of popular originals. For those with a Hulu subscription, that includes The Handmaid's Tale. The sixth and final season is on the way, which will be followed by a spinoff The Testaments. And while we wait to see how June's story ends, here's what we know about Season 6 of the popular dystopian series.

The Season 5 finale of The Handmaid's Tale left off on a truly wild cliffhanger, which is why the wait for new episodes has been so difficult for fans like myself. Safety in Canada was no longer guaranteed for the show's protagonist after her would-be assassin dies in the hospital, with Luke getting arrested so she could leave the country. And it seems like the story could seemingly go anywhere in Season 6. Let's break down what limited information we know about the final chapter.

What Is The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 Premiere Date?

Of course, the biggest questions that fans have about The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 is exactly when the new chapter will premiere on Hulu. After all, the fifth season ended back in November of 2022. So exactly when are we finally going back to Gilead?

Well, Hulu has announced that The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 premiere date has been set for April 7, 2025, meaning there isn't much time before see when of the most popular shows of the past decade land on the 2025 TV schedule.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 Teaser

After months and years of anticipation, Hulu released a teaser trailer for The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 in February 2025. Though not that long (it's barely 90 seconds), the first look at the final installment does tease the start of a revolution. Check it out below:

Elisabeth Moss' June Osborne does a lot of the heavy-lifting in the teaser, including a suspenseful monologue that seemingly sets the tone for what's to come when the show returns this spring. There's also a lot of imagery that fans will be able to dissect and theorize about before the episodes drop, so that should be a fun experiment in the meantime.

Most of the Handmaid's Tale cast is expected to return.

The Handmaid's Tale cast is made up of stellar actors, many of whom have become better known thanks to their roles on the Emmy-winning series. But we've lost some of them along the way, thanks to twist behind and in front of the camera. I mean, who could forget Waterford's brutal death in Season 4?

Actors who are confirmed to be returning for the final chapter include Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, O-T Fagbenle , Samira Wiley, and Bradley Whitford, and Ann Dowd. Unfortunately, Alexis Bledel's departure as Emily is looking permanent, although fans would love learn what happened to that fan favorite character following her departure. And while Nick's wife seemingly left him, I have to wonder if we'll see her again in future episodes.

Another character whose fate is unclear is Madeline Brewer's Janine, who was last seen being arrested in the Season 5 finale (despite Aunt Lydia's protests). Will she finally be killed, or is there still hope for everyone's favorite cycloptic Handmaid? Only time will tell.

How did Season 5 end?

Season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale was another wild chapter, one that showed that June still isn't safe, despite her escape from Gilead. Anti-refugee sentiments in Canada reached a boiling point, and when June was run over and nearly killed by an agent sent from Gilead, things went from bad to worse. Luke understandably saved his wife and attacked the man behind the wheel, but because he died in the Hospital, it became clear that the couple (and baby Nichole) had to run.

Unfortunately, the Canadian police was checking IDs of people trying to get out, and Luke ends up sacrificing himself so June and Nichole could successfully get out of Toronto. And just like that, they were separated all over again. Presumably his story will continue in Canada, as will Moira and Rita's.

While Serena Joy originally found safety in The Wheelers in Canada, it became clear that Mrs. Wheeler had her eye on her son Noah, and that Serena was in danger of basically being an unofficial Handmaid herself. She escapes Toronto on the same train, where she unexpectedly reunites with June.

When we last saw Nick, he was in Gilead jail after punching Commander Lawrence at his wedding. It's unclear if he'll get a slap on the wrist or a more extreme punishment. But considering he agreed to be a mole to protect June, the stakes definitely feel high.

Has The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 started filming?

A number of projects were delayed as a result of the WGA and SAG strikes. The Handmaid's Tale was seemingly just another one of these titles, which is why it's been so long for Season 6 to finally begin production. And while we wait for the release date, fans can rest easy that production on the final season began back in September of 2024. Elisabeth Moss confirmed this news on Instagram with a post you can see below:

Photos from the first few episodes of Season 6 followed a few months later, offering cryptic but exciting looks at characters like June, Nick, Serena Joy, and Moira. We'll have to see how many of them actually survive the final season of The Handmaid's Tale, as the stakes definitely feel high for the dystopian series.

Where Will Season 6 Air?

Of course, in order to follow the sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale, fans are going to be wondering exactly how to watch the series. And for those unaware, the show is available exclusively to stream with a Hulu subscription. Which plan you choose is up to the person, but it won't be airing on cable.

How Will The Handmaid's Tale connect to The Testaments?

While it's a bummer that The Handmaid's Tale will be ending with its upcoming sixth season, there is an upside: we'll be getting more stories set in Gilead with the spinoff The Testaments. Based off the Margaret Atwood sequel novel of the same name, that series will presumably have a ton of connective tissue to the original.

In the book, there are three narrators: An adolescent Nichole who was unaware of her true identity, June's daughter Hannah who was raised in Gilead, and Aunt Lydia herself. Ann Dowd hasn't been officially announced as part of the cast of the spinoff, but it would make a great deal of sense for to her to return, and for Season 6 to start laying the narrative seeds of her story.

The best uses of music in movies and TV shows have typically changed the way we perceive the songs in question forever, especially if the normally jovial tune is heard during or relates to a particularly intense or disturbing scene. Because of the way the following titles used some of the happiest radio hits of all time, we can never hear them again without our hearts skipping a beat.

Zodiac ("Hurdy Gurdy Man" - Donovan)

The opening scene of Zodiac depicts a horrifying crime by the eponymous killer, accompanied by an otherwise relaxing folk ballad from 1968 called "Hurdy Gurdy Man." Coincidentally, Ione Skye, the daughter of the song's writer and performer, Donovan, makes an uncredited appearance in David Fincher's great true crime movie from 2007 as Zodiac Killer witness Kathleen Johns.

Black Mirror ("Anyone Who Knows What Love Is Will Understand" - Irma Thomas)

In one of the best episodes of Black Mirror (Season 1's "Fifteen Million Merits), Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay) auditions for Hot Shot by singing "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is Will Understand." Following this memorable scene from the sci-fi anthology series, the 1964 Irma Thomas hit would be featured in some capacity in every season since, offering plenty more reasons to feel unsettled by the feel-good romance tune.

The Silence Of The Lambs (“Goodbye Horses” - Q Lazzarus)

According to the original writer of "Goodbye Horses," William Garvey, the 1988 one-hit-wonder performed by Q Lazzarus is about “the ability to lift one’s perception above [their] physical limitations." In that case, its inclusion in the terrifying Best Picture Oscar winner, The Silence of the Lambs, as serial killer Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb (Ted Levine) embraces his femininity through dance is a perfect match.

Halloween ("(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - Blue Öyster Cult)

To be fair, the lyrics to Blue Öyster Cult’s signature 1976 hit “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” are not the happiest, referencing a romance destined to end similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. However, the world might have been less receptive to its creepier themes if not for its inclusion in one of the best horror movies of all time, 1978's Halloween, as Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Annie Brackett (Nancy Kyes) are unwittingly being tiled Haddonfield’s own “reaper,” Michael Myers.

Watchmen ("The Times They Are A-Changin'" - Bob Dylan)

There is a dark thematic tone to most of Bob Dylan's earlier work, especially his 1962 breakthrough hit, "The Times They Are A-Changin'." The folk ballad's message of a society experiencing a revolution comes through effectively while playing over the opening titles of 2009's Watchmen, which traces the ups and downs of superheroes' contributions to history in the world Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel.

American Psycho (“Hip To Be Square” - Huey Lewis And The News)

Pop culture's most famous Huey Lewis and the News fan would have to be Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), who provides an impassioned analysis of 1986's "Hip to Be Square," and the Fore! album in general, as he prepares to murder his colleague, Paul Allen (Jared Leto) in his apartment. Lewis himself would pay tribute to the memorable moment from American Psycho in a Funny or Die bit in which he exuberantly analyzes the 2000 psychological thriller as he prepares to murder “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Insidious ("Tiptoe Through The Tulips" - Tiny Tim)

For years, the only creepy aspect of Tiny Tim's version of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" was that the high-pitched vocalist was actually a lanky, 6'1" man. These days, since its prominent use in the first Insidious movie from 2011, audiences cannot help but picture the demonic "Man with Fire on His Face" when the romantic ukulele ballad plays.

American Horror Story ("Tonight You Belong To Me" - Patience & Prudence)

The best-known version of writers Billy Rose and Lee David's "Tonight You Belong to Me" is by young sisterly duo Patience & Prudence, which became even more famous in 2011, thanks to American Horror Story. The playful 1956 tune about making the most of your time with a loved one appeared in four episodes of the horror anthology TV show's premiere season from 2011, taking place in a haunted house with an extensive history of murders.

Beetlejuice ("Banana Boat (Day-O)” - Harry Belafonte)

In 1988's Beetlejuice, the ghostly Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) attempt to scare off the Deetzes (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O’Hara) by possessing them and their party guests into dancing and lip-synching to Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat (Day-O).” While the scene did not necessarily make the 1956 Calypso hit creepy, it would be forever entwined with the classic horror-comedy movie – a fact that Belafonte told Pitchfork he enjoyed.

Reservoir Dogs ("Stuck In The Middle With You" - Stealers Wheel)

The first of many iconic musical moments in Quentin Tarantino's movies occurs in 1992's Reservoir Dogs, when Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) puts on K-Billy's Super Sounds of the '70s (which starts playing "Stuck In The Middle With You") and proceeds to torture Officer Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz). We doubt there is a single person who can listen to Stealers Wheel's upbeat, 1973 rock single without imagining the criminal slicing the cop's ear off, even though that moment is thankfully kept off camera.

A Clockwork Orange (“Singin' In The Rain”)

If there is one cinematic use of 1929's "Singin' in the Rain" as, if not more, iconic as Gene Kelly's performance in the eponymous 1952 musical, it would be the rendition heard in A Clockwork Orange. As Alex DeLarge, Malcolm McDowell belts out the song about happiness that even weather cannot deter during one of the most unspeakably brutal moments from the 1971 Stanley Kubrick movie.

Stranger Things ("Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" - Kate Bush)

There have been many memorable musical moments from Stranger Things but none as impactful as its uses of "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" in Season 4, which made Kate Bush's definitive track more popular than ever. The English art pop queen’s 1985 ballad first helps rescue Max (Sadie Sink) from Vecna's trance before a remixed reprise accompanies the disparate gang's multi-faceted defeat of the villain in the action-packed finale.

10 Cloverfield Lane ("I Think We're Alone Now" - Tommy James & The Shondells)

While it experienced a new life in the 1980s with Tiffany's cover, the original version of "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James & The Shondells was reintroduced to modern audiences via 10 Cloverfield Lane. The cute pop tune about a couple enjoying their time on their own took on a whole new meaning when it appeared in the 2016 thriller, which takes place in an underground bunker inhabited by survivors of an unknown disaster.

Supernatural ("Carry On, Wayward Son" - Kansas)

"Carry On, Wayward Son" by Kansas would become the de facto theme for Supernatural after it was used in the season finale following the first one. In fact, the series finale of the hit series, following the adventures of paranormal hunters Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki), was named "Carry On," after the 1976 rock epic.

Get Out (“Run Rabbit Run” - Flanagan And Allen)

Originally released in the late 1930s and a hit during World War II, "Run Rabbit Run" became iconic to modern horror movie audiences as the first song featured in Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning 2017 thriller Get Out. The song is heard coming from the car that sneaks up on Andre Hayworth (LaKeith Stanfield), who tries to walk in the opposite direction before getting abducted.

Halloween II (“Mr. Sandman” - Chordettes)

The second installment of the Halloween franchise from 1981 opens in an unexpected manner. Instead of John Carpenter's unmistakable score, we hear the Chordettes' endearing doo-wop hit, "Mr. Sandman," which might have had a more endurable reputation as a retroactively creepy song if not for its use in the time travel movie classic, Back to the Future, four years later.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 ("Woo Hoo" - The 5.6.7.8's)

Before blood hits the screen at the House of Blue Leaves in 2003's Kill Bill Vol. 1, things are peaceful at the Japanese eatery. One major reason why is because the guests are treated to the head-knocking rock 'n roll song, "Woo Hoo," by The 5.6.7.8's, whom Quentin Tarantino discovered while shopping in Japan and wound up casting in the violent revenge movie.

Jeepers Creepers ("Jeepers Creepers" - Paul Whiteman and His Swing Wing)

The lyric "Jeepers creepers, where'd you get those eyes?" takes on a more frighteningly literal meaning in Jeepers Creepers. The eponymous love song by Paul Whiteman and His Swing Wing plays during the final moment of the 2001 horror flick as the grotesque, villainous "Creeper" (Jonathan Breck) shows off his new "peepers," which he stole from Darry (Justin Long).

Shaun Of The Dead ("Don't Stop Me Now" - Queen)

Like most Edgar Wright films, there are many moments from Shaun of the Dead in which music plays a large role but the best takes place at the Winchester. Nearly every move Shaun (Simon Pegg) and the gang make when battling the bar's undead owner is in near-perfect sync with Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now," which randomly starts playing from the jukebox as they are desperate to stay undetected from the horde outside.

The Shining ("Midnight, The Stars And You" - Ray Noble And His Orchestra)

The final moment of Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining slowly zooms into a photo taken at the Overlook in 1921 with a man resembling Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) shown front and center. The chilling shot is accompanied by 1934's "Midnight, the Stars and You" –performed by Ray Noble and his Orchestra with vocals by Al Bowlly – which is most notable today for its inclusion in the 1980 horror classic.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe ("Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In)" - The McGuire Sisters)

In The Autopsy of Jane Doe, the titular corpse (actually a witch capable of nearly anything but moving a muscle) likes to taunt the father-son coroners examining her by playing the McGuire Sisters' version of "Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In)" on the radio. The otherwise "shiny" tune makes a devasting reprise near the end when Austin (Emile Hirsch) believes he is being rescued by Sheriff Burke (Michael McElhatton) who repeatedly tells him to "open up" the stuck cellar doors until he hears him belt the song's chorus, indicating his nightmare is not yet over.

The Strangers ("My First Lover" - Gillian Welch)

Sometimes turning a happy song into nightmare fuel takes a little manipulation, such as how Gillian Welch's "My First Lover" appears in The Strangers. At one point in the 2008 home invasion thriller, a record scratch causes the romantic folk ballad to repeatedly loop on the lyric, "Quicksilver girl," which is enough to create relentless tension.

Us ("Les Fleurs" - Minnie Riperton)

Sung from the perspective of a flower, Minnie Riperton's 1969 hit "Les Fleurs" is a beautiful song about spiritual renewal. However, when it begins playing as the twist from the ending of Us is revealed and reaches its invigorating crescendo during the apocalyptic final shot, it creates a chilling juxtaposition for Jordan Peele's sophomore hit.

A Quiet Place Part II ("Beyond The Sea" - Bobby Darin)

In A Quiet Place Part II, Emmett (Cillian Murphy) tells Regan (Millicent Simmonds) that he has heard a radio station playing Bobby Darin's scintillating swing hit "Beyond the Sea" on repeat. She correctly deciphers this as a code sent from an island safe haven, which she and Emmett eventually find and, unwittingly, lead a sound-hunting alien to.

Candyman ("The Candy Man" - Sammy Davis Jr.)

Some might argue that 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has its creepy moments, but Aubrey Woods' performance of "The Candy Man" is not one of them. However, by playing Sammy Davis Jr.'s rendition of the song and slowly fading it out with the sound of buzzing bees during the production logos serves as a perfect way to set the tone for the 2021 Candyman requel.

Annabelle: Creation ("You Are My Sunshine" - Charles McDonald)

The end of Annabelle: Creation from 2017 leaves off where the rising action of its 2014 predecessor begins, revealing how Malthus entered the creepy doll. Playing over the closing credits is Charle McDonald's rendition of "You Are My Sunshine," making it the ironic defacto theme of the Conjuring Universe movie.

The House Of The Devil ("One Thing Leads To Another" - The Fixx)

Ti West's 2009 breakthrough feature, The House of the Devil, is a slow-burn horror film that waits to reveal its visceral frights with masterful pacing. During that time, he finds ways to catch you off guard with moments of levity, such as when Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) tries to distract herself from her creepy "babysitting" gig by dancing around her clients' house to The Fixx's "One Thing Lead to Another" on her tape player.

Dawn Of The Dead ("The Man Comes Around" - Johnny Cash)

Upon deeper examination, Johnny Cash's "The Man Comes Around" is a song about Jesus Christ's return to Earth on Judgment Day. Its foreboding apocalyptic message is greatly emphasized by its inclusion over the opening credits of Zack Snyder's 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.

The Handmaid's Tale ("Cloudbusting" - Kate Bush)

Despite boasting one of Kate Bush's most cheerful melodies, "Cloudbusting" is actually one of her darkest hits, inspired by the true story of a boy whose father was taken away from him when he was abruptly arrested. However, that tale is far lighter than the story of The Handmaid's Tale, which uses the song in a scene from Season 3 in which evidence of a character's brutal murder is removed.

You're Next ("Looking For Magic" - Dwight Twilley Band)

Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett are known for using comedy in their horror movies, including their otherwise brutal 2013 home invasion thriller, You're Next. Much of the humor comes from the ironic use of the Dwight Tilley Band's "Looking for Magic" in two scenes, due to one victim of the masked assassins putting the 1977 pop tune on repeat accidentally before his death.

Final Destination ("Rocky Mountain High" - John Denver)

The uplifting music of John Denver has been used for ironically dark purposes in several movies and the most iconic example comes from the first installment of the Final Destination movies. Any time "Rocky Mountain High" is heard in the 2000 teen thriller is a signal that Death is near.

Nope ("Fingertips" - Stevie Wonder)

To be fair, Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" never actually appears in Jordan Peele's third feature, 2022's Nope. However, a remixed version of it provides an ominous aura for the alien invasion movie's trailer.

Three are a lot of places around the world that have become famous for being set locations or exterior shots from television shows. From restaurants, to prisons, to houses, to everything in between. These are just a few of these now-famous locations everyone recognizes from their favorite shows. 

Tom's Restaurant - Seinfeld

In virtually every episode of Seinfeld, the gang met up at Monk's Diner. The interiors were a set, of course, but all the exterior shots for Monk's were of Tom's Restaurant at the corner of Broadway and 112th Street in New York City. The cast of Seinfeld is enshrined in caricatures on the wall. One more fun fact about the eatery, it was also the restaurant that inspired the song "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. 

Highclere Castle - Downton Abbey

Grand houses dot the English countryside, many of which are quite famous for their ornate beauty. One house now stands out from the rest, Highclere Castle in Hampshire. As hardcore fans of Downton Abbey know, not only was it used for the exterior of the house, but many of the interiors, including the iconic library, were used in the production. 

The Painted Ladies - Full House

San Francisco was once home to thousands of grand Victorian homes, though many were destroyed by the earthquake in 1906. A notable row that survived across from Alamo Square Park is famously known as "The Painted Ladies" and is a big tourist destination for fans of Full House after they featured prominently in the show. 

Police Beach - Lost

The mysterious island in Lost was in actually many filming locations across Oahu in Hawaii. One of the most famous locations is known as Papailoa Beach or Police Beach. It is located on the North Shore and was used a lot in the show as the spot where the plane crashed and where the survivors lived for a time. 

94 Bedford Street - Friends

94 Bedford Street, at the corner of Grove and Bedford, has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York City. Not because anyone famous has lived there, but because that's the building used for the exterior shots of where most of the characters on Friends lived.

St. Michael's Mount - House Of The Dragon

St. Michael's Mount in southeast England is less famous than its cousin, Mont-Saint-Michel in France, but they are very similar monasteries. Both were built on little spits of land surrounded by a tidal area that leaves them completely separated from the mainland much of the time. St. Michael's Mount serves as the exterior for Driftmark, the seat of House Velaryon in House Of The Dragon.

Salish Lodge & Spa - Twin Peaks

On Twin Peaks, one of the most prominent locations is The Great Northern Inn, where Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) lives during his time in the town investigating the murder of Laura Palmer. The exterior of the hotel, located above a beautiful waterfall, is actually the Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie, WA.

The Bull & Finch Pub - Cheers

Tourists in Boston are often startled to see the exterior of Cheers as they walk around the Public Garden at the foot of Beacon Hill. The famous bar from Cheers was once called The Bull & Finch Pub and has been in that spot since the late '60s. In the early '00s, the owners changed the name to Cheers. 

Pasadena City Hall - Parks And Recreation

Parks & Recreation may be set in the town of Pawnee, Indiana, but the exterior shots of the City Hall on the show were filmed much closer to where the show was actually filmed in LA. The building is, in fact, the City of Pasadena's City Hall. A far cry from rural Indiana, but these days the building is more famous for being in a fictional TV town in the Hoosier state than the City of Roses. 

Richmond, London - Ted Lasso

A little alley in Richmond, London, has become one of the most visited tourist spots in a town chock-full of great tourist spots. That's because it served as the exterior to Coach Lasso's apartment in Ted Lasso. The pub nearby was also one of the most-used shooting locations for the show and fans of the hilarious show have been flocking ever since. 

The Belnord - Only Murders In The Building

There are a few famous apartment buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, including The Belnord. The grand building is one of the most prominent of all, especially now as it serves as the titular building in Only Murders In The Building starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. It's located at 86th St. and Amsterdam.

Dubrovnik Harbor - Game Of Thrones

HBO's Game of Thrones made quite a few locations around the world famous, and while the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia was already famous among historians, it entered popular culture in a big way when it was the stand-in for King's Landing throughout many episodes of the show. There is a little harbor on the city's west coast that was one of the locations used in some of the most famous scenes.  

The Waybury Inn - Newhart

In Newhart Dick Loudon (Bob Newhart) and his wife Joanna (Mary Frann) moved to Vermont to run the Stratford Inn. The real-life Stratford Inn is actually The Waybury Inn in Middlebury Vermont. And yes, it's still a hotel, and you can still stay there. 

Ranger's House - Bridgerton

The stately home of the Bridgerton family in Bridgerton is, in fact, called Ranger's House. Built in 1722 in what is now London, it's located near Greenwich Park, just a couple hundred yards from the famous Royal Observatory, Greenwich, which was where time was set for the world for centuries, but it is now a museum. 

Mr. Beef - The Bear

Chicago is famous for a lot of different foods. Pizza and hot dogs are probably the two most people think of first. Or at least, they used to. After the wild success of The Bear, one of the best shows on Hulu, the Windy City is increasingly famous for Italian Beef sandwiches, like the ones served at Mr. Beef. The small eatery stood in for The Beef on the show. 

15 Washington Street, Brooklyn - Gossip Girl

Located basically under the Manhattan Bridge in the Dumbo neighborhood, 15 Washington Street has become iconic for its use as the exterior of the Humphrey loft in Gossip Girl. 

Bell Works, Holmdel, NJ - Severance

The Bell Works building in Holmdel, NJ was locally famous for decades before the Apple TV+ show Severance made it famous everywhere. Long a favorite in architectural circles, the building, designed by Eero Saarinen, was the R&D headquarters for Bell Labs for decades starting in the early '60s. It is a perfect building to house the mysterious Lumon Industries on the show.  

Chief Joseph Ranch - Yellowstone

Some terrible things have gone down on the Dutton Yellowstone Ranch in Yellowstone. It has to be the most violent place in all of Montana, in the context of the show. Luckily, the real ranch where it is filmed, Chief Joseph Ranch is like it in looks only. It's a guest ranch and fans of the show can even stay there. Just try not to murder anyone. 

Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionary - The Sopranos

One of the most controversial and possibly one of the best endings of a show in TV history took place at Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery in Bloomfield, NJ. The Sopranos ended when Meadow walked through the door of the diner and the screen went black. Did Tony die or didn't he? The arguments will last forever, an argument you could have over some onion rings at Holsten's.

Twisters Restaurant - Breaking Bad

A Twisters Restaurant in Albuquerque, NM is better known to Breaking Bad fans as Los Pollos Hermanos. The chain restaurant location on Isleta Boulevard in Albuquerque was re-dressed as Los Pollos Hermanos for the show and its spinoff Better Call Saul. 

Speedy’s Cafe - Sherlock

221B Baker Street is one of the most famous addresses in literary history as the home of Sherlock Holmes. On the BBC show Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, the flat is located next door to a cafe called Speedy's. Not only is the restaurant's exterior featured on the show, but the interior is shown on occasion, such as when Watson (Freeman) meets with Mycroft (Mark Gatiss). 

Senoia, Georgia - The Walking Dead

Senoia, Georgia is a small unassuming town on the far southwest edge of the Atlanta metro area. It's a quaint, picturesque southern town that is not a hotbed for tourism by fans of The Walking Dead as it became the setting for the settlement of Alexandria on the show. 

Buckingham Fountain - Married... With Children

The Buckingham Fountain in the heart of Grant Park in Chicago has long been a local landmark in The Windy City. When it was used in the opening moments of the credits on Fox's Married... With Children, it became a national landmark, recognized the world over. Along with having one of the most famous musicians ever singing the theme song, Frank Sinatra, it became an iconic opening. 

Mystic Grill - The Vampire Diaries

The real Mystic Grill is located in Covington, GA, and has become a must-see location for fans of The Vampire Diaries. It pre-existed the show and looks pretty much identical to what fans remember from the beloved show. 

Frist Campus Center - House

Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where Dr. Gregory House torments his residents and his patients on House isn't actually a hospital at all. The famous exteriors are actually of the Frist Campus Center on the campus of Princeton University. The building is also famous for Room 302, where Albert Einstein lectured when he was a professor at the school. 

Torrance High School - Beverly Hills, 90210

Without a doubt, Torrance High School in Torrance, CA, is one of the most recognizable locations in television history. It was the setting for West Beverly High on Beverly Hills, 90210, but that's not all. It was also the stand-in for Sunnydale High on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Ulysses S. Grant High School in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and it was used in movies like She's All That, Not Another Teen Movie, and Bruce Almighty, among others. 

Waterfords' House - The Handmaid's Tale

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the Waterfords live in Boston, but the mansion used for the exterior shots of their home is actually in Hamilton, Ontario, near Toronto. Like other houses featured in shows, it's become a popular place for selfies, but do you really want to memorialize that house after everything awful that happened inside it? 

Rosenheim Mansion - American Horror Story

The stately Rosenheim Mansion in Los Angeles has a look that is just perfect for horror stories. Most notably, it was used in American Horror Story. It's also been featured in other creepy shows like The Twilight Zone, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, and Dexter. Yikes! 

Franklin Square House Apartments - St. Elsewhere

The exterior of St. Eligius Hospital, the fictional hospital in the critically acclaimed '80s show St Elsewhere is actually an apartment building called Franklin Square House Apartments, in Boston's South End, where the hospital was also set. The show launched quite a few careers, including Howie Mandel's and Denzel Washington's, and like their careers, the apartment building is still around today. 

1618 Pine St., Boulder Colorado - Mork & Mindy

If you find yourself in Boulder, CO, and are a fan of Mork & Mindy, you can take a selfie in front of their apartment. The exterior used is a house that still stands on  Pine St., near the middle of town. 

Old Joliet Prison - Prison Break

If you close your eyes and picture a classic American prison, you'll probably see something that looks a lot like the old Joliet Prison in Joliet, IL. For that reason, the now-closed prison has been a popular shooting location over the years. Not only does it serve as the exterior of the jail in Prison Break, but it's also where Jake Blues (John Belushi) is released from in The Blues Brothers, and has been in numerous other movies and TV shows. 

Cincinnati Enquirer Building - WKRP In Cincinnati

Though it was really only used in the opening credits and very occasionally in the show, the studio for the fictitious radio station WKRP from the hit '70s sitcom in the Cincinnati Enquirer Building, located in downtown Cincinnati. When you're in town, you can pretend all your favorite DJs and intrepid reporter Les Nessman are hard at work in the building. 

Age-rap relationships aren't a rarity on television: in fact, they pop up in seemingly every genre, whether a big fantasy blockbuster like Game of Thrones, a beloved network sitcom like Modern Family, or an acclaimed drama like Succession. And in many cases, the TV wife is much younger than her onscreen spouse — here are 32 TV couples where the bride is married to a much older groom. 

Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

There was a 15-year age difference between royal teen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and her much older husband, Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), on HBO's Game of Thrones. Even more surprising, Khaleesi was even younger in the George R. R. Martin novels upon which the fantasy show was based: though she's aged 17 in season one, she's only 13 in the book. 

Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Modern Family)

Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) is not only 25 years younger than her 60-something Modern Family hubby Jay (Ed O'Neill), but she's also only 14 months younger than her stepdaughter Claire (Julie Bowen). And while that hefty age disparity definitely lends itself to plenty of comedy throughout 11 seasons of the ABC sitcom, their relationship is actually one of the show's staples. 

Ethel Mertz (I Love Lucy)

Though Vivian Vance was only two years older than her onscreen BFF Lucille Ball when the classic comedy I Love Lucy began in 1951, the actress was a whopping 22 years younger than her TV spouse William Frawley, who played the Fred to her Ethel. Rumor has it that Vance wasn't too pleased to be paired with the older actor and their offscreen relationship was less pleasant than their famous chemistry suggests. 

Skyler White (Breaking Bad)

Skyler White (Anna Gunn) got a lot of hate during Breaking Bad's six-season run, but her husband Walt (Bryan Cranston) was running an entire meth empire behind her back so yes, she very much had reason to be upset with him. Walt was actually 12 years older than his wife, so he was definitely grown enough to know better than to get involved with the world of drug cartels. 

Julie Cooper (The O.C.) 

Marissa Cooper's mom Julie (Melinda Clarke) participated in her fair share of May-December romances as part of The O.C. cast, even having an affair with her daughter's ex-boyfriend Luke Ward (Chris Carmack). But it was her age-gap marriage to Caleb Nichol (Alan Dale) — the two-decades-older father of her friend Kristen — that earns her a spot on this list. 

Megan Draper (Mad Men)

The second wife of Don Draper (Jon Hamm) was the already younger Betty (January Jones), who was six or seven years his junior. But his third bride, Megan (Jessica Paré), was even younger than that: per The Daily Beast, Megan was somewhere between 25 and 26 years old this season, about 15 years younger than her husband and little more than a decade older than his daughter Sally (Kiernan Shipka).

Fran Fine (The Nanny)

Mr. Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) was a fortysomething widower and father of three when Fran Fine (Fran Drescher) ended up on his doorstep selling makeup and later became not only the nanny but the stepmother of his children. And though Fran lying about her age is a running joke throughout the CBS sitcom — in one late episode, even the FBI can't verify her real birthdate — it's clear that she's at least a decade younger than her husband. 

April Ludgate (Parks and Recreation)

There was an eight-year age difference between coworkers-turned-spouses April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) and Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) in Parks and Recreation. It was revealed during the first season of the beloved NBC sitcom that April was 19 years old while Andy was 28, an age gap which, though totally legal, didn't actually adhere to Andy's "half my age, plus seven" dating rule. 

Cheryl Mabel (According To Jim)

Though we actually don't learn the age of suburban mom Cheryl (played by Courtney Thorne-Smith) during eight seasons of the ABC sitcom According to Jim, it's safe to assume that the TV wife is more youthful than her onscreen hubby Jim (Jim Belushi), given that the actress playing her is 12 years younger than her co-star. 

Laura Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show)

Mary Tyler Moore was 24 when she began playing Laura Petrie, the stylish, capris-panted wife of TV writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961. Moore was eleven years younger than the show's eponymous star, an age difference that Van Dyke revealed to Entertainment Tonight initially gave him pause. However, show creator Carl Reiner assured the actor: "I said, 'Nobody's going to know...Nobody ever even mentioned it. The first time they kissed on the pilot, that was it. They were together."

Princess Diana (The Crown)

Some TV couple age gaps are rooted in reality. Case in point, the age difference between the then-Prince of Wales, Charles III, and his 12-years-younger bride, Princess Diana, portrayed in Netflix's historical drama The Crown by Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin in seasons 3 and 4, and Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki in seasons 5 and 6. 

Alicent Hightower (House Of The Dragon)

The fact that King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) married his daughter's best friend, Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), isn't the only awkward part about their relationship — there's also that considerable age difference. In George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood, 30-year-old Viserys is 11 years older than his young bride; however, the onscreen age gap is much larger, with Viserys played by 50-year-old Considine and frequently in poor health in the fantasy series. 

Joanna Loudon (Newhart)

Mary Frann, best known for her role as Joanna Loudon, the wife of Bob Newhart's character on the CBS sitcom Newhart, was 13 years older than her iconic co-star. Per that infamous series finale, the storylines from the small-town sitcom all ended up being a dream inside the mind of Bob Hartley from The Bob Newhart Show, so it seems like a much younger TV wife was simply wishful thinking. 

Wanda Maximoff (WandaVision)

Given that WandaVision picked up just a few weeks after that big old Blip in Avengers: Endgame, we know that Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was still 28 years old in the Disney+ miniseries. As for her android husband, Vision (Paul Bettany) was technically only six at the time of the show, since he was "created" in 2015's Age of Ultron. But things get even more complicated when you consider that Bettany is nearly two decades older than his onscreen wife. 

Rhonda Volmer (Big Love)

HBO's polygamy drama Big Love saw many big age-gap marriages in its five seasons, which ran on the network from 2006 to 2011, but the couple with the largest disparity was octogenarian Juniper Creek prophet Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) and his teen bride-to-be Rhonda Volmer (Daveigh Chase).

Peg Bundy (Married... with Children)

Katey Sagal started her role as Peggy Bundy on Married... with Children when she was 33 years old, eight years junior to her male counterpart Ed O'Neill, who played Al Bundy. However, Sagal mentioned in several interviews over the years that she always imagined Peg to be even younger than Al; in a season 11 episode, her character jokes that she was 9 years old and Al 18 when they wed. 

Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)

As is the case with many Game of Thrones characters, both Tyrion Lannister (played by Peter Dinklage) and his younger missus Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) were aged up a few years from the A Song of Ice and Fire books for the HBO series. In the fantasy novels, Sansa is said to be 13 years old and Tyrion 26 at the time of their marriage; in the TV show, however, the Stark daughter was 15 and the Lannister lad around 34. 

Fiona Gallagher (Shameless)

With an absentee mother and an alcoholic father, Fiona Gallagher (Emma Rossum) was forced to grow up early as the matriarch of the Gallagher clan in Showtime's Shameless. So it wasn't too much of a surprise when the 23-year-old was set to wed Sean Pierce (Dermot Mulroney), the fortysomething owner of her employer Patsy's Pies. However, their marital plans fell through when his troubled past came back to haunt them. 

Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy)

In the season 1 script for the long-running medical drama, then-surgical intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) was described as 32 years old, making her older than the rest of the mid-twenties interns but about seven years younger than her McDreamy one-night stand and eventual husband, Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). 

Anna Smith (Downton Abbey)

Anne Smith (Joanne Froggatt) met her future husband, John Bates (Brendan Coyle) in the very first episode of Downton Abbey, when the man is hired as the new valet to Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). By the end of season 2, they would marry, despite a solid 15-year age difference between them. 

Connie McDowell (NYPD Blue)

Even the producers of the ABC procedural NYPD Blue were concerned about pairing up Dennis Franz's Andy Sipowicz and Charlotte Ross's much younger Connie McDowell for the detective's third marriage. Executive producer Bill Clark likened turning the characters into a romantic couple to "walking onto a minefield," telling The Los Angeles Times: “I can say I don’t think in all of the years on the show any decision has had as much effort put into it like this one.”

Penny Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory)

Onscreen, the age difference between Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and his neighbor-turned-wife Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is about five years, but behind-the-scenes, the IRL discrepancy is even larger: born in 1975, Galecki is a whole decade older than his co-star. 

Natasha Naginsky (Sex and the City)

The youthfulness of Natasha Naginsky (Bridget Moynahan), the 26-year-old second wife of fortysomething Mr. Big (Chris Noth), is a major point of contention for Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and the rest of the Sex and the City girls. However, despite being younger than the rest, Natasha proves to be the only one with real maturity, handling Carrie and Big's messy affair with strength and dignity. 

Abishola Wheeler (Bob Hearts Abishola)

Looks like Bob hearts younger women. In the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, Bob Wheeler (Billy Gardell) falls for Nigerian nurse Abishola Adebambo (Folake Olowofoyeku) while being treated at the hospital for a mild heart attack. Along with their cultural differences, there is also a generation gap between the couple: Bob is in his fifties and while Abishola's age is never stated in the show, it's safe to assume she's in her thirties like actress Olowofoyeku. 

Margot Sauerbruch (Charité at War)

In the German drama Charité at War, Doctor Margot Sauerbruch (Luise Wolfram) is nearly three decades younger than her husband Ferdinand Sauerbruch (Ulrich Noethen), who is the head of surgery at Berlin's Charité hospital. In fact, Margot is much closer in age to her stepson Peter (Maximilian Klas) than his father.

Esther Keyes (The Handmaid's Tale)

In the dystopian drama The Handmaid's Tale, women and girls are taken as wives as long as they are fertile to boost birthrates. For example, Esther Keyes (Mckenna Grace), is only 14 years old when she is placed into an arranged marriage to the elderly Commander Keyes (Bill MacDonald). However, Esther rebels against the oppression and ends up slowly poisoning her older husband. 

Barbra Jean Hart (Reba)

It's become a cliché for a man to move on from his first marriage by marrying a much younger bride for his second, but that's exactly what happened in The WB comedy Reba. Reba Hart's (Reba McEntire) life was upended when her husband of 20 years, Brock (Christopher Rich), decided to divorce her after getting his dental hygienist, Barbra Jean (Melissa Peterman) — who was half his age — pregnant. 

Marcia Roy (Succession)

Even at two decades younger than her husband, the in-her-60s Marcia Roy (Hiam Abbass) was a significantly more age-appropriate partner for powerful media-mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) than his even younger secretary-slash mistress Kerry Castellabate (Zoë Winters), who was only in her thirties. 

Sara Sidle (CSI)

CSI fans were in for a surprise in the season 6 finale of the CBS police procedural, when Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) and Gil Grissom (William Petersen) ended up in bed with each other. The coupling was even more unexpected, given the age gap between the two characters, who later married in season 10: Grissom was not only Sara's boss but also 15 years older than her. 

Shelly Tambo (Northern Exposure)

Shelly Tambo (Cynthia Geary) was first introduced on the Alaska-set CBS dramedy Northern Exposure as the young girlfriend of sexagenarian Holling Vincoeur (John Cullum). She initially has a difficult time getting Holling down the altar, as the storied lifespans of the Vincoeur males has him worries that, despite being more than 40 years older than Shelly, he could outlive her for decades with a broken heart. 

Rachel Gatina (One Tree Hill)

The name "Rachel Gatina" is pretty notorious among One Tree Hill fans and for good reason: Danneel Harris's character had a long history of manipulation and promiscuity in the teen drama. And that drama didn't stop when she married Dan Scott, the father of her former Tree Hill schoolmates Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty).

Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries)

Though Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) looked around the same age as her primary love interests Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) — the latter of whom she married in the season 8 finale episode — both men were significantly older than her as they were, of course, vampires. (Damon was 169 years old and Stefan was seven years younger in The Vampire Diaries pilot.) 

Nicole Wright (True Blood)

In the sixth season of HBO's fantasy drama True Blood, Merlotte's Bar and Grill owner Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) meets the much younger supernatural rights activist Nicole Wright (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). Despite the large age gap (there are 17 years between the performers) and the fact that they're different species (he a shapeshifter, she a mere human), the twosome goes on to leave Bon Temps together, marry and have children, as revealed in the show's epilogue. 

There are those shows that ended long before we wanted them to, from '90s one-season wonders like Freaks & Geeks and My So-Called Life to perfectly timed dramas like Succession and Breaking Bad. These are not those shows. Instead, these television titles overstayed their welcome, long after their biggest stars departed, or the critical acclaim and awards dried up, or the storylines made any sense. Here are 32 TV shows that simply went on way too long. 

Californication

At the beginning of Showtime's Californication, which ran on the network from 2007 to 2014, the story of troubled novelist Hank Moody (David Duchovny) and his hedonistic ways felt fresh and edgy. But seven seasons of incessant drinking and womanizing majorly dulled any of that edge. 

The Walking Dead

How long can people survive a zombie apocalypse? Apparently, for a while—the AMC flagship series The Walking Dead went on for an unfathomable eleven seasons and the survival story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) still isn't over, having been picked up in the spin-off miniseries The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. 

Dexter

One word: lumberjack. For eight seasons, the Showtime series followed Miami man Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) as he worked as a forensic pathologist by day and a vigilante serial killer by night. Spending nearly a decade watching Dexter get away with murder after murder felt both implausible and repetitive. And don't even get us started on that disappointing, woodsy series finale. 

Grey's Anatomy

It's felt like Grey's Anatomy has been resuscitated more times than any of the patients at Seattle Grace. It's been the longest-running medical drama on primetime, but it became barely the Grey's that O.G. fans remember. In later seasons, lead actress Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey, scaled back to a recurring role, and beloved original characters like Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) were all long gone. 

The Handmaid's Tale

There's plenty of argument to be made that Hulu's dragged-out dystopian drama The Handmaid's Tale—which sees fertile American women (played by the likes of Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel and Samira Wiley) being forced into child-bearing slavery by a totalitarian government—should have been a one-and-done miniseries. After all, the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel on which it is based concluded after the events of the first season. 

Sons of Anarchy

Too-long episodes (many of which pushed way past the traditional hour-long mark) and irredeemable characters made it hard to continue to care about Jax (Charlie Hunnam), Gemma (Katey Sagal) and the rest of the outlaw bikers in the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club after seven seasons of the FX crime drama.

Shameless

Sure, Shameless had a jam-packed ensemble throughout its entire eleven season run, including Jeremy Allen White, William H. Macy, Cameron Monaghan and Shanola Hampton. But the grungy Showtime family drama lost its heart when lead actress Emmy Rossum—who played the older sister-turned-matriarch Fiona Gallagher—departed the series in season nine. 

White Collar

Many White Collar fans felt that things were getting a little rinse-and-repeat with the USA Network procedural by the end of its six-season run, with case-of-the-week storylines and stagnant character development. Imagine their surprise, then, when it was announced that the show was getting a Netflix revival, with actors Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay and Tiffani Thiessen reprising their roles. 

This Is Us

The earned emotionality of early seasons of This Is Us—an NBC family drama that follows the lives of two parents (played by Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore) and their three children (Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley,) in several different time frames—started to feel manipulative and maudlin after six years. 

Suits

Some television shows suffer from an unsustainable premise. Case in point, Suits, the USA Network legal drama that follows a college dropout with a photographic memory (Patrick J. Adams) who is hired to work as an associate at a prestigious law firm, despite not actually having a license to practice law. Sure, Jan. Despite the dubious concept, Suits aired for a whopping nine seasons. 

Supernatural

Exactly how many demons, ghosts and monsters did brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) have to hunt down to save the world? Fifteen seasons and 327 episodes worth! However, even many Supernatural superfans believe the CW fantasy series lost its way by the end and should have finished after season five when creator Eric Kripke left as showrunner. 

How I Met Your Mother

That is one long story that Ted Mosby (played by Josh Radnor) tells his adolescent children Luke (David Henrie) and Penny (Lyndsy Fonseca) about how their dad first met their mother. In fact, the tale took nine whole years, with many meandering tangents along the way, that we wouldn't blame the kids if they, too, got bored listening to it. 

Glee

Few shows faced quite the critical fall from grace as Glee. Early on, the FOX teen show—which centered on the plucky members of New Directions, the glee club of the fictional William McKinley High School—was an awards show juggernaut, winning several Emmys in its first few seasons, but those high notes were soured when the scripts focused less on the show's original characters and more on ad nauseum celebrity guests. 

Scrubs

Starting with the ninth season, many of the original Scrubs cast—including Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Ken Jenkins and Neil Flynn—stepped back from being main characters on the show, popping up in only a handful or as little as one episode that season. Longtime fans of the NBC medical comedy didn't love that their favorites got replaced with new characters, played by the likes of Kerry Bishé, Michael Mosley and Dave Franco.

The Big Bang Theory

Running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes, this CBS sitcom about Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and their similarly geeky pals got bogged down by too many main characters, recycled old catchphrases and the use of laugh tracks as a crutch. 

The Simpsons

As old as, well, the person writing this very article, the satirical animated sitcom has broken several TV records in its three-decade tenure, including being the longest-running scripted primetime series in American television. And though Homer, Marge, Bar, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of the residents of Springfield are comedy legends, they now feel like relics of a different generation. 

Riverdale

The occurrences within the town of Riverdale were easy enough to keep track of in the early seasons of the CW teen drama, which was populated with the famous characters from Archie Comics (Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the like.) But as the writing got messier and mazelike, and the characters' storylines more and more outlandish, the soapy series became impossible to take seriously by the end of its seven-season run. 

Game of Thrones

The brazenness with which the Game of Thrones creators killed off some of its biggest, most beloved characters — Ned Stark (Sean Bean) in season one, his son Robb (Richard Madden) and wife Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) in season four — majorly lost its umph when the show killed off Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in the season five finale...only to resurrect him two episodes later. 

Homeland

The first two seasons of this Showtime espionage thriller — in which Claire Danes stars as a CIA officer with bipolar disorder, opposite Damian Lewis playing a Marine Corps Scout Sniper who has just returned home following eight years in captivity — received universal acclaim, including the 2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. However, though Homeland had eight seasons total, it never recovered in quality following the death of Lewis's character in season 3. 

Two and a Half Men

It's always a gamble when you replace the main character of a TV show, especially such a long-running one as the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. Originally starring Charlie Sheen as a hedonistic jingle writer living with his uptight brother (played by Jon Cryer) and his nephew (Angus T. Jones), the show misguidedly hired Ashton Kutcher to lead the cast in seasons nine through twelve after Sheen left the show to enter drug rehab. 

One Tree Hill

It rarely works when a high school show follows its characters to college and into adulthood. One Tree Hill, the early-aughts teen drama that ran for three seasons on The WB and another six on The CW, stretched the storylines of Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray), Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton), Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) and the rest of the Tree Hill Ravens crew too long past graduation, especially as both Murray and Burton departed the show after season five.  

Lost

Airing 121 episodes over six seasons from 2004 to 2010, Lost packed a lot of supernatural nonsense onto that island, frustratingly devolving over the years from a character drama to a complex mythology swirling with time travel, smoke monsters and electromagnetic phenomena. Even co-creator Damon Lindelof has said that he wanted the show to end after three seasons instead of six. By the time the series aired its final episode, the sci-fi series had offered up far too many questions and far too few answers.

Modern Family

Even Modern Family star Sarah Hyland, who played Haley Dunphy in 11 seasons of the Emmy-winning ABC comedy, was kind of disappointed by the show's later seasons. And she seemingly wasn't the only one: though it had earned both critical acclaim and strong viewership for its earlier installments, season 10 had the worst ratings of the series. 

Once Upon a Time

The thing about fairytales is that soon enough you get to that happily ever after at the end. The ABC fantasy drama Once Upon a Time seemingly didn't get that message because it made fans wait for that storybook ending for seven long seasons — even Robert Carlyle, who portrayed Rumplestiltskin in the series, retrospectively admitted to The A.V. Club that he felt that the series "ran for too long."

Killing Eve

On paper, we should have never wanted Killing Eve to end, with its cast led by a superb Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer — as a British intelligence investigator and the psychopathic assassin she's tasked with capturing, respectively — and scripts from the brilliant mind of Fleabag scribe-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge. However, when Waller-Bridge departed as head writer after the first season, the once-great show simply ran out of story. 

Bones

Crime procedurals have a habit of staying on TV long after they should, what with their formulaic case-of-the-week structure that's easy to replicate season after season. And Bones, the long-running Fox crime drama starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, is definitely no exception, overstuffed with soapy gimmicks, themed episodes and a way-too-long will-they-won't-they dynamic between Deschanel's Temperance Brennan and Boreanaz's Seeley Booth.

The Office

Of course, we love the entire Dunder Mifflin crew, but everybody knows that The Office should have naturally called it quits when lead Steve Carell — who played the "World's Best Boss," a.k.a. the delightfully incompetent Michael Scott — departed the show after its seventh season. Not even big-name actors like Will Ferrell and James Spader could fill the hole Michael Scott left. 

Westworld

Westworld's first season is to this day the most-watched first season of any HBO original series. However, that popularity, coupled with early critical acclaim, didn't last long for the dystopian Western — the writing and character work drastically declined by the time the show was canceled in November 2022, and just a month later, the entire series was brutally removed from HBO Max. 

That '70s Show

The Fox teen drama — centered on a groovy group of teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin — worked because of the chemistry created by its young cast, including Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama. So of course the show itself took a creative hit when that chemistry was altered following the departures of Grace and Kutcher after the seventh season. 

Smallville

Initially a show about a teenage Clark Kent dealing with issues both human (bullies, crushes) and superhuman (kryptonite and such) while growing up in fictional Smallville, Kansas, Smallville seemed to care less and less about the human side of the Man of Steel over the course of ten seasons. Many fans suggest that the TV superhero should have hung his cape after season seven, which saw the departure of both the show's main villain Lex Luther (Michael Rosenbaum) and Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. 

13 Reasons Why

Based on the young adult novel by Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why is one of those cases where a multi-season show was made to be a limited series. Instead of just neatly telling the story of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) and the tapes she leaves behind after tragically ending her own life, the Netflix teen drama inexplicably changed genres throughout its four-season run, becoming a poor murder mystery in the show's third season. 

Heroes

Though the NBC superhero drama Heroes only went on for four seasons, critics of the show were already pointing out less-than-engaging storylines and lack of cohesion as early as season two. The tales of ordinary people who discover that they have superhuman abilities and have to work together to prevent catastrophic futures should have been adrenaline-pumping stuff, but it simply couldn't sustain that energy after its acclaimed first season. 

So, sometimes, certain characters become fan favorites when it comes to TV. They capture the interest of television viewers, and almost instantly, we are pulled into their stories. 

But sometimes, these characters that we love are repulsive human beings. They all have significant issues, whether evident at first or slightly subdued. Today, we'll be going over 32 TV characters that, at first, you might like but you would not want to be friends with in real life. 

Joe Goldberg (You)

This is an obvious one, but I have to put Joe Goldberg from You because there was a time when it seemed everyone was falling for this guy. He's the main character of the series and is played by the talented Penn Badgley. 

Look, I think the actor is handsome too, and Badgley can bring a sort of charisma to Joe that makes him hard to deny – hence why, every season, it seems like he can score some new woman. 

But don't get it twisted – Goldberg is a serial killer. He may think that he's killing people for the sake of his love to make sure all their problems are taken care of, but he's still killing people. And even in the fourth season, when he tries to be "better," he ends up just giving in to his dark side and deciding that killing is acceptable. He is as repulsive as a human as you can get. 

Andrea Harrison (The Walking Dead)

I watched all eleven seasons of The Walking Dead, and few characters annoyed me as much as Andrea – which makes sense since she was killed off quite early compared to the comics. She was whiney, trigger-happy, and always turned everyone down when it came to help – and she nearly killed Daryl, so instantly, that makes her the worst. 

Pete Campbell (Mad Men)

Mad Men was a huge show, and Pete Campbell was a prominent character. But man, this dude was the absolute worst. At first, he seems like a cocky businessman, a smug person who thinks he deserves everything. But as the seasons go on, he gets worse in every way possible. He would be in jail now if this were the real world for all he had done. 

Ross Geller (Friends)

I love the Friends cast just as much as the next person, but let's be honest – Ross Geller is awful. He may be hilarious in specific ways and sometimes sweet, but he's self-centered, has pretty bad anger issues, and cheated on Rachel. And no, they were not on a break. 

Merle Dixon (The Walking Dead)

Ironically, I didn't necessarily hate Merle Dixon in The Walking Dead – maybe because I was such a big fangirl of Daryl as a teenager – but he certainly wasn't my cup of tea. And now, years later, he was just a repulsive human being in many ways. While he did have a love for his little brother, Merle left people to die, killed innocents, and only had one redeemable moment – when the Governor killed him after releasing Michonne from her captivity. 

Dawson Leery (Dawson's Creek)

Yes, we all know that famous meme crying face, but have we ever talked about how the titular character or Dawson's Creek is the worst? Dawson Leery is a miserable crybaby who thinks just because he's a more likable guy than most, he deserves more when, in reality, he's just a whiner.

Lori Grimes (The Walking Dead)

While there have been plenty of female characters from shows that people have hated for no good reason, Lori Grimes from The Walking Dead was pretty bad – in many ways. Not only was she a major complainer about everything, but her significant repulsive action was that she slept with her husband's best friend not that long after he was supposedly left to die in a hospital – and then got pregnant with his baby. Judith is sweet and all, but come on. 

Piper Chapman (Orange Is The New Black)

The Orange is the New Black cast has plenty of great characters, but Piper Chapman, the main character the show follows, is probably one of the worst. She's selfish, doesn't know what she wants, and leads many people on. She also had a crazy power trip a few seasons in that turned her into a malicious person.

Will Schuester (Glee)

I'm sorry, Will Schuester from the Glee cast must be imprisoned. Let's push to the side that he sort of lays all his problems out for his students to see half the time – what kind of chorus teacher has his children sing adult songs like "Toxic" in front of the entirety of the school – and join in? Jailtime, right now. 

Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

Everyone at this point knows how terrible Rory is, in so many ways. She may have been kind in earlier seasons, but she treats her mom horribly, doesn't take her advice well, drops out of school to run on with boys, and treats her significant others pretty terribly. She's awful. 

Madison Sinclair (Veronica Mars)

I usually give high school mean girls a pass because nine times out of ten, they're just going through something at home that makes them that way. But Madison Sinclair in Veronica Mars was as vicious of a mean girl as possible. And what makes it even worse is that she's still just as petty and malicious in the Veronica Mars film, so it's just her personality. 

Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl)

There are several people from the Gossip Girl cast I can point out on this list, and one is Blair Waldorf. No, she does not get an excuse for being a teenage girl and making stupid decisions because she keeps making them as time goes on to get what she wants. She's the stereotypical rich girl. 

Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)

Let's be honest – if Sheldon Cooper were our friend, we wouldn't like him. Sure, the Big Bang Theory cast is extremely talented, including Jim Parsons, but the character of Sheldon Cooper is the worst. He's a know-it-all who has the emotional range of a teaspoon (in Hermione Granger's words) and would probably be the worst friend to have. 

Jenny Humphrey (Gossip Girl)

God, don't even get me started on Jenny Humphrey. She started the series as a pretty innocent girl on Gossip Girl, but it didn't take long for her to rebel and start doing pretty messed up stuff to fit in, and she just started getting worse and worse. I'm not surprised that her character was barely in the show by the time it ended. 

Santana Lopez (Glee)

Look, I love Glee just as much as the next person and Satana Lopez's vocals were some of the best on the show. She killed in every single solo she was in. And while a part of me is in love with her attitude and the fact that she's great representation for LGBTQ+ viewers, she's also kind of a jerk. Like actually. 

At least in the first few seasons, Santana is manipulative in the worst way possible, and if she was going down, she often dragged her friends down with her. It wasn't until later seasons we saw her break out of her shell more and learn to be kinder. 

Serena Joy (The Handmaid's Tale)

The Handmaid's Tale may be one of the best shows on Hulu, but Serena Joy is arguably one of the most despicable characters in the series. You can give me all the backstory into how she became the way that she is, but there is no denying that she is a massive reason why this oppressive society began, and there is nothing you can do or say that will make me forgive her, ever. 

Goku (Dragon Ball Franchise)

Nah, man. I may love anime and will introduce it to everyone, but if they say their favorite character is Goku from Dragon Ball, I'm unfriending them. Why? Because Goku is a deadbeat dad, and he leaves his family and children, especially Gohan, so much that it's a joke that Gohan isn't his kid. 

Erwin Smith (Attack On Titan)

I love Attack on Titan, and Erwin Smith was a part of some of the best arcs of the franchise. But my guy was almost too into the idea of what lay beyond the Walls of Paradis – so much that he's willing to sacrifice hundreds – if not thousands – of the lives of young soldiers just to win a battle. I don't care if you're an army commander – that's pretty messed up, no matter how dire the situation is. He's a kick-butt character, don't get me wrong, but also not that good of a person.

Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)

We can all laugh at Barney Stinson from the How I Met Your Mother cast as much as we want, but if we met a real-life Stinson, we'd all hate him. He's the definition of a womanizer and has the attitude to match in many ways.

Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)

Nope. No. I don't care if he's marketed as the "bad boy," he and Blaire are an entertaining but toxic Gossip Girl relationship and, more so, a horrible person. No random acts of kindness can make up for how bad he truly is. 

Dwight Schrute (The Office)

Dwight Schrute can take a vegetable beat and suck it – but on a real note, he isn't a great person. The Office cast is exceptionally talented, and yeah, Rainn Wilson certainly gives some humorous moments as Dwight. Still, at the same time, I'm pretty sure the office worker has some OCD with how he micromanages his job and others around him and will sacrifice anyone to get to the top.

George Costanza (Seinfeld)

The Seinfeld cast is full of characters that are all pretty bad in many ways, but let's be honest and say that George Costanza is one of the worst – if not the worst. He may be funny, but he's done some pretty bad things to get ahead in life or out of precarious situations. His frugality even led to the death of his fiance after buying toxic envelopes because they were cheap. 

Angelica Pickles (Rugrats)

No, she does not get a pass because she is a child – Angelica Pickles got her start as a mean girl early in her life with how she treated those babies, and what makes it worse is that she's still a brat in the spinoff, All Grown Up. I don't know who took her bottle away at a young age, but she's just awful. 

Brian (Family Guy)

While Brian is biologically a dog, he's practically a human in the way he speaks in Family Guy and man, has this "hilarious" dog done some messed up stuff. There is not another character that's as self-righteous as this dog, where he thinks he's just better than any other person and always uses that against them. It just makes him so unlikable. 

Dennis Reynolds (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia)

I mean, do we even really need to explain this that much? Dennis Reynolds, at first, seems like a typical narcissistic male – a womanizer who thinks he's better than most just because his daddy has money. But there are some severe cracks in his mental state and moments where you wonder if this dude would let you walk out of a hookup with him.

Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

I love Jujutsu Kaisen, but Gojo is also a repulsive human being. Yes, I know he's the anime boy that everyone – even some of my closest friends – seems to have a crush on, but he's as selfish as they come and always thinks he'll win everything just because he's powerful. I'm also pretty sure he would sacrifice innocent lives to live, and that's pretty repulsive. 

Ned Flanders (The Simpsons)

There are plenty of popular The Simpsons characters that I could talk about, but Ned Flanders is a pretty repulsive person. I know, at first, he seems like a friendly neighbor, but as the series progresses, he gets more wrapped up in this radical religious mindset. Don't get me wrong, it's alright for you to have your faith – but when you push it on others like Flanders begins to do, that's never the right choice. 

Charlie Harper (Two And A Half Men)

It's his character to be repulsive, but I feel like we've all let that slide because it's Charlie Sheen, and he's funny as Charlie Harper. But if we all met a real-life Charlie Harper, we wouldn't want to be close or even related to him, no matter how many times we watch Two And A Half-Men. 

Eric Forman (That '70s Show)

At first, Eric Forman seems agreeable, but when you rewatch That 70s Show, he is one of the worst characters here. He's just lazy and uses that as an excuse for so many things, and also, he does not deserve the angel that is Donna. 

Debbie Gallagher (Shameless)

Oh, Debbie. At first, Debbie Gallagher of the Shameless cast felt like a misguided teenager who needed someone to help her, but then she got an attitude. And then it got worse. And then she purposefully got pregnant at fifteen. What? It's no wonder Fiona practically lost her mind with this family. 

Rachel Berry (Glee)

Rachel Berry is the type of theater kid that you would never want to be friends with. In Glee, she makes everything about herself, always strives to steal opportunities from others, and even when she goes through something terrible, it doesn't feel like she grows up at all. I could never understand why Finn dated her. 

Ted Mosby (How I Met Your Mother)

There are so many things wrong with Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother, so much so that I could write an entire article about them. He would continuously pursue women no matter what despite trying to find the perfect match and still somehow ended up with Robin in the end, even after his wife passed away – which isn't right. 

There are plenty of other characters that I could add to this list, but let's cap it there – and now, I feel the need to check out different characters that make me happier than some of these horrible ones. 

The 2024 TV schedule is in the early days of the always anticipated fall schedule, with a few months left to go in one of the most cancellation-heavy years in recent memory. Which means there's plenty of time for studios, networks and streaming platforms to pull the plug on even more favorites.

Here’s a rundown of all the big TV series that were suddenly canceled or ended their already doomed runs this year, as well as everything that came to more of an amicable and pre-planned conclusion. (This article will be updated regularly as announcements are made.)

That ‘90s Show (Netflix)

Fans were happy to start "hanging out down the street" with Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp's Red and Kitty Foreman for Netflix's sequel series That '90s Show, which brought back nearly all the '70s Show characters that made logical sense. But it seems as if not enough former generations were tuning in, as Netflix pulled the plug on the multicamera comedy in October 2024.

Final Episodes: Aired August 22, 2024

The Serpent Queen (Starz)

Starz's historical drama The Serpent Queen spent two seasons exploring the life and accomplishments of French Queen Catherine de' Medici during her 16th century reign. Though Season 3 was expected, with the cast options already locked down, the network canceled the show in October 2024. However, the creative team is developing a potential spinoff with Minnie Driver as Queen Elizabeth I.

Final Episode: Aired August 30

Parish (AMC)

Following Better Call Saul's ending, Giancarlo Esposito reteamed with AMC for the crime drama Parish, based on the UK series The Driver, about a former criminal who returns to the underworld after his son is brutally murdered. But while the star earned some priase for his performance, Parish itself was deemed to be middling, likely leading to its cancellation in October 2024.

Kaos (Netflix)

Initially making waves for being the show where Jeff Goldblum plays a Greek god, Kaos' wild plotting was enjoyed by enough people to keep the show in Netflix's Top 10 for a month or so. Unfortunately, the service made the call in October 2024 to cancel the big-budget project, spite the finale ending on a cliffhanger.

Final Episode: Aired August 29

Chucky (Syfy/USA)

Despite gaining mostly universal acclaim from horror fans of all ages, Don Mancini's gory small-screen horror Chucky was put back into the Good Guys Doll box and placed back on the shelf. At this point, it's unclear where Macini will attempt to produce Season 4, but he definitely seems keen on making it happen, based in part on the strength of fans' #RenewChucky social media campaign.

Final Episode: Aired May 1, 2024

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix)

First developed for Max, Dead Boy Detectives was brought into the Netflix fold as part of a shared universe with Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, and premiered to acclaim in April 2024, remaining in the streamer’s Top 10 list for a few weeks before falling out. Netflix dropped the bomb in August that the supernatural mystery series was canceled, with the slight chance for characters to pop back up in Sandman Season 2.

Final Episodes: Aired April 25, 2024

Pretty Little Liars (Max)

The fourth TV series adapting the world of author Sara Shepard’s hugely popular YA novel thrillers, Pretty Little Liars aired for two seasons on Max under the respective subtitles Original Sin and Summer School, with a couple of O.G. actors helping the familiarize audiences with the quasi-rebooted story. Though it wasn’t “A” who was to blame, the streaming spinoff was canceled in September 2024.

Final Episode: Aired June 20, 2024

Time Bandits (Apple TV+)

The TV show that paired up Friends vet Lisa Kudrow and What We Do in the Shadows’ co-conceivers Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, Apple TV+’s episodic adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s ‘80s classic Time Bandits caused all kinds of timeline shenanigans in July and August 2024. Unfortunately, none of those actions secured the series a second season, and the streaming service confirmed its cancellation in September 2024.

Final Episode: Aired August 21, 2024

Velma (Max)

Despite initial excitement for Scooby-Doo entering the adult animation realm, Max's Velma went over with audiences about as well as monsters' scheme go when Mystery, Inc. is on the case. Mindy Kaling's creative path struck a raw nerve with many who just wanted to see Scooby-Doo, and following two seasons and a Halloween special, Velma was canceled in October 2024.

Final Episode: Aired October 3, 2024

The Boys (Prime Video)

Creator Eric Kripe’s initial goal of a five-season run is becoming a prophecy realized, as it was revealed ahead of the bonkers Season 4 finale that The Boys Season 5 will be the hilariously dark and twisted superhero hit’s final run. The showrunner told us it will be the “colliding between Butcher and Homelander” that fans have been waiting for.

Final Episodes: Airing TBA 2025

Unstable (Netflix)

Beacon 23 (MGM+)

Based on the short stories written by author Hugh Howey, Beacon 23 was in development for years ahead of its eventual 2023 streaming debut, where it impressed audiences with its imaginative scope, if not its characters. After two seasons, the Lena Heady-starring sci-fi drama was canceled by Amazon MGM Studios in September 2024.

Final Episode: Aired May 26, 2024

9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox)

When the Rob Lowe-fronted spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star didn’t follow its predecessor to ABC, many fans suspected the worst, and reports about stalled contract negotiations only stoked those flames. Less than a month ahead of its Fall TV return, Fox confirmed that the Texas-set drama’s fifth season will be its final outing.

Final Episode: Airing February 3, 2025

Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC)

The fan-fave sci-fi series Orphan Black returned to the zeitgeist with the Krysten Ritter-led spinoff Orphan Black: Echoes, which dropped its entire season exclusively in Australia back in November 2023, seven months before it landed on AMC in June 2024. But for all that diehard fans were pumped to return to this clone-filled universe, the lone season was considered inferior to the O.G. series, and was canceled in September 2024.

Final Episode: Aired August 25, 2024

Wicked Tuna (NatGeo)

Since 2012, Wicked Tuna has given cable viewers an in-depth look at the trials, tribulations and financial windfalls of the fishing industry surrounding Gloucester, Massachusetts; even its Outer Banks spinoff aired for eight seasons. But the NatGeo series became a victim of parent company Disney’s stricter budgeting decisions for its linear TV networks, with the network announcing the cancellation in August 2024.

Final Episode: Aired May 26, 2024

Life & Beth (Hulu)

Amy Schumer’s first scripted TV creation following Inside Amy Schumer (and her stand-up specials, obviously) was Hulu’s introspective dramedy Life & Beth. Its first season was a hit with critics and with viewers upon its 2022 release, earning a second season from the streamer. That second effort, which dropped in February 2024, didn’t match the buzz of the first, and Hulu canceled several months later.

Final Episodes: Aired February 16, 2024

The Acolyte (Disney+)

Disney+ took Star Wars fans to the High Republic era with The Acolyte, which spent nearly its entire run on Disney+ caught between a fervent fandom and absolute vitriol. But despite all of the overtly strong opinions on both sides of the aisle, the overall viewership for the streaming original apparently didn’t justify its massive budget. Disney+ waited until after SDCC and D23 to announced The Acolyte’s cancellation in August 2024.

Final Episode: Aired July 16, 2024

The Conners (ABC)

While it technically wasn’t meant to last longer than a season, The Conners managed to join its predecessor Roseanne in making it beyond 100 episodes. The cast’s contracts are renewed each and every year, making renewals an annual concern for viewers, and it amicably agreed by all involved this time around that Season 7 would be the final run, with six “very big event” episodes set to debut in early 2025.

Final Episode: Airing TBA Early 2025

Power Book IV: Force (Starz)

Power’s third spinoff, Book IV: Force, furthered the criminal dealings of Joseph Sikora’s Tommy Egan, with a third season order coming from Starz in December 2023, around a month after the second season concluded. During the midst of its hiatus, Starz’s CEO Jeffrey Hirsch revealed the network’s cost-saving tactics included ordering more new shows instead of keeping expensive ones on the air. Three months later, in June 2024, the news dropped that Season 3 would be Force’s last one.

Final Episodes: Airing TBA 2024/2025

Station 19 (ABC)

Even after prior showrunner Krista Vernoff exited the role at the end of Season 6, Station 19’s fate didn’t seem to be in jeopardy. But after the firefighter drama returned to post-strike production in December 2023, ABC announced that the seventh season would be the final stretch for Jaina Lee Ortiz, Jason George and the rest of the actors comprising the firestation’s crew.

Final Episode: Aired May 30, 2024

Bosch: Legacy (Amazon Freevee)

Titus Welliver reprised the role of author Michael Connelly’s beloved investigator Harry Bosch for the Legacy spinoff, which was renewed for a third season ahead of its Season 2 debut in 2023. In September 2024, Amazon MGM Studios confirmed that this spinoff will be concluding following its Season 3 arrival in 2025. Fans can still look forward to the currently untitled spinoff starring Maggie Q, which is set to arrive in Fall 2025.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2025

Walker (The CW)

Amid all the big cancellations that have gone down at The CW since it was bought out by Nexstar, Jared Padalecki’s Walker seemed to be a safe bet for renewals, but that streak of luck ended on May 21 when the network made it official that the western-tinged drama would be ending with its ongoing fourth season, a little over a year after its spinoff Walker: Independence was canceled after a single season.

Final Episode: Aired June 26, 2024

Arcane (Netflix)

Spinning out of League of Legends to become the first streaming series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program, Netflix’s Arcane instantly became a darling for both critics and fans with its nine-episode debut season. First renewed in November 2021, the highly anticipated second season is set to arrive in November 2024, but its creators shook the fanbase with the June 2024 reveal that Season 2 will conclude the Riot Games production.

Final Episodes: Airing November 2024

Tokyo Vice (Max)

First ordered to series in 2019, Max’s crime drama Tokyo Vice finally debuted in 2022, with Ansel Elgort portraying journalist Jake Adelstein (who wrote the memoir source material), and Ken Watanabe as his guiding light of a Toyko detective. The second season aired from February-April 2024, concluding its story with the finale “Endgame.” In June 2024, via THR, the show’s producers confirmed that the show would not be returning for Season 3, and that it was always envisioned for a two-season run, with Elgort only having signed on for two years.

Final Episode: Aired April 4, 2024

UnPrisoned (Hulu)

The stellar duo of Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo headed up Hulu's UnPrisoned, which centered on the daughter-father relationship following the latter's release from prison, but remained a fun time despite the heavy issues. Washington herself revealed in September 2024 how "super duper disappointed" she is that Season 3 would not be happening, and that Hulu had canceled the Onyx Collective project.

Final Episodes: Aired July 17, 2024

Extended Family (NBC)

Despite having Mike O’Malley as a creator and a star trio in Jon Cryer, Donald Faison and Abigail Spencer, the NBC sitcom Extended Family was one of many shows whose production was sidelined right in the middle of production due to the Hollywood strikes, and though it was able to start filming again relatively quickly, the network gave it an arguably ill-timed pre-Christmas premiere, but that still ended up being its largest audience and demo rating, with neither rising to the same heights at any other point.

Final Episode: Aired March 26. 2024

The Winter King (MGM+)

The UK historical fiction adaptation The Winter King, based on Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles novels, arrived on MGM+ in 2023 and won over critics and quite a few fans with its action-packed take on Arthurian legend, with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. vet Iain De Caestecker as the fabled king. The long wait for any Season 2 updates wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence, and the decision was made to cancel it in September 2024, though being a co-production with ITV could mean a potential return if another studio steps in.

Final Episode: Aired November 5, 2023

The Brothers Sun (Netflix)

Fronted by Michelle Yoeh, Justin Chien, Sam Song Li and more, The Brothers Sun high-kicked its way onto Netflix with audience-pleasing verve, telling the story of a Taiwanese mobster attempting to keep his mother safe in the aftermath of his father’s assassination. Despite positive reviews from critics and fans, and despite having Ryan Murphy’s producer partner Brad Falchuk as co-creator, Netflix canceled The Brothers Sun and sent it into the sunset in early March 2024.

Final Episode: Aired January 4, 2024

The Witcher (Netflix)

In December 2022, Liam Hemsworth was announced to be replacing Henry Cavill in Netflix's fantasy adaptation The Witcher Season 4 and beyond. Then in April 2024, as the fourth season's production start was revealed, Netflix officially put in the order for a fifth and final season, confirming that the final three novels in the series will be brought to live-action in those seasons.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2025/2026

The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+)

Based on M.O. Walsh’s novel of the same name, Apple TV+’s comedy The Big Door Prize charmed many viewers with its cozy tale of a small town turned upside down by a mysteriously prophetic machine. Its second season was ordered in April 2023 soon after the first premiered; on the opposite end of fortune, the streaming service canceled the Chris O’Dowd-starring show two weeks after its second season wrapped.

Final Episode: Aired June 12, 2024

Death and Other Details (Hulu)

Despite our efforts to not allow Death and Other Details to fall victim to Hulu’s cancellation spree, the streamer announced that the Mandy Patinkin-led murder mystery would not return for a second season, continuing the frustrating practice of canceling shows after just one season. This is especially upsetting, as creators Mike Weiss and Heidi Cole McAdams had originally hoped for five to seven seasons, and had built the potential for longevity into the show’s DNA.

Final Episode: Aired March 5, 2024

That Girl Lay Lay (Nickelodeon)

It’s been a rough time over at Nickelodeon with the airing of the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV and amidst the fallout, the network has quietly canceled two series, including That Girl Lay Lay. The show, which ran for two seasons, featured Sadie getting into some pretty wild situations with Lay Lay, the AI avatar who Sadie wished to life.

Final Episode: Aired March 20, 2024

NCIS: Hawaii (CBS)

The fourth series in the NCIS franchise, NCIS: Hawai’i debuted in 2021 to decent numbers, and though the average stats dipped in Season 2, they rose back up for the strike-delayed third season. Unfortunately, those ten episodes now serve as the unplanned final season, as CBS canceled it weeks before the finale aired, much to the surprise and chagrin of the cast and crew. Making matters worse is the idea that CBS’ already filled schedule was more the cause than anything wrong with NCIS: Hawai’i itself.

Final Episode: Aired May 6, 2024

The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

Fans have had quite a while to anticipate Elisabeth Moss’ swan song as June Osborne in The Handmaid’s Tale. Hulu ordered up the sixth and final season of the popular dystopian drama back in September 2022, just ahead of the Season 5 premiere. Since then: a lot of waiting for more details.

Final Episode: Airing Spring 2025

American Rust (Prime Video)

Showtime originally ordered up American Rust, an adaptation of Philipp Meyer’s 2009 novel, with Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney leading the cast during its Season 1 run in 2021. The network dropped the cancellation axe after Season 1 ended, though Amazon stepped in with a Season 2 order months later. Those episodes hit Prime Video starting in March 2024, but not long after Tierney joined Law & Order’s upcoming season, American Rust’s second cancellation was reported.

Final Episodes: Aired March 28, 2024

Renegade Nell (Disney+)

Veteran UK screenwriter Sally Wainwright created a fictional 18th-century England for the action-adventure fantasy Renegade Nell, centering on a highway bandit who is framed for murder and then teams with a magical sprite to save her future. However, it appears the impressively produced series did not move the viewership needle quite enough on Disney+ to convince execs to order a second season, per Deadline, and it was canceled in July 2024.

Final Episodes: Aired March 29, 2024

My Lady Jane (Prime Video)

Novelist Gemma Burgess adapted the Jodi Meadows alt-history romance My Lady Jane for Amazon MGM Studios, and viewers were eagerly transported to the 16th century across the eight-episode debut season. Unfortunately for the fanbase, the streaming service revealed My Lady Jane’s cancellation news just six weeks after it premiered, sparking the creator to set up a petition to save the show.

Final Episodes: Aired June 27, 2024

Black Cake (Hulu)

Having Oprah Winfrey as an executive producer helped bring eyeballs to Hulu’s adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s same-named novel, and critics and fans alike appeared to adore it. Unfortunately, the streaming service offered zero updates for the show across much of 2024 before confirming its doomed fate in September, with Deadline reporting that Netflix was in contention to pick the drama up for second season and ultimately chose not to.

Final Episode: Aired December 6, 2023

Reginald The Vampire (Syfy)

Spider-Man trilogy and Tarot star Jacob Batalon brought his jovial talents to the small screen in 2022 to sink his fangs into the vampire horror-comedy Reginald the Vampire, an adaptation of Johnny B. Truant’s Fat Vampire book series.The second season arrived in May 2024, but sadly didn’t inspire a third season, with Syfy pulling the plug less than a week after its Season 2 finale.

Final Episode: Aired July 10, 2024

Erin & Aaron (Nickelodeon)

The second series that got the ax from the kids network was Erin & Aaron, a one-season show that starred Ava Ro and Jensen Gering as step-siblings with different personalities who bond over music after their parents get married. Its 12-episode season concluded last June.

Final Episode: Aired June 29, 2023

CSI: Vegas (CBS)

The CSI-verse was resurrected in 2021 for CBS' follow-up crime drama CSI: Vegas, with several O.G. actors (William Petersen, Jorja Fox, Marg Helgenberger) returning during the three-season run. The Season 3 viewership was notably higher than in the second, but the network backed itself into a cancellation over a reported lack of space in its upcoming primetime schedules.

Final Episode: Aired May 19, 2024

Obliterated (Netflix)

Amidst the streaming success of Cobra Kai, creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg co-created a completely different kind of action dramedy with Obliterated, in which Nick Zano, Shelley Hennig and more tried to stop a nuclear attack while under the influence of all manner of booze and drugs. Less than three months later, Netflix put a stop to the mission and canceled it.

Final Episode: Aired November 30, 2023

Our Flag Means Death (Max)

Max’s pirate-tastic original Our Flag Means Death debuted to much acclaim with both seasons, winning over fans with its mix of comedy, swashbuckling, and relationships between characters played by Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby and more. Max execs did not share any specific reasons for the early January cancellation news, but given all the critical attention, its fate likely came down to a limited audience.

Final Episode: Aired October 26, 2023

Uncoupled (Showtime)

After Showtime saved Neil Patrick Harris’ rom-com series Uncoupled from Netflix cancellation, that network too has decided not to go forward with a second season. It’s the latest example of a series getting canceled, uncanceled, then canceled again.

Final Episode: Aired July 29, 2022

What If...? (Disney+)

Though part of Marvel’s animated universe of alternate timelines and stories will continue with the upcoming series Marvel Zombies, What If…? proper is set to wrap up its run with the upcoming third season, which will reportedly feature an Agatha Harkness musical number and more. Executive producer Brad Winderbaum more or less confirmed the animated anthology’s fate in May 2024, referring to the third season as the culmination of a trilogy, with Jeffrey’s Wright’s The Watcher getting a suitable conclusion.

Final Episodes: Airing TBA

HouseBroken (Fox)

A more mature and nuanced take on the Secret Lives of Pets approach, HouseBroken followed a group of neighborhood animals who met for a therapy group, with Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Tony Hale and more TV vets in the voice cast. The show ran for two seasons, with the second ending in August 2023, and it wasn’t until May 2024 when Fox officially confirmed the animated comedy was canceled. According to Animation Magazine, network reps cited low ratings as the reason behind the ax dropping.

Final Episode: Aired August 6, 2023

La Brea (NBC)

Natalie Zea and Eoin Macken’s super-bonkers sci-fi drama La Brea has faced an uphill battle critically, but developed a fanbase with its unpredictable twists. Though NBC wasn’t willing to keep the show going for much longer, the network ordered a shortened third season in January 2023 that was revealed to be the final run.

Final Episode: Aired February 13, 2024

Scavengers Reign (Max)

Based on their 2016 short film Scavengers, Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner’s adult-skewing animated sci-fi tale Scavengers Reign quickly won over fans and critics upon meeting its cargo ship crew in October 2023, and it continued gaining word of mouth in the months that followed. So it was somewhat surprising in May 2024 when Max suddenly canceled the series without a second season. There may be good news coming, however, as Netflix acquired the first season, and will choose whether or not to produce a second season after its debut.

Final Episode: Aired November 9, 2023

Squid Game (Netflix)

Netflix debuted its biggest series ever, the high-octane stressfest Squid Game, all the way back in September 2021, and it’s become both highly influential and highly merchandisable in the years since. Surprisingly, months ahead of the second season’s streaming premiere, the company revealed that Squid Game will end at a later date with Season 3. (The competition series Squid Game: The Challenge will be back for a second season as well.)

Final Episodes: Airing TBA 2025

Raven’s Home (Disney Channel)

In a rare case of a cancellation with good news attached, Disney Channel execs announced Raven-Symoné’s sitcom spinoff Raven’s Home would not be returning for Season 7, and the sixth season that ended in September 2023 would be its swan song. However, Disney also set up a new overall creative deal with Raven-Symoné that includes a pilot order for the new spinoff Alice in the Palace, with Mykal-Michelle Harris set to reprise the role.

Final Episode: Aired September 23, 2023

Hightown (Starz)

Starz’s crime drama Highland took Monica Raymund’s state trooper Jackie Quiñones to some dark places in its first two seasons, and she’ll have one more shot at bringing justice to Cape Cod’s endangered sex workers. The premium cabler ordered up a third season for Hightown in March 2022, and only revealed during the lead-up to its release that Season 3 will be the final one.

Final Episode: Aired March 8, 2024

Outer Range (Prime Video)

Josh Brolin and Imogen Poots won over viewers as Outer Range’s Royal and Autumn across two seasons of the oddball sci-fi mystery western. Despite any critical acclaimed earned by its two seasons, the Amazon-owned Prime Video canceled Outer Range in July 2024, two months after that second batch of episodes dropped all at once, unlike Season 1’s weekly releases.

Final Episodes: Aired May 16, 2024

Young Sheldon (CBS)

Though The Big Bang Theory lasted for 12 seasons on CBS, it wouldn’t have been so logical for its prequel Young Sheldon to match that span, given its ever-aging star Iain Armitage. So even though co-creators Chuck Lorre and Steve Molaro have stated the story could have gone on, CBS revealed the previously ordered seventh season would be the final one, and that its storyline would continue in a Georgie and Mandy spinoff.

Final Episode: Aired May 16, 2024

Pretty Freeking Scary (Disney Channel)

Disney went dark with the horror-tinged comedy Pretty Freeking Scary, which starred Eliana Su'a as a 14-year-old who died in a manhole accident and returned from the dead as the Grim Reaper’s second banana. Fans of the series, which was legitimately based on an American Greetings accessory line, had to wait nearly an entire year for the House of Mouse to confirm that Season 2 wasn’t coming back to life.

Final Episode: Aired August 18, 2023

Evil (Paramount+)

One of TV’s most unpredictable series, the supernatural genre-masher Evil majorly flourished upon moving from CBS to Paramount+, and was able to take its tag team of science and religion to some dark and bizarro places three seasons so far, with the upcoming fourth season set to serve as its final romp. The show was officially released canceled in mid-February, though with four additional episodes ordered to help close out the story, though Katja Herbers still jokingly attempted to get Netflix’s attention for a possible renewal, but nothing shook out from that.

Final Episode: Aired August 22, 2024

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+)

Though not the most vital of all the Star Wars shows on Disney+, the action-filled animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch has still been a core part of the franchise’s small-screen success. And the Dave Filoni-created series will wrap up its clone-heavy story with a 15-episode third season.

Final Episode: Aired May 1, 2024

What We Do In The Shadows (FX)

Quite possibly one of the greatest movie-to-TV adaptations/spinoffs, FX’s gore-soaked and award-winning comedy What We Do in the Shadows was initially ordered for its fifth and sixth seasons back in June 2022. It was only in December 2023 that the network fully confirmed that Season 6 will be the last one, likely due in part to a steady decline in linear viewers.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2024

The Good Doctor (ABC)

To the shock of TV viewers and industry insiders alike, 2024 was less than two weeks old when ABC canceled The Good Doctor, despite it being ratings-consistent, and despite the reported interest from cast members about continuing on. It’s unclear exactly what went into the decision, from strike delays to financial wariness, but fans will at least have the chance to say goodbye via the 10-episode Season 7.

Final Episode: Aired May 21 2024

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

Larry David’s cringe-centric HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm has been around since 2000, but with spaced-out seasons for the bulk of its run, based on when its creator was inspired enough to return to Faux Larry’s world. And after years of speculation about when the always hilarious series could actually end, David made the pretty-pretty-pretty good decision to make Season 14 the last one.

Final Episode: Aired April 7, 2024

My Dad The Bounty Hunter (Netflix)

Co-starring Laz Alonso, Yvonne Orji and Priah Ferguson, My Dad the Bounty Hunter gave viewers a lot to enjoy with its all-genre tale of a father and his kids who discover that he’s a bounty hunter of otherworldly entities. Both of its seasons debuted on Netflix in 2023, despite critical acclaim, its creator confirmed with WhatsOnNetflix in June 2024 that the streaming giant opted not to order a third season.

Final Episodes: Aired August 17, 2023

Halo (Paramount+)

After a long trip through development hell, the live-action video game adaptation Halo finally arrived on Paramount+ in 2022, earning much critical and viewer praise. The second season, which aired from February to March 2024, was generally perceived as being even more engaging and easy to follow. Shockingly to many, the streaming service canceled Halo in July 2024, four months after Season 2 ended, though producers were actively seeking out a new home in the aftermath.

Final Episode: Aired March 21, 2024

So Help Me Todd (CBS)

As one of the more unique original series in CBS' primetime lineup, So Help Me Todd won over audiences with its offbeat mother-son relationship and non-procedural storylines, and was drawing in 4+ million viewers with nightly episodes, with millions more watching in delayed viewing. But with its upcoming programming slate already filled to the brim, the network pulled the plug on the Wright family's investigations.

Final Episode: Aired May 16, 2024

Life & Beth (Hulu)

Amy Schumer’s first scripted TV creation following Inside Amy Schumer (and her stand-up specials, obviously) was Hulu’s introspective dramedy Life & Beth. Its first season was a hit with critics and with viewers upon its 2022 release, earning a second season from the streamer. That second effort, which dropped in February 2024, didn’t match the buzz of the first, and Hulu canceled several months later.

Final Episodes: Aired February 16, 2024

Clone High (Max)

First existing on MTV from 2002-03, Clone High was brought out of cryogenics by Max, which ordered up two follow-up seasons of the historical figure-filled comedy. Unfortunately, the creative team set up a similar cliffhanger situation as the O.G. series, and the streaming service confirmed it will remain unresolved by canceling the revival in July 2024.

Final Episodes: Aired February 1, 2024

Superman & Lois (The CW)

As the CW’s final DC Comics outing in the wake of the Arrowverse, Superman & Lois Season 4 will follow up on Season 3’s overarching clash between Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark and Michael Cudlitz’s Lex Luthor. The fourth season was ordered in June 2023, months after The CW was taken over by Nexstar, which jettisoned the majority of the network’s original series after the acquisition, with quite a few casting changes being necessary for the renewal.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2025

This Fool (Hulu)

Spearheaded by Corporate’s trio of Matt Ingebretson, Jake Weisman and Pat Bishop, as well as stand-up comedian Chris Estrada, This Fool hilariously puts its spotlight on L.A.’s cholo culture, centering on Estrada’s goal-minded Julio and his just-out-of-prison cousin Luis (portrayed with A+ gusto by Frankie Quiñones). With Sopranos vet Michael Imperioli also co-starring, This Fool lasted two seasons before Hulu pulled the plug in Feb. 2024, seven months after Season 2 debuted.

Final Episode Aired July 28, 2023

Rap Sh*t (Max)

Issa Rae’s second series created for Max through her overall deal, which sparked by the success of HBO’s Insecure, Rap Sh*t followed the hilarious and often intense journey of Aida Osman and KaMillion’s Miami rappers Shawna and Mia. Its strike-delayed second season was released in November 2023 to widespread acclaim, though they couldn’t seduce and scheme their way into a third season, and Max canceled the series in January 2024.

Final Episode: Aired December 21, 2023

Blue Bloods (CBS)

One of TV’s most under-discussed and most-watched series, Blue Bloods was revealed by CBS to be ending with its 14th season, giving fans one more year of Reagan family dinners to appreciate. Unlike most series facing strike-hampered final seasons, Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg’s legal-minded drama is in the midst of its 18-episode swan song that was split across 2024.

Final Episode: TBA

The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)

There are only so many times a group of powered-up misfits can save the planet for apocalyptic devastation, so perhaps it makes sense that The Umbrella Academy is capping its run on Netflix at four seasons, with the final year set to give the Hargreeves siblings their biggest challenges yet. Netflix revealed back in August 2022 that the show only had one batch of eps left to wrap things up. The Umbrella Academy Season 4 has yet to reveal any concrete info about what to expect.

Final Episode: Aired August 8, 2024

Dave (FXX)

Considering some of the ridiculously risqué moments that went down on FXX’s Dave, it’s kind of amazing we got three full seasons of the coming-of-race comedy centered on co-creator Dave Burd’s rapper persona Lil Dicky. And while the musician’s fictionalized universe could return in the future, Burd made the call in early February to step away from the series to focus on his music career and other opportunities.

Final Episode: Aired May 31, 2023

Secrets Of Sulphur Springs (Disney Channel)

Soap opera writers Tracey Thompson and Charles Pratt Jr. brought their talents to The Disney Channel for missing-person mysteries, ghosts and more paranormal fun in Secrets of Sulphur Springs. The show aired for three seasons, with its third suffering a fairly noteworthy drop in viewership, which is possibly what influenced execs to cancel the series in January 2024.

Final Episode: Aired on May 5, 2023

Chad (Roku Channel)

Created by Saturday Night Live vet Nasim Pedrard all the way back in 2016 for Fox, the high school comedy Chad later shifted to TBS, where its first season aired. Before the pandemic-stalled Season 2 could arrive, the cable channel axed most of its original content, Chad included. Months later, Roku Channel stepped up as the new home for the already filmed season, confirming no more were on the way.

Final Episode: Aired January 19, 2024

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)

In its first three seasons, Star Trek: Lower Decks delivered more than enough canon-skewing sci-fi comedy to rank among the best animated series of all time, and it seemed like there was enough creative energy to keep the crew in space for many years. But it was when announcing Strange New World's Season 4 renewal that Paramount+ revealed Lower Decks' fifth season will be its last. No word on whether characters will make the jump to live-action.

Final Episode: Airing Late 2024

The Flight Attendant (Max)

Big Bang Theory vet Kaley Cuoco jumped from broadcast sitcoms to streaming thrillers with Max’s The Flight Attendant, whose first season garnered awards buzz. The second run seemingly wasn’t on the same level of popularity or success, and it took Max until January 2024 to confirm the show wouldn’t be back for Season 3. Kaley Cuoco’s response to the news drew attention to the fact that the show was envisioned as more of a limited series anyway.

Final Episode: Aired April 21, 2022

Wolf Pack (Paramount+)

It seemed like a dream pairing for Teen Wolf and Criminal Minds creator Jeff Davis to team with Buffy vet Sarah Michelle Gellar for a new drama about a town affected by werewolf attacks. Alas, its first and only season didn’t move the meter too drastically when it arrived on Paramount+ in 2023, and it wasn’t wildly surprising when Paramount+ revealed in January 2024 that the show wouldn’t return for Season 2.

Final Episode: Aired March 16, 2023

Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS)

After four steady seasons on CBS’ Monday night schedule, the network ordered up Season 5 in January 2023, with April bringing the surprising update that 11 of the sitcom’s 13 series regulars were being demoted to recurring roles, and that none of them would appear for more than 5 episodes each. Seven months later, in November, CBS made the call to cancel the show’s forward progress after Season 5.

Final Episode: Aired May 13, 2024

The Other Black Girl (Hulu)

Based on the 2021 novel by Sakiya Dalila Harris, who co-developed the show with Rashida Jones, The Other Black Girl starred Sinclair Daniel as a book editor caught up in a potential conspiracy involving her bosses and co-workers, including Ashleigh Murray, Bellamy Young and Eric McCormack. Hulu made the call in May 2024 to cancel the dramedy without a second season.

Final Episode: Aired September 13, 2023

Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+)

With Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon!, co-creators Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio checked all the right boxes for episodic musicals, even winning the 2022 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. But Season 2’s focus on Chicago didn’t create quite the same rhythmic buzz, and in January 2024, Paul shared on Instagram that despite Season 3 being written, with 25 songs planned out, the streaming service wouldn’t be going forward with it.

Final Episode: Aired May 3, 2023

Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix)

A sequel to Michael Hirst’s cable hit Vikings, Jeb Stuart’s streaming sequel Vikings: Valhalla was seemingly always destined for at least a three-season run, with reports of Netflix granting it a 24-episode order in November 2019. The final eight eps were filmed between May and October 2022, and it was only after they were filmed was it confirmed that they'd serve as the final season, which aired in Summer 2024.

Final Episode: Aired July 11, 2024

Minx (Starz)

As Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond’s comedy about an erotic magazine, Minx, was in the final stages of finishing up Season 2, Max pulled the plug, with Starz stepping in to help pay for the production to be completed. Unfortunately, the premium cable channel made it clear in early January 2024 that a third season isn’t on the horizon.

Final Episode: Aired September 8, 2023

Constellation (Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is arguably the best streaming service for original sci-fi TV shows, even if promising projects such as Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks’ psychological thriller Constellation don’t always get to make it beyond a single season. The series, which followed the aftermath of a deadly collision involving the ISS, debuted to largely acclaim in February 2024, but it was quietly canceled by the streaming service just six weeks after the season concluded.

Final Episode: Aired March 27, 2024

Bunk'd (Disney Channel)

One of The Disney Channel’s longest-running live-action series, the Jessie spinoff Bunk’d has given viewers going on seven seasons of misadventures at Camp Kikiwaka (and later at Kikiwaka Ranch), with Miranda May and more. Following the first batch of strike-delayed episodes airing, Disney announced that Season 7 was being extended to 22 episodes, and that the series would wrap afterward.

Final Episode: Aired August 2, 2024

Primo (Freevee)

Co-executive produced by The Good Place and Parks and Rec creator Michael Schur, Primo was a coming-of-age comedy created by (and based on the Texas upbringing of) writer Shea Serrano, which was first pitched to ABC back in 2017. It took five years to get the Latino-fronted series into production — it eventually landed on Freevee — and the show earned widespread acclaim with its eight-episode season. Unfortunately, Freevee canceled the series in May 2024, though Serrano claimed at the time that the series would be shopped around at other studios.

Final Episode: Aired May 19, 2023

High School (Freevee)

Oddly enough, High School first arrived on Freevee back in October 2022, with Clea DuVall helping musician duo Tegan and Sara adapt their memoir of the same name for TV. Following its critically acclaimed eight-episode run, fans heard relatively zero news about the show’s future until May 2024, when THR reported its cancellation. At one point, the Amazon-owned network reportedly tasked DuVall with setting up a mini writers room for Season 2 scripts, which were reportedly finished at the time the cancellation was confirmed.

Final Episode: Aired October 28, 2022

Quantum Leap (NBC)

For two seasons, Quantum Leap fans watched the reboot's Ben and Addison play out their love story amidst jaunts across space and time. Their ability to start leaping together is perhaps the silver lining when it comes to NBC canceling the sci-fi drama in April 2024 without a third season.

Final Episode: Aired February 20, 2024

grown-ish (Freeform)

Freeform’s grown-ish didn’t quite make it to the eight-season mark set by its predecessor black-ish, but has still enjoyed a lengthy run for a network-shifted spinoff. The dramedy’s sixth season was ordered up in January 2023, with the news dropping two months later that those episodes would wrap up Zoey and Junior Johnson’s stories. The first half of the season aired in the summer months of 2023, with the back half closing out the show's run in Spring 2024.

Final Episode: Aired May 22, 2024

SEAL Team (Paramount+)

With the military drama having shifted to Paramount+ from CBS ahead of its fifth season, SEAL Team’s cast and crew first got the good news in January 2023 that Season 7 was ordered up, and then ten whole months later, the streaming service affirmed that those episodes would be SEAL Team’s final tour. The strike-delayed production kicked off in January 2024, so fans can expect it to be a late-year arrival.

Final Episode: Airing October 6, 2024

Tacoma FC (truTV)

Co-created by Broken Lizard troupe members Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme, Tacoma FD did for the firefighter profession what the sketch group’s Super Troopers films did for cops. Co-starring Hassie Harrison, Eugene Cordero, Marcus Henderson and Gabriel Hogan, the comedy mixed hilarious professional ineptitude with surreal and silly humor, and earned itself a four-season run in the process. Unfortunately, none of the show’s captains or commissioners could pull enough weight to make Season 5 happen, as truTV canceled it in February 2024.

Final Episode: Aired October 5, 2023

My Brilliant Friend (HBO)

One of HBO’s most acclaimed and under-discussed originals in recent years, the coming-of-age drama My Brilliant Friend was first developed in 2016 with the goal of adapting the popular Neapolitan Novels attributed to the writer pseudonym Elena Ferrante. With the first three season having aired in 2018, 2020, and 2022, the stage is set for the final eight episodes to take viewers to the last era in the lives of BFFs Elena and Raffaella.

Final Episode: Airing November 11, 2024.

Big Mouth (Netflix)

One of the relatively rare scripted Netflix Originals to extend all the way to eight seasons, the Nick Kroll-starring animated hit Big Mouth has presumably earned its consistent renewals, with seemingly no limit to the amount of pubescent and hyper-hormonal chaos in the teen characters’ lives. The streaming service revealed in April 2023 that Season 8 will cap off Nick and Andrew’s masturbatory adventures, which outlasted the two-season run of spinoff Human Resources.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2025

Good Trouble (Freeform)

The spinoff of the fan-favorite drama The Fosters, Freeform’s Good Trouble made it through four-and-a-half ratings-challenged seasons so far. In December 2023, around seven months after the first half of Season 5 aired, the Disney-owned channel confirmed that Good Trouble would be done-zo after the back half of the fifth season dropped in early 2024. Freeform was reportedly interested in continuing the drama, but budget issues forced the execs’ hands.

Final Episode: Aired February 27, 2024

American Born Chinese (Disney+)

Based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name, the fantastical action-comedy American Born Chinese won over audiences with its stacked cast (including Oscar winners Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh) and embrace of various cultures, albeit with some criticism sprinkled throughout. Despite its popularity, Disney canceled the show after the cast members’ contract options expired.

Final Episode: Aired May 24, 2023

Magnum P.I. (NBC)

Few TV dramas, network or otherwise, went through quite the same year that Magnum P.I.'s cast and crew did in 2002, when it was canceled by CBS and then subsequently saved with a 20-episode order from NBC. While that gave the Jay Hernandez character more time to build into a better close-out, the network didn’t take that long before dropping its own axe, canceling Magnum P.I. anew in June 2023.

Final Episode: Aired January 3, 2024

World On Fire (PBS)

Created for BBC One in the U.K., the war drama World on Fire made its way stateside as part of PBS’ Masterpiece, debuting its first WWII-set season back in 2019, nearly four years before the start of its second and final season. Despite a stacked cast that included Helen Hunt, Sean Bean and more, World on Fire’s numbers dropped in its second season, and it was canceled without fanfare in Feb. 2024, before creator Peter Bowker could deliver on a third season that depicted the U.S.’ entry into the war.

Final Episode: Aired November 19, 2023

Julia (Max)

Led in part by the stretch of star Sarah Lancashire as the titular culinary legend Julia Child, Max’s biographical dramedy Julia earned creator Daniel Goldfarb mostly compliments and lauding with its pair of eight-episode seasons. Max reps didn’t share any reasoning behind the show’s cancellation news that dropped in January 2024, but a smaller-than-desired viewership is likely a big factor.

Final Episode: Aired December 21, 2023

Still Up (Apple TV+)

Several top-notch UK comedy actors joined forces for the Apple TV+ dramedy Still Up, which followed the late-night bonding between The Good Doctor’s Antonia Thomas and Red Oaks’ Craig Roberts as Lisa and Danny, respectively. It debuted in September 2023 to largely positive reactions, if quiet ones, and all remained fairly quiet until May 2024, when the streaming service canceled the series without a second season.

Final Episode: Aired October 27, 2023

Bupkis (Peacock)

Pete Davidson’s semi-autobiographical dramedy Bupkis will not see a second season on Peacock after all. Despite the series receiving a new order and production set to begin this summer, the comedian appears to have put the kibosh on the project. In a statement, the former SNL cast member called the show the part of his career that he’s “most proud of,” however, he said, “I do also feel that this part of my life is finished.”

Final Episode: Aired May 4, 2023

LA Fire and Rescue (NBC)

Dick Wolf has found a lot of success with his fictional procedurals, but his unscripted offering for NBC, LA Fire and Rescue, didn’t have the longevity of some of his other projects. The reality series that showed the daily life of firefighters protecting their communities was canceled after a single eight-episode season.

Final Episode: Aired August 9, 2023

Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge (NBC)

Another single-season casualty over at NBC is Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge. This competition series pit its contestants against each other, tasking them with giving Hot Wheels-inspired makeovers to cars that held sentimental value in hopes of nabbing a $25,000 grand prize.

Final Episode: Aired August 8, 2023

The Upshaws (Netflix)

The family comedy from co-creators Wandy Sykes and Regina Y. Hicks has enjoyed a sporadic run on Netflix, with Mike Epps and Kim Fields leading the fray as the parental figures for the Upshaw clan. Ahead of the sitcom’s fourth season (which is being dubbed Part 6), the streaming service ordered a fifth and final season on June 7, 2024, which will run for 12 episodes.

Final Episode: Airing TBA Early 2025

All American: Homecoming (The CW)

The CW is down to just a single scripted original series leftover from the pre Nexstar buyout, All American, following the network’s execs making the call to end the follow-up drama All American: Homecoming after its third season, which is set to premiere on Monday, July 8. While the series is popular among younger demographics, that crowd wasn’t big enough to justify a new season as the network continues transitioning to content that draws in older viewers.

Final Episode: Airing September 30, 2024

The Girls On The Bus (Max)

Based on Amy Shozick’s 2018 memoir Chasing Hillary, with the author serving as co-creator alongside Julie Plec, the political drama The Girls on the Bus debuted on Max in March bolstered by talents such as Melissa Benoist (who also produced), Carla Gugino and Christina Elmore. Unfortunately, the 10-episode first season’s impact on critics and audiences wasn’t overwhelming enough to secure a second season, and Max’s execs canceled it outright in late May, just two weeks after the finale aired.

Final Episode: Aired May 9, 2024

Ratched (Netflix)

Sarah Paulson reteamed with her American Horror Story boss Ryan Murphy to take on the iconic literary character Nurse Ratched for a standalone Netflix series that predated Jack Nicholson'a flight over the cuckoo’s nest. Though it was given a two-season order from the start, and though its viewership numbers were nothing to sneeze at, Netflix quietly reversed plans for Season 2, and Paulson herself let the cat-ched out of the bag in early February 2024 (via X).

Final Episode: Aired September 18, 2020

We’re Here (HBO

Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and several other RuPaul’s Drag Race vets came together for the HBO reality TV series We’re Here, and spent four seasons spreading the good word about drag shows as entertainment in a variety of cities and small towns around the country. The Emmy-winning series wrapped its latest season in May, and the cable network revealed the cancellation news in September.

Final Episode: Aired May 31, 2024

The total number of projects facing their endgames in 2024 continues to grow from week to week, and will no doubt expand even more as the May finale season hits. Stay tuned for more updates.

Over the last several decades, the critical view of television has changed from being a lesser, more mass produced art form, not on the level of movies, to being the place for some of the most creative and progressive content being produced. Much of that collective reappraisal is due to HBO. In the late '90s and early 2000s, the premium cable company poured money into original productions like The Sopranos, Sex And The City, The Wire, Six Feet Under and more. 

As the awards, critical praise, positive fan feedback and subscriptions poured in, more TV networks started taking chances on difficult and complicated subject matter and shelling out to attract major stars. HBO still remains arguably the most famous and successful prestige TV network, but over the last few decades, tons of other networks have taken their chances with riskier and complicated shows. Many of those chances have paid off too.

Here’s a look at some really famous and really successful prestige TV shows that didn’t air on HBO but likely took some level of inspiration from the path the network blazed.

House Of Cards (Netflix)

Few shows in the history of television have upended the entire industry more than House Of Cards. The political drama was the first major original production from Netflix, and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Emmy nominations in all the major categories helped create a ton of word of mouth, and within a few years, Netflix’s long-term strategy shifted from a focus on acquiring content to a focus on producing content. 

Downton Abbey (ITV/ PBS)

Every awards voter knows period piece family dramas set among the aristocracy can be major contenders for awards, but Downton Abbey proved just how popular they can be with a broad audience too. The sprawling historical drama found huge popularity in both Britain and The United States, ultimately producing six seasons and multiple movies, and yes, of course, it won plenty of awards too.

The Americans (FX)

One of my personal favorite shows on this entire list, The Americans was a bit of a slow build. Its first season got very solid ratings and a few nominations, but within a few seasons, the spy drama about a Russian family pretending to be Americans was attracting huge Metacritic scores and picking up Emmy nominations in all the major categories for both the show itself and its brilliant lead actors Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys. 

Breaking Bad (AMC)

Widely considered to be one of the greatest shows of all-time, Breaking Bad may not have been on premium cable, but its subject matter was every bit as uncomfortable and morally complicated as anything found elsewhere. By the end of its incredible five-season run, the show had won two Emmys for Outstanding Drama, as well as acting Emmys for three of its primary actors and nominations for two more. 

The Good Wife (CBS)

Prestige TV shows typically have shorter seasons. Maintaining the highest quality over ten episodes is a lot easier than doing it over the twenty-plus network TV typically requires, but The Good Wife was able to maintain high quality thanks to really tight scripts that perfectly blended courtroom case-of-the-week style procedural elements with real character development. Great acting performances also helped, as its actors were collectively nominated an astounding thirty times at The Emmys over just six seasons.

Justified (FX)

Prestige TV shows are most often classified by the number of awards they won, but sometimes it’s about elevating a genre and having an original vision. That’s the case with Justified. It had eight Emmy nominations (and two wins for Margo Martindale and Jeremy Davies), but it’s here mostly because of how much life and originality it brought to the crime genre. It slowly evolved past being a procedural and into a carefully plotted linear story featuring a holler of fascinating backwoods personalities.

Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)

Whether awards voters were asked to call it a comedy or a drama, Orange Is The New Black found a very large and very passionate fanbase with its unique blend of prison shenanigans and societal commentary. It also helped prove Netflix was going to be a long-term threat for prestige television awards long after House Of Cards was gone.

The Great (Hulu)

The Great is maybe the most outlandish show I have ever watched and this comes from someone that’s watched Twin Peaks multiple times. There was no line this show wouldn’t cross, but with a filthy wit, it was able to ride the line between stupid and clever and rewrite the history of Catherine The Great And Peter III’s relationship in a really fascinating way. Reviews were great, and by the end, the lead actors were getting recognized for huge awards.

Lost (ABC)

I’m not sure there will be a single entry on this list that’s more divisive than Lost. The show, which Wikipedia calls a science fiction adventure drama, lost the patience of a percentage of its audience by the end, but it’s impossible to deny just how hooked millions were there for awhile. And with good reason. It got fifty-four Emmy nominations during its run and many are still discovering its joys on streaming.

30 Rock (NBC)

The bar is a lot higher for a comedy to be considered Prestige television, but there are few comedies in the history of television more praised and widely respected than 30 Rock. The hysterical take on the backstage politics behind making a TV show won Outstanding Comedy at the Emmys three times and in later seasons, attracted some of the biggest stars in the world for multi-episode guest spots.

Mad Men (AMC)

Apart from the fact that it’s utterly fantastic, Mad Men is one of the most important TV shows of the last few decades because it conclusively proved literally any network had the ability to create one of the buzziest, most acclaimed series on television, including AMC which launched Mad Men as its first original program. It also turned Jon Hamm into a huge star, and shined a light on many members of its talented supporting cast.

Dexter (Showtime)

Yeah, I know Dexter was inconsistent during its run, but man, was that Dark Passenger fun to ride around with when it was good. Showtime’s drama about a serial killer who tried to live by a moral code netted its primary actor, Michael C Hall, five well-earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead and netted terrific vet John Lithgow a guest star Emmy win for his terrifying work in Season 4. 

Homeland (Showtime)

Homeland didn’t have quite the universal acclaim in its later seasons, but there aren’t many shows in TV history that could match the universal acclaim of its early seasons. Its terrific first season won Outstanding Drama at The Emmys, as well as statues for its two lead actors Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. Altogether, it’s probably the most talked about and acclaimed series in Showtime history, and that’s huge praise given what else has been on that network.

The West Wing (NBC)

The West Wing is perhaps a little more inside the box and network TV-ish than a lot of other entries on this list, but to me, that’s part of its appeal. It’s well put together enough to consistently provide payoff moments, but it’s good enough at what it’s doing that the formula rarely gets in the way. Voters agreed, as it nominated the show for an astounding ninety-eight Emmys.

Ted Lasso (Apple+)

At its absolute best, Ted Lasso, the show but also, the person, has a way of making you feel so unreservedly happy. Before you realize it, you’re rooting for these characters more passionately and with more love in your heart than you ever knew was possible for a TV show. Critics, fans and awards voters all agreed too, as for awhile there, Ted Lasso became the most talked about thing on streaming.

Weeds (Showtime)

Given it ran for eight seasons, Weeds is far from the most nominated show on this list. Some of its actors did well at The Emmys, but what’s really important long-term about the drug dealing dramedy is how it turned what could have been a goofy, throwaway premise of suburban mom turned drug dealer into sharply written material that explored many different emotions and tones. It was never content to remain the same, which is the opposite of what many comedies want.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

This choice for sure is picking up some eyerolls, but people forget how freakin’ good Grey’s Anatomy was during its first handful of seasons. It earned multiple Outstanding Drama nominations, and many of its actors, most prominently Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson, were nominated for their performances. Its third season premiere was also watched live by more than twenty-five million people, which was a huge number at the time, especially for a critical darling.

24 (FOX)

24’s unconventional format of having episodes correspond to specific hours was a masterstroke, given the high pressure intensity of its subject matter. It was also able to really push the line with network television but more in the way of aggression and physical violence. It felt dangerous at the time, and decades later, that ever-present ferocity still comes through. It was consistently rewarded by critics and awards voters too in a way you almost never see for something this action-packed.

Modern Family (ABC)

Modern Family works so well because it’s really good at many different types of comedy. It has an overarching tone, sure, but because it brings together multiple generations, as well as many varied characters, it mines a lot of different subject matter for humor. That allows the show to feel fresh and keep from getting repetitive for longer than most comedies. Its wild range is probably best exemplified by the show somehow getting a combined six nominations in the Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress Emmy categories in the same year.

Better Call Saul (AMC)

There aren’t many spinoff shows in the history of television that pick right up where the original left off in terms of quality. Better Call Saul is a rare exception, which is positively insane given the original quality it needed to aspire to was maybe the greatest show ever in Breaking Bad. Fortunately, Bob Odenkirk is an absolute delight to watch, and Better Call Saul was able to give many of Breaking Bad’s greatest side characters more chances to shine.

Schitt's Creek (CBC)

If you want to know how beloved Schitt’s Creek was when it went off the air, especially among awards voters, look no further than the acting nominations it got during its last run at The Emmys. It somehow netted nine nominations just in the on-screen performance categories. It was a great final moment for a show that was often able to feel like both the best parts of a sitcom and the best parts of a linear dramedy at the same time.

Mr. Robot (USA)

Over the course of four critically acclaimed seasons, Mr. Robot built up a passionate fanbase who loved the dynamic between Rami Malek and Christian Slater, as well as the score and pace of the series. Starting mostly with its second season, it was also honored quite a bit by various award shows, including The Emmys, which gave Malek the Best Lead Actor award, along with nominating the show itself, guest actor BD Wong and more. 

Rescue Me (FX)

A show on FX about firefighters starring stand-up comedian Dennis Leary probably wouldn’t strike most people as a future Emmy winner and critical darling, but Rescue Me was never afraid of tackling more complicated material. That willingness to explore tougher subject matter attracted audiences, as well as high profile guest stars including Michael J Fox who picked up an Emmy for his contributions. 

This Is Us (NBC)

This is Us was so popular during its first few seasons that NBC gave it the post Super Bowl slot. The show took full advantage and aired a Super Bowl-themed episode that many consider to be one of the best of This Is Us’ entire run. It’s a perfect example of how the show, at its best, weaves together the type of complicated subject matter Emmy voters go for, while remaining broad enough to satisfy a massive audience. The actors in particularly were consistently hit with nominations, especially Sterling K Brown who was recognized by The Emmys five times.

The Crown (Netflix)

Typically when a show connects with a large audience, critics and awards voters, those behind the scenes do everything they can to keep the magic going with the original cast. Not The Crown. Rather than focus on a narrow window, the show hurtled forward, picking up new leads and new characters every few seasons, while somehow still maintaining enough quality to connect with Emmy voters and please its legion of fans.

The L Word (Showtime)

The L Word was never as enticing to awards voters as it should have been, though Ossie Davis did notably win an Emmy for Guest Actor, but its popularity and effect on prestige TV’s willingness to tackle LGBT+ subject matter cannot be overstated. Over the course of six seasons, the show tackled a wide variety of subjects and built a rich, complicated world of interconnected characters for its fanbase to root for and sometimes get mad at. 

Fargo (FX)

Taking spiritual inspiration from The Coen Brothers’ movie of the same name, no one was quite sure what to expect when Fargo premiered back in 2014, but the result was a fantastic crime narrative that was entirely different, yet oddly similar to the pace of the original film. Critics were overwhelmingly hot and loads of major nominations followed, especially for the actors. Subsequent seasons went in very different directions, but the basic spirit and popularity with awards voters remained. 

The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

House Of Cards may have been the first streaming show to get significant critical acclaim and awards nominations, but The Handmaid’s Tale is actually the first one to win Best Drama at The Emmys. The unnerving and often disturbing adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel is a tough watch but can be so rewarding, as millions of viewers found out. Its first few seasons in particular were showered with praise and numerous nominations for both the show itself and its brilliant cast.

Arrested Development (FOX/ Netflix)

Has a comedy ever used a narrator better than Arrested Development? The well-written and often deeply weird comedy never attracted the biggest audience, but it was a huge hit with its fanbase and critics, who adored the complicated relationships between its characters and their ridiculous recurring jokes and plots. By the end of its short run, it won Best Comedy and Best Writing at The Emmys and saw four of its cast members nominated in acting categories.

Ozark (Netflix)

It took a little time for enough awards voters to give Ozark a chance, as the first season mainly only saw wide praise for Jason Bateman’s work, but once voters gave it a chance, the nominations started flying in. The show’s last three seasons were all nominated for Best Drama at The Emmys and Julia Garner won multiple times in the supporting category for her incredible work. New fans also keep discovering the show and taking to social media, where the hype train continues, despite not being on the air anymore.

Killing Eve (BBC Three/ BBC America)

There’s no shortage of fans and critics with opinions about Killing Eve's divisive final season, but the first two, in particular, remain beloved by pretty much everyone. Not surprisingly, perennial awards contender Sandra Oh got four Emmy noms for her work on the show, but voters also flipped for Jodie Comer, who got nominated three times and took home a win. Not bad for a spy thriller that wasn’t initially seen by some as a prestige project.

Pose (FX)

The loudest support for Pose came from those who couldn’t get enough of Billy Porter’s fantastic lead performance. He was repeatedly nominated and picked up an Emmy win during the show’s run, but there was also a lot of acclaim for individual seasons themselves too, as Ryan Murphy’s exploration of New York City’s LGBT+ subculture gave an opportunity for so many talented supporting actors to have their moment. 

Having a long-running TV show is a tricky thing. Namely because quality can ebb and flow depending on the season, for even the most acclaimed projects. Most shows have at least one clunker of a year, whether it be in the beginning of the series, the final season, or somewhere in between. And I've picked the worst season from 32 major television shows. Let's break it all down.

To be clear: this isn't to say that these seasons are unwatchable or made me dislike the show at a whole. Well... mostly. But these are the installments of major shows that simply didn't stand up to the rest of its run. Here are those shows, including major titles like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and more. 

Lost - Season 6

Damon Lindelof and J.J. Abrams' Lost was quintessential water cooler programming at the height of its run on ABC. But there were a few seasons that failed to really resonate with fans, including Season 6. The final season's big mystery was surrounding its flash sideways, which was finally revealed in Lost's controversial series finale. And it's for the way that it attempted to stick the landing that makes Season 6 the worst.

Dexter Season 8

There are a number of final seasons on this list, as it's fairly common for long-running shows to decline in quality as the years go on. Dexter was definitely in that category, with Season 8 offering a less than satisfying antagonist for Michael C. Hall's title character to face off against. Dexter's finale is also widely panned, so much so that a new season New Blood was produced to give the killer protagonist a better sendoff. And yes I'm still mad about Deb's fate.

Gilmore Girls - Season 6

Gilmore Girls has a wildly popular fandom, who re-watched the original series annually. But there are some parts of the show that remain controversial, perhaps the biggest of which is Season 6. In it there's a huge block of episodes where Rory and Lorelai are not speaking. And it's really not the same show without the titular Gilmore Girls snacking and dropping pop culture references. While Season 7 feels off because it was done without Amy Sherman-Palladino, the feud between protagonists puts Season 6 at the bottom of the list for me. As someone who watched the show live, those months of weekly episodes was especially painful. 

Grey's Anatomy Season 17

For a show to run as long as Grey's Anatomy has, there's going to be some ups and down in terms of quality. There are a number of season that don't work for the fandom, but for me the worst has got to be Season 17 aka the Covid season. Grey's incorporated the pandemic in real time into its main narrative for the season, with actors wearing masks and face shields in scenes to make the set a safe space. The results were awkward, and Meredith spent most of the season in a Covid related coma. While Grey's brought back McDreamy, George, Lexi, and Sloan during Meredith's beach scenes, I still would have preferred to see her involved in the show's main plot. 

Weeds Season 6

Showtime's dramedy Weeds began with an intriguing premise: a widower in the suburbs starts selling marijuana in her affluent neighborhood to provide for the family. But as the show went on the stakes kept getting higher and higher for Mary-Louise Parker's protagonist Nancy. Season 6 saw the Botwin family on the run, hiding from the Esteban. While it was fun to see the Weeds cast in new situations, it ultimately ends up being a season without too much substance. And the gag of their road trip from hell got old after a while. 

The Office - Season 1

While there are plenty of shows with disappointing final seasons, there are also some that struggled to find their footing with early episodes. The US version of The Office is in that category, and it was unclear if Season 2 was even going to happen. Following the first season's performance, The Office made Steve Carell's Michael Scott more likable, with his issues coming from a deep need for approval. And once we understood how Michael ticked, his bonkers managerial choices became endearing rather than enraging. And now its one of the most popular network comedies of all time. 

Game of Thrones - Season 8

Anyone who watched HBO's megahit fantasy series Game of Thrones probably could have guessed which season I was going to include on this list. The eighth and final season stood out among the rest for its strange pacing, and for delivering long-awaited moments like the CleganeBowl. Unfortunately, the final few episodes took some bold jumps that fans didn't appreciate include Dany breaking bad. The series finale of Game of Thrones is still controversial to this day, although fans have returned to Westeros via the new prequel House of the Dragon. 

Roseanne - Season 9

Roseanne was a super successful comedy series in the '90s, running for a whopping nine seasons originally. Part of its appeal was because the Conners family was working class, and was therefore more relatable to typical TV audiences than other picture perfect sitcoms. Then Season 9 happened, with Roseanne and Dan winning the literal lottery. The whole season felt out of place as a result, including the wild Roseanne finale which basically undid everything we saw throughout its tenure on the small screen. Luckily that finale would end up being retconned when the show returned to the small screen and was given a spinoff with The Conners. 

The Walking Dead - Season 9

AMC's The Walking Dead was wildly popular throughout its first few seasons, but some fans ended up eventually losing interest and falling off. What's more, some quit the show after Negan brutally killed off Glenn. But for me the worst chapter in its run on AMC was Season 9. We all knew it was going to be Andrew Lincoln's last few episodes on the show, which seemed to really slow down its momentum. Eventually The Walking Dead would get better by becoming more of an ensemble project without Rick, but this transitional period was a low point for me. 

American Horror Story: Apocalypse

Ryan Murphy's anthology series American Horror Story is usually quite popular every October, but some of the seasons are stronger than others. There was a lot of hype surrounding Apocalypse ahead of its premiere, as it would serve as a crossover and feature the return of beloved characters from both Coven and Murder House. Unfortunately, the final result failed to live up to that premise, and instead felt like a bit of a jumbled mess. Considering how long fans like me waited to see the witches return to the screen, it was a letdown that final result left so much to be desired. 

Friends - Season 9

Friends is another insanely popular network comedy, one that was a complete sensation during its whopping ten seasons on the air. But some seasons were better than others, especially regarding its main plot line. Season 9 suffered because the show was originally going to end there, before negotiations were made to do the tenth and final season. And as such, the main storyline felt muddled and somewhat anticlimactic as a whole. Luckily the Friends finale would end up providing a great ending when it finally aired. 

Breaking Bad - Season 1

Breaking Bad is one of the most acclaimed TV shows to be on the air in years. It consistently performed well at the Emmys, and fans have applauded the final season as a whole, especially the Breaking Bad finale. But the show was also a bit of a slow burn at first. I personally had to try multiple times to get through the first season of Breaking Bad, before things started really heating up with the introduction of Giancarlo Esposito's Gus Fring. So Season 1 is at the bottom of my ranking for the story of Heisenberg. 

The Simpsons - Season 1

The Simpsons is a groundbreaking animated television show that has the honor of being the longest running American show on television. There's been plenty of discussion over the years about the quality of the series, which has gone through ups and downs during its decades on the air. And for me Season 1 was another example of a show that struggled to find its footing. Obviously the beloved series ended up hitting its stride, but I feel the OG episodes don't necessarily stand the test of time. 

Riverdale - Season 3

The CW had a hit on its hand with Riverdale, which served as a gritty adaptation of Archie Comics. The show's unique visual language made it fun to watch, and I'd typically binge watch a full season once it dropped on Netflix. But Season 3 saw the show take a wild turn. Rather than simply being a murder mystery, Riverdale began dealing with the supernatural for the first time. And there were some serious growing pains. Although we never could have known that Riverdale's finale would include a wild quad twist. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 1

This one might be a controversial pick for fans of the show. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite TV show of all time, and it's one that I often come back to throughout any given year. And while some fans don't like Season 6's dark tone, the show's first season is the weakest for me. During Season 1 Buffy functions much more like a procedural, rather than moving forward and overarching narrative. I personally think the show is best when Buffy's ensemble cast is all assembled, which doesn't happen until later seasons. Plus Season 1 just looks super dated.

Heroes - Season 2

Heroes was a huge hit when it debuted on NBC, with the show offering an original live-action superhero story. Unfortunately, the momentum of that show came to a screeching halt with the Writer's Strike of 2007-2008. Season 2 ends up rushed as a result, and failed to meet the expectations of the series. What's more, Heroes' sophomore season introduces a number of character we'd never see again. One can only imagine which shows will be similarly affected by the recent WGA strike.

Seinfeld - Season 8

Seinfeld is another comedy on this list that is pretty universally acclaimed. But that doesn't mean the iconic '90s sitcom didn't have a few low points throughout its run on TV. Season 8 was the first chapter Seinfeld without creator Larry David, and the difference was pretty obvious. Case in point: the show no longer opened up on Jerry performing a stand up set. 

True Blood - Season 7

True Blood arrived at the height of the early aughts vampire craze, and provided a R-rated take on the blood suckers. The show was violent and campy, and soon became a sensation. But like so many other popular shows, the Anna Paquin-led series failed to stick the landing with its final season on the air. True Blood's finale was generally panned, and the final season felt a bit messy as a whole. I mean, they killed Tara at the beginning of Season 7... offscreen. The disrespect!

Happy Days - Season 5

Happy Days had an impressively long run on the air, and made household names out of talents like Henry Winkler and Ron Howard. The show had a long impact on pop culture as a whole, especially its somewhat infamous fifth season. Season 5 featured Fonzie famously "jumping the shark", which has now become a term for when shows go too far and lose the audience.

New Girl - Season 5

New Girl had a long run on Fox, and has continued to have a life via streaming. But Season 5 failed to bring it the same way the rest of the show did. Namely because Zooey Deschanel was on maternity break, and the show was without its titular character. While Megan Fox's replacement character Regan was a great foil for Nick, the show just wasn't the same without Jess. 

House Of Cards - Season 6

When the streaming wars began, Netflix had some major wins with Orange is the New Black and House of Cards. The latter became a prestige drama, with a killer cast that helped people subscribe to Netflix for the first time. But the allegations against Kevin Spacey saw him removed from the show, and it never really recovered. House of Cards Season 6 killed Francis Underwood off camera, while Claire became the sole protagonist. While Robin Wright killed it, the final season just felt off, and the series finale failed to satisfy fans who stuck it out. 

Glee - Season 4

Glee became a sensation after its first season on Fox, and had a few years of being wildly popular. But its quality started to wane after its first few seasons on the air, and some folks fell off entirely. Season 4 was when things started to change for me, as it took a number of the biggest characters out of William McKinley High School. Kurt and Rachel became roommates in New York City, and it no longer felt like the same musical series that captured the attention of so many. 

Parks And Recreation - Season 1

Just like The Office before it, Parks and Recreation struggled a bit in its first season on the air. The mockumentary comedy was charming, but the cast of Parks & Rec weren't all taking center stage just yet. And Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope was originally criticized for being too close to Steve Carell's Michael Scott. But the show eventually found its footing, and remains popular and utterly meme-able. 

Shameless - Season 11

Like Grey's Anatomy, Shameless produced a season that was set at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. While incorporating mask use helped Season 11 be produced on time, it was a pretty distracting plot point. Overall, the final season failed to live up to what the Gallaghers were capable of. And the series finale felt more like a regular episode, leaving a number of unfinished plot points for the audience to ponder. 

Angel - Season 4

The popularity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was so high that after three a seasons a spinoff was produced starring David Boreanaz's Angel. These two shows embraced serialized storytelling long before the MCU would make it commonplace. But Season 4 of Angel is my least favorite, despite some exciting Buffy crossovers. Cordelia Chase ends up possessed for a good chunk of episodes, which was a story that got old. And the writing around Angel's son Connor was downright abysmal, as he remains one of the most hated TV characters of all time. 

Community - Season 4

Community is the little show that could, with longtime fans watching as Six Seasons and a Movie came together against the odds. But that doesn't mean that all of its seasons were created equal. Case in point: Community Season 4 aka the Gas Leak Season. It was the first season without creator Dan Harmon, and had a number of gimmicks that failed to really resonate. 

The Handmaid's Tale - Season 5

The Handmaid's Tale is available with a Hulu subscription, and is a gripping and grueling adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name. But the most reason installment to air, Season 5, didn't hit quite as hard as its predecessors. I think this is mostly because so many of the stories weren't actually set in Gilead, but in Canada. Add in the loss of Alexis Bledel's Emily, and the fifth season was my least favorite so far. 

That '70s Show - Season 8

That '70s Show made household names out of its cast of actors. But this level of adoration is why Season 8 ends up being the weakest link during its tenure on the air. The final season continued on without Topher Grace's Eric, and the absence of the show's protagonist was very noticeable. Especially when a new character was brought into the group in an attempt to replace him. Ashton Kutcher also left the show, which is why Season 8 is definitely at the bottom of the list.

Arrow - Season 6

The CW's DC superhero show Arrow is one that famously had ups and downs in relation to quality. Still, many fans consider Season 6 to be the worst entry of the bunch. In it we saw Team Arrow frustratingly get split up, and fans took umbrage with the show's plot and pacing. Luckily there were two more season of Arrow to help and satiate disappointed audiences. 

Felicity - Season 4

Felicity has a unique place in the grand history of network TV. After all, we'd never seen a haircut absolutely shake the entertainment industry as when Keri Russell cut off her signature locks back in Season 2. While the show started off as a teen drama, Season 4 ventured into new territory by introducing witchcraft and time travel into the equation. And while J.J. Abrams would prove his sci-fi skills in Star Trek and Star Wars, perhaps Season 4 of Felicity wasn't the right time.

How I Met Your Mother - Season 9

How I Met Your Mother had a seriously impressive run on CBS, with a whopping 9 seasons. The premise of the show meant that all the years of stories from the show's narrator would eventually reveal... how he met the kids' mother. That eventually happened with the entrance of Cristin Milioti. But fans took umbrage with the final season's handling of that plot line, as well as Robin and Barney's divorce. 

The West Wing - Season 5

The West Wing is TV history, and helped make Aaron Sorkin into a household name. But the show's fifth season on the air was a bit of a disappointment, namely because it was the first one without Sorkin at the helm. Overall the story felt a bit of a jumbled mess when compared to the previous installments, which were rather universally acclaimed.

As beloved as these series are, even the greatest of TV shows can have a weak season. 

Each streaming service has a few super popular original shows, and for many with a Hulu subscription, that’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The dystopian drama was created for TV by Bruce Miller, and based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name. Season 5 just wrapped up on Hulu, making way for the sixth and final season. But there’s also a spinoff in development, based on Atwood’s sequel novel. And Miller recently spoke to CinemaBlend about how much The Testaments are factoring into the final chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale.

While we were in the midst of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, it was revealed that the upcoming sixth season would be the show’s last. This will seemingly allow the show’s leadership team the chance to craft a satisfying ending, while also potentially setting up the events of the spinoff The Testaments. I had the privilege of speaking with writer/creator Bruce Miller after the Season 5 finale aired, where I asked how much The Testaments is influencing the final two chapters of the Emmy-winning series. He opened up saying:

This is a sentiment that is sure to be a relief for many fans of The Handmaid’s Tale who might be worried about exactly how the series is going to wrap up the story of Elisabeth Moss’ June Osbourne. It seems that Bruce Miller and company will first and foremost focus on crafting a satisfying ending to the flagship series, before trying to include ties to the spinoff. We’ll just have to wait and see what twists and turns they have prepared for us. 

Still, Bruce Miller does have his hand in two different shows right now, both of which are based on Margaret Atwood’s chilling universe from The Handmaid’s Tale. And as he mentioned, he was privy to the sequel novel’s contents early during his work. Later in our same conversation, he also highlighted the fact that the TV adaptation of both books will ultimately differ from the source material. As he put it,

Points were made. Indeed, the main story of The Handmaid’s Tale novel ends basically after the events of the show’s first season. And as such, characters were changed, plot points were created, and Bruce Miller and company ultimately were able to make the universe their own.

While fans of The Handmaid’s Tale are gearing up for the final season, there are many questions about the developing Testaments TV series. The book features three protagonists, none of whom are June. Instead, we follow Aunt Lydia, Agnes aka Hannah who grew up in Gilead, and Baby Nichole who grew up in Canada. Miller didn’t give me any inside information about the TV version of this story, but spoke about the discrepancies we should expect when compared to the source material. In his words,

Once again, it looks like Bruce Miller and the folks behind The Handmaid’s Tale are putting quality over quantity. And so they want to make a great TV show with The Testaments, regardless of what expectations might be following the project. But first we’ll have to see how June’s story is wrapped up in the original show’s sixth and final season on the air.

It’s currently unclear when The Handmaid’s Tale will return for Season 6, as the fifth season only recently wrapped up with the finale episode “Safe.” The stakes are certainly high, but it’s a comfort to know how much care is being taken with the final episodes. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. After all, we’ll likely have to wait a while before new episodes arrive.

Spoilers ahead for the Season 5 finale of The Handmaid’s Tale. 

The streaming services are constantly competing, and Hulu has been putting out a ton of TV and film content. We recently wrapped up The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, which is the penultimate installment of the property. The finale was full of cliffhangers, with Nick in Gilead custody and his wife Rose seemingly ready for a divorce. But could Nick and Rose actually end up separated under Gilead rules? Here’s what The Handmaid’s Tale creator Bruce Miller told us.

Nick’s wife Rose is played by actress Carey Cox throughout Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale, and she was one of the most intriguing new characters. Namely because she knew about his history with June, and his role in Waterford’s death. But the finale episode “Safe” saw Rose confronting her husband after he punched Lawrence and signed a new deal with the Americans. She claims she doesn’t want to be married to Max Minghella’s character, but how would that work? I had the privilege of speaking with The Handmaid’s Tale writer/creator Bruce Miller about this plot line, where he explained that a separation is indeed possible. As he put it,

Now that’s interesting. While the idea of Gilead divorce doesn’t exist, it seems possible that high ranking members of society might be able to quietly separate. It remains to be seen if this will actually play out in the sixth season of The Handmaid’s Tale, or if Nick and Rose will try and make it work despite the way June keeps factoring into their relationship. 

Carey Cox appeared in five episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale this season as Rose Blaine. And I have to admit that I’m still curious to know more about her relationship with Nick, and how much she knows about the June situation. In our conversation Bruce Miller revealed how/why they found each other in Gilead, telling me:

Indeed, another reason why Rose is such an intriguing character is because she’s the only disabled person we’ve seen in a position of power at Gilead. As Bruce Miller shared, Carey Cox herself is living with a disability, with her Instagram bio referring to herself as a “Ehlers Danlos babe.” The actress has shared what it was like working on the set, and how Hulu made sure she was advocated for throughout the long and grueling filming process. And it sounds like Rose and Nick’s sense of other-ness is what helped to bring them together as a couple. 

Gilead seems like a dangerous place for someone like Rose, but it was revealed in Season 5 that her father is a high ranking Commander. Still, we’ve seen other wives’ jealousy of her pregnancy, and ableist comments made right in front of her face. Later in our conversation, Bruce Miller explained how the Blaine family is able to be more progressive than some of their peers, saying:

With Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale being the show’s final entry for those with a Hulu subscription, the stakes certainly feel high for the entire ensemble of characters. It’s unclear if Carey Cox will be back as Rose, but it certainly seems logical. Unless Nick is actually being punished for hitting Bradley Whitfod’s Commander Lawrence. But with so many questions still surrounding Nick’s wife, hopefully we’ll get more of the Blaines.

The Handmaid’s Tale is currently streaming all five seasons on Hulu, and it’s unclear when the show will return for Season 6. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. And luckily for fans of the dystopian drama, a spinoff is coming, adapting Margaret Atwood’s sequel novel The Testaments. 

Spoilers ahead for the Season 5 finale of The Handmaid's Tale.

Every streaming service has a few breakout hit shows. And for Hulu one of those is definitely the dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale, starring Elisabeth Moss as the title character. The fifth season recently ended, and creator/writer Bruce Miller spoke to CinemaBlend about all things Gilead. And he also hinted at what Emily might have done in Season 5 if Alexis Bledel didn’t depart the Emmy winning series. Because who doesn’t miss the former Handmaid?

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 was a doozy, and followed as tensions in Canada rose while June and Luke attempted to find their daughter Hannah in Gilead. The premiere also addressed the departure of Alexis Bledel’s Emily, revealing that she’d returned to Gilead with Mayday to hunt down Aunt Lydia after helping to kill Waterford in No Man’s Land. I had the privilege of speaking with Bruce Miller about all things Handmaid’s Tale, where I asked what might have happened to Emily if the Gilmore Girls alum stayed for the fifth season. While not going into specifics, he told me:

There you have it. This comment has the potential to give some much-needed closure to Handmaid’s Tale fans who were disappointed with watching Season 5 without fan favorite character Emily. While the premiere handled her exit well with a strong performance featuring Clea DuVall as her wife Sylvia, this vague tease helps to show what Alexis Bledel might have been up to in the latest series of episodes made available with a Hulu subscription.

Bruce Miller didn’t get into the details of where Emily’s story would have gone in Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale, but it sounds like the macguffin that took her out of the series would have factored in. Namely the character’s lust for more blood and violence, especially for Aunt Lydia aka the woman who ordered her mutilation.

While Alexis Bledel was absent throughout the show’s fifth season, the finale episode “Safe” did feature a nod to her signature character. Because when Janine was taken away by The Eyes alongside one of Waterford’s Marthas, the scene played out a lot like Emily’s abduction back in Season 1. Later in our conversation I asked Bruce Miller is this was a purposeful choice, and he confirmed, saying:

Points were made. It’s unclear where Janine was headed in the Season 5 finale of The Handmaid’s Tale. But she stood in her power after confronting Naomi, and took time to comfort the crying Martha who was in the same van. Emily did something similar with the unnamed Martha she had an affair with, comforting her before she was hanged in one of Season 1’s most chilling sequences. 

Indeed, there were a ton of cliffhangers in the final episode of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5. So unfortunately for fans like myself, we’re going to have to wait a while before any answers are provided by the folks at Hulu. Although with Season 6 already announced as the final installment and the spinoff The Testaments looming, anticipation is high. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch, although I doubt most shows will provide the same level of anxiety as June’s journey. 

Spoiler alert for the Season 5 finale of The Handmaid's Tale.

Every streaming service has a few megahits, and for Hulu that’s definitely The Handmaid’s Tale. The Emmy winning drama is wildly popular every season, with the streaming service recently wrapping up Season 5, which is also the penultimate entry into the series. The season finale was full of wild cliffhangers for June, Serena, Janine, and more.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 has been a fascinating ride, with much of the action actually taking place outside of Gilead. But, just because June and most of the cast were refugees in Canada doesn’t mean they’re truly safe. Tensions rose both in Toronto and Gilead, putting a ton of the characters in jeopardy. Let’s break it all down.

How Did The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 End?

The Season 5 finale episode “Safe” showed how truly unsafe June was in Canada, as she was the victim of an assassination attempt, with a man running her over outside her home. Luke stops the Gilead agent, who succumbs to his injuries in the hospital. This makes Luke guilty of manslaughter on Canadian land, and Elisabeth Moss’ character insists they flee the country with baby Nichole.

But, the authorities are looking for Luke, and he stays behind so she can get on the train of refugees heading west. Their split was a heartbreaking sequence, as it had been so nice to see the couple finally reunited for the past two season of The Handmaid’s Tale. That wasn’t the final twist, though, as June and Serena reunite on the train with their babies in hand. With Billie Eilish playing in the background, we’re left to see how these two frenemies will move forward after their history and the whirlwind events of Season 5.

June And Serena’s Surprising Reunion

Some have called The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 June versus Serena, with the two facing off in person and from afar various times throughout the episodes. They also seemed to once again find some common ground, however, especially in the episode where June helped Serena give birth. And it looks like the sixth and final season will see these two women once again be forced to lean on each other as they travel to Hawaii together.

Elisabeth Moss directed and starred in the finale episode, and recently spoke to THR about the final sequence where June and Serena reunite on the train. She wanted it to echo an earlier sequence from Episode 2, and said:

While this reunion seemed pleasant enough, Moss made it clear that the two women are far from friendly. And as such, it’ll likely be interesting to see how they interact during Season 6, especially without their respective support systems.

Luke And June Are Separated Again

Season 5 was a big one for O-T Fagbenle’s Luke, who definitely got the most screen time he’s had so far in the series. He and June were a united front, even during their terrifying captivity in No Man’s Land. Which is why it was so heartbreaking to see the couple once again be separated, as June takes Nichole on the train bringing American refugees west. In the behind-the-scenes clip that’s available for those with a Hulu subscription, writer Eric Tuchman addressed how/why this sequence ultimately came together, saying:

It looks like Luke will be in prison in Canada; hopefully he’s not sent back to Gilead for his crimes. One can only imagine how they would treat June’s husband if given the chance. Perhaps Tuello will be there to advocate for him.

Janine Becomes The New June, And Meets A Mysterious Fate

The Season 5 finale also seemingly put Madeline Brewer’s Janine in danger. After standing up to both Naomi and Aunt Lydia, she and a Martha from Lawrence’s house are taken away toward the end of the episode — seemingly due to the Martha’s connections with Mayday. In a scene that seemingly paid homage to Alexis Bledel’s Emily, she comforts the woman she’s in the back of the van with. Moss spoke to THR about this scene, offering:

Will this be the end of Janine? Let’s hope not, as she’s the last Handmaid left standing in Gilead out of the main cast. Still, things don’t look good for her.

Nick Draws A Line In The Sand For June

The final Handmaid’s Tale character who is left in jeopardy thanks to the Season 5 finale is Max Minghella’s Nick. After June’s attack, he travels to Canada secretly to visit her at the hospital, and agrees to help Tuello as an informant for the Americans. But, that wasn’t enough to satisfy him, as he punched Bradley Whitford’s Commander Lawrence and ends up in a holding cell. It’s there that his pregnant wife Rose claims she doesn’t want to be with him anymore. In the behind the scenes clip on Hulu, Minghella spoke to this rash decision by his character, sharing:

Speaking of consequences, it remains to be seen what will happen to Nick after this. And if he’s made an enemy out of Lawrence, will his secret deal with Tuello come to light? Only time will tell. Indeed, most of our favorite characters are in dangerous positions. That includes Moira and Rita, who are also refugees in Canada.

Alas, we’ll likely have to wait for quite a while before The Handmaid’s Tale returns for its sixth and final season. Hulu is also developing a spinoff for Margaret Atwood’s sequel novel, The Testaments. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere dates to plan your next binge watch.  

Those of us with a Hulu subscription will know that we’re currently wrapping up the fifth season of The Handmaid’s Tale. The dystopian drama has been a wild ride full of new characters, the streaming service has already announced that Season 6 will be its last. Luckily plans already coming together for another series set in Gilead, based off Margaret Atwood’s sequel novel. And The Handmaids’ Tale creator Bruce Miller recently spoke about the show’s final season, plan for the spinoff The Testaments.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 will wrap up this Wednesday with the upcoming finale episode “Safe.” Ahead of the finale Bruce Miller spoke with Deadline all about that episode, and the future of the series. When asked about how the show is approaching it’s upcoming series finale and its connection with The Testaments, Miller offered a peek behind the curtain, saying:

Well, this is intriguing. It sounds like the Testaments series won’t exactly be a carbon copy of Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel of the same name. Perhaps this should be expected, as Handmaid’s Tale has taken plenty of liberties and made changes to the book. And this should hopefully allow even the most well-read fans to be surprised by the spinoff’s contents.

Bruce Miller’s comments to Deadline show how methodically he and the folks at The Handmaid’s Tale are approaching their work on the Emmy-winning drama. Because while Season 5 is only just coming to an end, the plans are already coming together for Season 6, as well as the spinoff. And smart money says there’s going to be plenty of set-up for The Testaments throughout the original show’s final season on Hulu.

The Testaments novel is told by three distinct narrators: Aunt Lydia, Baby Nichole who grew up in Toronto, and Hannah aka Agnes who grew up in Gilead. And as such, some fans are wondering how the Handmaid’s Tale show will handle June’s ending, and if it’ll play out similarly to the novels. Bruce Miller addressed this in the same interview, saying: 

Well, I’m definitely intrigued. It sounds like Bruce Miller and company will continue making the universe created by Margaret Atwood into their own for the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale. And they’ve clearly got a stong plans regarding how to end the story of Elisabeth Moss’ title character. Will she ever actually get to reunite with her daughter Hannah? Only time will tell, but seeing that character return in Season 5 was a thrilling experience.

It’s currently unclear when The Handmaid’s Tale will release its final season, or when we should expect to return to Gilead with The Testaments. There are understandably a ton of questions about the new series, including whether or not Ann Dowd will be back as Aunt Lydia. But smart money says we’ll have to wait quite some time before getting any real information. Luckily we can re-watch the first five seasons to keep us occupied. And in the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The Handmaid’s Tale “ Allegiance”.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 has been a wild one for those with a Hulu subscription, with most of the action surprisingly taking place outside of Gilead. While this new set of episodes has introduced us to a variety of intriguing new characters, it’s also featured a few choice appearances by June’s daughter Hannah (Jordanna Blake). Episode 9 “Allegiance” was directed by series regular Bradley Whitford, who recently spoke about the “moving” experience of bringing that character back to the series.

The first episode of The Handmaid’s Tale opens on June being captured by Gilead, who rip a young Hannah from her arms. We’ve watched as Elisabeth Moss’ protagonist tried to survive and reunite with her throughout the Emmy-winning series, most recently in a failed military operation by the Americans. During this sequence we got to see Hannah aka Agnes (who factors heavily into the sequel novel The Testaments) at the Wives school, and watched as she secretly wrote her real name down on a paper. Bradley Whitford spoke to THR about bringing this short but powerful scene to life, saying:

This was a scene that was no doubt moving for many Handmaid’s Tale fans out there, who were hoping that Episode 9 of Season 5 would finally see June and Luke reunited with their daughter. Unfortunately the mission was a failure, although we got to see a brief glimpse at what Hannah’s life is like in the Wives School. And it’s as creepy as Gilead is known for being, complete with military-style bunks and the watching eye of the Aunts.

“Allegiance” marked Bradley Whitford’s first time directing an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, although he’s been involved in the dystopian series since back in Season 2. He got a seriously big episode to sink his teeth into, including one of the most emotional moments to come from his signature character Commander Joseph Lawrence. 

As previously mentioned, the mission to save Hannah ends up being a disaster, with Gilead shooting the planes out of the sky and leaving no survivors. We don’t actually see any of the mission itself, with fans expecting the scene in the Wives School to erupt into gunfire. In the same interview, Bradley Whitford explained this no-action approach for the failed rescue, offering:

While Elisabeth Moss’ protagonist has been safe in Toronto for most of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, she’s been grappling with a ton of guilt. And Hannah’s botched rescue left her seemingly responsible for more dead bodies, as June was the one who provided the intel and it involved her daughter. So instead of taking us in the cockpit, we instead stayed with June as the disappointment and guilt washed over her.

There’s only one more episode of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 left, so the stakes certainly feel high. The Hulu series is known for ending things on wild, violent cliffhangers, so it seems like just about anything could happen. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. 

With more services being added regularly, the streaming wars are on. One of Hulu’s big hitters is the Emmy-winning dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale, which is currently in the midst of its fifth season. It’s been a big one for Yvonne Strahovski’s Serena Joy, although the actress recently explained why playing the complicated character sometimes makes her “feel dirty.” 

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 has been a wild ride, especially regarding June and Serena Joy’s unique relationship. Those with a Hulu subscription have been able to watch it all play out, including the horrifying scene where Yvonne Strahovski's character had her baby ripped from her arms. The Dexter alum recently spoke to People about embodying Serena, and got honest about the toll it can take. In her words,

That makes a great deal of sense. While being an actor means finding humanity in your character, Serena Joy has been one of the most villainous characters throughout The Handmaid’s Tale’s tenure on Hulu. So it understandably makes Yvonne Strahovski uncomfortable to have to defend her action, which include sexual assault and the assassination of congress. 

Yvonne Strahovski’s comments show what it’s really like working on a project like The Handmaid’s Tale, which deals with such horrifying and serious subject matter. While it is no doubt emotionally grueling to play a Handmaid, playing someone like Serena Joy also presents its challenges. Although you’d never tell from watching the series, as Strahovski has truly been killing it throughout Season 5, bringing new sides of her character to life.

While Serena Joy is an objectively terrible person, we’ve seen more of her vulnerability throughout the fifth season. This was especially true in the episode “No Man’s Land” which saw June helping her through childbirth. Serena even apologized for what she did to the women of Gilead/America, in a rare moment of clarity. And it should be fascinating to see how her continued conflict with the Wheelers continues to play out. 

With Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale nearly over, it feels like the end of the show is getting near. Season 6 will be the final season on Hulu, although a spinoff based on Margaret Atwood’s sequel novel The Testaments is in development. It’s unclear if any of the actors will appear, although the show does seem to be setting up Aunt Lydia’s plotline. 

The Handmaid’s Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. 

Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, “No Man’s Land.”

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 has been a doozy so far, bringing those with a Hulu subscription back to the dystopian world of Gilead and writing off Alexis Bledel’s Emily in the process. Although plenty of action has actually occurred in Toronto and No Man’s Land, since so many characters have escaped the authoritarian society. Episode 7 was a capsule story for June and Serena Joy, and the Handmaid’s Tale writer has explained the “horror” of Mrs. Waterford’s cruel cliffhanger.

The latest Handmaid’s Tale episode “No Man’s Land” was written by Rachel Shukert, who was a newcomer to the writer’s room in Season 5, helping to further the story of returning characters and intriguing newcomers. In this episode we watched June help Serena Joy give birth, and the two women connect and reconcile in a way we’ve never seen before. But the other shoe drops when Yvonne Strahovski’s character was put into border security and had her baby Noah taken away shortly after becoming a mother. This was a chilling moment orchestrated by June’s husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle), and will no doubt greatly affect their relationship moving forward. Shukert spoke to TV Line about this horrifying moment of revenge, saying:

Talk about some serious consequences. Throughout most of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 June has been struggling to control her violent tendencies. And while her husband Luke had previously helped tether her to reality, he seems more and more invested in them getting their own justice. Unfortunately his move against Serena Joy came after June had some closure with her, and was a truly difficult scene to watch.

Rachel Shukert’s comments highlight the change we’ve seen in Luke throughout the last two seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale. And while he and June have been a united front and have found their spark again, Elisabeth Moss’ character may have negatively impacted her husband forever. And as a result, she and Luke did to Serena what Gilead did to them: took their child. And the results were truly chilling.

The Handmaid’s Tale is known for its terrifying and emotional sequences, but in Season 5 I’ve been perhaps the most scared of June herself. Indeed, there were multiple times in “No Man’s Land” where I was worried she’d harm Serena’s baby. But instead the protagonist found a way to actually find common ground with her former abuser, which made Serena’s fate and her cries for help all the more tragic.

While Serena Joy is usually a character that we love to hate, The Handmaid’s Tale once again found a way to turn her relationship with June on its head. The flashback to Gilead showed how they might have had a friendship, if they didn’t live in that cruel and unforgiving society. And in the process we also got to see the late Handmaids Alma and Brianna who were killed by a train last season when trying an escape attempt.

The Handmaid’s Tale has two more episodes this season, which air Wednesdays on Hulu. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Spoilers ahead for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 episode 6 “Together.”

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 has been a wild one so far, with most of the action taking place in Toronto, rather than Gilead. While fans have been missing Alexis Bledel’s Emily since her unexpected departure, the season has introduced some intriguing newcomers. That includes the Wheelers, who are Gilead sympathizers hosting Serena Joy in Canada. And after seeing more of them in Episode 6, I have to wonder, what is the deal with Alanis Wheeler?

Actress Genevieve Angelson plays Mrs. Wheeler in Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale, first debuting in the fourth episode “Dear Offred.” While she first was a fascinating character who responded viscerally to Serana Joy’s pregnancy, she felt far more insidious in the most recent episode “Together,” as the Wheeler’s power over their guest felt even stronger– almost like they’re treating her like a Handmaid herself.

In the last episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, Mrs. Wheeler tried to play matchmaker, encouraging Serena Joy’s gynecologist to ask her to dinner. When Yvonne Strahovski’s character rejects this notion, she quite literally sends her to her room. What’s more, the Wheelers are now controlling what she eats, and refusing to let her leave the house or even take a walk. Are they really turning her into a Handmaid, or does Alanis have another plan for Mrs. Waterford?

The Handmaid’s Tale is a show shrouded with mystery, but Genevieve Angelson did speak to E! News about her character, specifically how emotionally she reacted to Serena Joy’s pregnancy. She opened up about Mrs. Wheeler’s motivations and reality, saying:

Touche. The story in The Handmaid’s Tale show and Margaret Atwood’s novel makes infertility a global concern. Those with a Hulu subscription have watched as Gilead used the Handmaid program and the nation’s rising fertility rate as a bargaining tool with other countries. And as a result, characters like Mrs. Wheeler haven’t seen a pregnant woman in years before Serena Joy.

Which raises the question: are the Wheelers hoping to try and take Serena’s baby as their own? That’s how it would work in Gilead with a Handmaid, although she hasn’t been given red robes or the title. Genevieve Angelson remained tight-lipped about that fan theory when asked by E! News, but further explained how the world’s infertility has shaped her views, saying:

Given the “unhinged” nature of Mrs. Wheeler, I have to wonder how she might react to the wild cliffhanger of the last Handmaid’s Tale episode. In it, Serena Joy pulled the gun on Ezra and left with June to places unknown. Given what a tight leash she was on, one can only imagine how Alanis will react to the news. Elisabeth Moss previously described Season 5 as “June versus Serena”, so the next episode will likely be an explosive one.

The Handmaid’s Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

We’re currently in the midst of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, and it’s been a doozy so far. The latest chapter of the dystopian drama has been slowly unfolding for those with Hulu subscriptions, which follows the violent events of the Season 4 finale and is largely set from the safety of Canada. While I’m having a great time this season I have to wonder: what is The Handmaid’ Tale’s plan for Samira Wiley’s Moira?

Orange is the New Black fan favorite actress Samira Riley has played Moira in The Handmaid’s Tale since back in Season 1. She was one of the first characters to find asylum in Canada, and fans were thrilled to see her rescue June from Chicago last season. But throughout Season 5 so far it feels like she’s mostly a non-factor.

Moira is arguably the most stable of the various survivors we’ve seen after their escape from Gilead. She doesn’t seem to have the same violent tendencies as other Handmaids like June or Alexis Bledel’s departed character Emily. And as such, she’s mostly been a caretaker for baby Nichole and a voice of reason for Elisabeth Olsen’s protagonist throughout this season's episodes. And because of that reason she’s fading into the background of the ensemble show, especially as we’re introduced to compelling newcomers. 

Of course, Moira isn’t totally without plot line in Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale. She’s got connections with Mayday at the Gilead border, which has seemingly opened a story for the Emmy winning series. We’ll just have to wait and see if she gets into more of the show’s action, or continues to be a tertiary presence.

I have to wonder if Moira’s lack of major plot lines has anything to do with Alexis Bledel’s exit from the show shortly before Season 5 began filming. A ton of rewrites were presumably needed in order to write out Emily and her planned plot line, so perhaps her scene partner was Moira. The two characters previously connected over their shared trauma, and protested against the Waterfords’ visit to Canada. It’s a total mystery as to where Emily’s story would have gone if the Gilmore Girls alum stayed on for the new season, I’m just spitballing here.

Of course, it’s more than possible that Moira will finally get her moment in the spotlight later on during Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Episode 5 premiered today, which marks the halfway point for this batch of episodes. As such, there’s still lots of time to see the character have a bit more agency and screen time.

As previously mentioned, actress Samira Wiley is perhaps best known for her role as Poussey Washington in Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. She played one of the most beloved characters of the entire series, in no small part due to Wiley’s starpower. Moira was a compelling force throughout the first four seasons of Handmaid’s Tale, so let’s hope that the character is served better in the back half of Season 5.

The Handmaid’s Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Each streaming service has their megahit original shows, and for Hulu that’s definitely The Handmaid’s Tale. The Emmy-winning dystopian drama is currently airing the fifth season for those with a Hulu subscription, which has been a wild ride that covered the departure of Alexis Bledel as Emily, and introduced new, intriguing characters. And actress Clea DuVall recently spoke to CinemaBlend about her “powerful” onscreen reunion with Elisabeth Moss or the Season 5 premiere.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 opened with a bang with the premiere episode titled “Morning.” Following the murder of Fred Waterford in the Season 4 finale, it was revealed that Emily returned to Gilead to hunt Aunt Lydia and others. The scene was pulled off thanks to the outstanding performance by Clea DuVall as Sylvia, who had a fascinating give and take with Elisabeth Moss’ protagonist June. As you can see in the video above, I recently had the privilege of speaking with the actress/filmmaker about her return to Handmaid’s Tale, where she opened up about what it was like to help wrap up Emily’s story. As she told me,

Talk about intense. After being noticeably absent from Emily’s story in Season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale, fans were psyched to see Emily’s wife Sylvia back on our screens… even if it was for such a somber occasion. And it sounds like Clea DuVall had a very limited time to nail this scene, which happened to be opposite her Girl Interrupted co-star Elisasbeth Moss.

Clea DuVall’s comments about her Handmaid’s Tale return come from a larger conversation we had about her upcoming Amazon Freevee series High School, which is about the childhood of queer music legends Tegan and Sara. Eventually I asked about the truly explosive scene she had in the Season 5 premiere, where Sylvia got to challenge June in such a quiet but powerful way.

Later in our same conversation Clea DuVall further explained what it was like working with Elisabeth Moss, both as a scene partner as the director of the Season 5 premiere “Morning.” As the accomplished multihyphenate shared:

Points were made. Elisabeth Moss is a force of nature in The Handmaid’s Tale, bringing a raw emotionality to her character episode after episode. Clea DuVall’s comments show how easily she slips into character, even while also balancing the responsibilities of directing the season’s first two episodes. And the Happiest Season filmmaker thought it was powerful to reunite with her Girl Interrupted co-star on screen in this way.

Since Alexis Bledel departed her role in The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s unclear if/when we’ll ever see Clea DuVall’s character Sylvia again. But perhaps if Emily ends up returning sometime in the future (Season 6 is expected to be the last, setting up the spinoff) then we could have another Girls Interrupted reunion. Fingers crossed.

The Handmaid’s Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu, and Clea DuVall’s High School premiers on Amazon Freevee October 14th. In the meantime, check out the fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Spoilers ahead for the premiere of The Handmaid's Tale Season 5.

Upon its launch as a streaming service, Hulu had a few hit original shows. Chief among them was The Handmaid's Tale, which was based of the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name. Since the show's first season back in 2017, Gilmore Girls alum Alexis Bledel was a fan favorite character as Emily. She even won a Primetime Emmy in the process for Season 1. And it's for this reason why fans were so disappointed to hear that Bledel wouldn't be returning for Season 5. To honor the character and actress, I've compiled Emily's most iconic moments from the first four season of The Handmaid's Tale.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 began a few weeks ago, with the writers tasked with a way to write off Alexis Bledel's character, given the actress' absence. It turns out that after the violent events of Season 4's finale, Emily retuned to Gilead to hunt down people like Aunt Lydia. Her wife Sylvia had a fascinating give and take with June, seemingly ending Emily's story in the process. And while we mourn the loss of that character, here are some of the most iconic (and often quite violent) moments to come from Bledel's former Handmaid.  

Ofglen's Joyride (The Handmaid's Tale Season 1)

The first season of The Handmaid's Tale was a brutal but captivating one, with each episode bringing those of us with a Hulu subscription into the oppressive world of Gilead. While Offred/June originally didn't trust her walking companion Ofglen, Alexis Bledel's character slowly revealed that there was much more to her. We watched in horror as Ofglen's Martha lover was hanged before our eyes, before she was mutilated by the Aunts.

Following this ordeal and being given a new station, Alexis Bledel's character ends up being the first Handmaid we see truly rebel against Gilead. She introduced herself to June as Emily, before carjacking one of The Eyes' vehicles in view of the other Handmaids. She eventually kills one of these guards, before being apprehended and taken away. This was truly the tip of the iceberg regarding the show (and the character's) violence, but will always have a place in the history of the narrative, and stand out for those who watched Season 1 back in 2017. 

Emily kills a wife in The Colonies (The Handmaid's Tale Season 2)

After killing an Eye, Emily was sent to live and work in The Colonies, doing manual labor with radioactive waste until she died. Her time there is a truly grim set of episodes in The Handmaid's Tale Season 2, and further shows the way Gilead brutalizes and dehumanizes those it deems as sinners. Alexis Beldel's character is shown as a makeshift nurse, helping to bandage up the wounds of other women who are trying to survive this deadly environment.

Before Janine joins Emily and gives her someone to look after, we see a Wife named Mrs. Connor (played by the one and only Marisa Tomei) join The Colonies. While Emily seems to take her under her wing, it soon becomes clear that she's got more vengeful plans in mind. She gives Mrs. Connors poison disguised as medicine, and leaves her to die alone on the bathroom floor-- punishment for Mrs. Connor's part in the ritual raping of her own Handmaid. Given how much of Emily's story has been about violence, it certainly gives her Season 5 exit a bit more context.

Emily and June's reunion (The Handmaid's Tale Season 2)

While Emily and Janine were expecting to die in The Colonies, Ofglen #2's bombing of  the Red Center in Season 2 left Gilead needing more fertile women. As such, those two characters were brought back and given new postings. Emily reunites with Offred and the other Handmaids at Loaves and Fishes, where the two finally have a proper meeting. June and Emily's relationship has been a strong narrative throughout The Handmaid's Tale's first four seasons, with the two sometimes not even having to use words to communicate. 

June finally sharing her name with Emily starts a chain reaction in this iconic scene from Season 2. Elisabeth Moss' character introduces herself to more Handmaids, who follow suit and connect with their sisters for the first time in this way. It's a beautifully shot and edited sequence, all started by a scene featuring Alexis Bledel's now-departed character. 

Emily attacks Aunt Lydia (The Handmaid's Tale Season 2)

Season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale introduced some new characters, including Bradley Whitford as Commander Lawrence. Emily is assigned to be his Handmaid, taking on the mantle Ofjoseph. She and the audience alike were relieved to see that she'd no longer have to endure The Ceremony, and that she was treated with some respect in the house. Unfortunately, Ann Dowd's Aunt Lydia was not one of those people to treat Emily with kindness.

In the Season 2 finale "The Word", Aunt Lydia visits Emily at the Lawrence home and taunts her. When Alexis Bledel's character refuses to answer, Lydia cruelly says "It's as if I  cut out your tongue," a vicious reference to the mutilation she endured in Season 1. That was enough to make her snap, with Emily stabbing and striking Lydia, before she fell down the stairs. It was a rare moment of comeuppance for Ann Dowd's signature character, and a scene that left Handmaid's Tale fans talking in the break between seasons. 

Escaping Gilead And Saving Baby Nichole (The Handmaid's Tale Season 3)

The Season 3 premiere of The Handmaid's Tale picked up immediately after the events of the cliffhanger finale. As June returned to the Waterfords, Emily was tasked with escaping Gilead and and making her way into Canada with baby Nichole. It's a tense and thrilling sequence, with the fan-favorite character carrying the crying baby through wood and water in her bright red Handmaid robes. 

Eventually the pair of refugees safely make it across the border, and taken into the safety and care of Canada. Emily is shown entering a hospital with Nichole still in her arms. As they're given care by the medical staff, she's given a touching round of applause by those working in the facility. It's an emotional sequence, one that is admittedly hard to watch knowing the character would eventually return to Gilead willingly. 

Emily's Reunion With Her Family in Canada (The Handmaid's Tale Season 3)

Emily's family appears a few times throughout The Handmaid's Tale run on Hulu, starting with a flashback back in Season 2. We watch as Alexis Bledel's character was separated from her wife Sylvia (Clea Duvall) and their son Oliver while trying to flee America as Gilead took power. So when she finally made it to Canada safely, we were treated to an emotional reunion in the Season 3 episode "God Bless the Child." 

After seeing Sylvia and Emily timidly reunite, eventually their son Oliver appears on screen. It's a heart breaking scene that shows how much time has gone by since she was abducted and became a Handmaid. Emily breaks Gilead law by reading to her son, as Clea Duvall's character silently weeps while watching. Like Emily's escape, it's a scene that is even more tragically beautiful given the character's decision to leave her family behind in search of her own violent justice. 

The Handmaids (Including Emily) Kill Waterford (The Handmaid's Tale Season 4)

Speaking of violent justice, that's exactly where we last saw Alexis Bledel's Emily in the flesh. After struggling with her rage throughout Season 4 (including celebrating a former Aunt killing herself in Canada), eventually she joins other former Handmaids in the Season 4's brutal cliffhanger ending.

After doing a prisoner exchange, Nick hand delivers Commander Waterford to June in No Man's Land. There she lets a whistle blow, revealing her now violent mob of refugees, largely Handmaids. Emily is there, and is at the head of the pack as the women chase down and brutally tear Fred apart. Making out the specifics of the violence is difficult because it's so dark, but it looks like she might have even held his face as June brutally bit it. 

In the end, Fred Waterford's death would be the final time we'd see Alexis Bledel as Emily in The Handmaid's Tale. The actress departed the show shortly before filming began, with the writers needing to quickly find a way to write her out. In the end I found her exit successful despite these circumstances, largely thanks to the scene shared between June and Sylvia. And given how much violence she's both endured and enacted, her fate does make logical sense. 

The Handmaid's Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu. In the meantime, check out the fall premiere list to plan your next movie experience. 

Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The Handmaid’s Tale “Border”, as well as the sequel book The Testaments.

The streaming wars have been raging for years, and one of Hulu’s biggest hits is the dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale. Season 5 recently began for those with a Hulu subscription, and the first three episodes have already been a wild ride (especially the departure of Alexis Bledel's Emily). And after watching Episode 3 “Border”, my biggest question was: is the show already setting up Aunt Lydia’s story from the sequel, The Testaments?

Margaret Atwood’s novel The Testaments was released in 2019, and is a direct sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. Hulu already has plans to adapt that book after the flagship series ends with Season 6. And in the most recent episode from The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, there seemed to be a major hint toward the plot line of Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia. Namely that she prayed and admitted her wrongdoings while praying for Janine’s life in the new episode.

At the end of Episode 2, Esther poisoned herself and Janine at the Red Center, after being posted to serve as a Handmaid to Commander Putnam. Both of those characters were hospitalized in “Border”, with Aunt Lydia praying for God to save Janine. In the gorgeously acted monologue, the controversial character pleaded:

After being visited by Mrs. Putnam and her daughter, Janine ended up waking up by the time the new Handmaid’s Tale episode concluded. Could Aunt Lydia’s path to redemption be started by this episode (which also brought back Nick’s mysterious wife)? With the upcoming Testaments show in development, it certainly seems like a smart narrative move by the writers. We’ll just have to wait and see how Lydia’s story unfolds as we get deeper into Season 5.

While the contents of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 are largely shrouded in mystery, Aunt Lydia’s future on the Emmy winning series was teased in the description of Episode 4, which is titled “Dear Offred.” That synopsis reads:

Well, I’m definitely intrigued. Aunt Lydia is one of the most complicated characters in The Handmaid’s Tale, but she’s largely been a villainous presence in Gilead thus far. It should be interesting to see if she starts to make actual positive change, and how the show will set up her likely appearance in The Testaments.

In the Testaments book, Lydia is one of the three characters narrating the story, alongside both of June’s daughters. Through the novel we get a better understanding of Lydia’s psyche, and how she eventually became a feared Aunt. She also gets a redemption arc that would be fascinating to see play out in the Hulu series, especially if Ann Dowd is playing her signature role.

The Handmaid’s Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu. In the meantime, check out the fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Spoilers for Season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale can be found throughout this article.

The streaming wars have shown no signs of slowing down, and Hulu recently premiered Season 5 of its wildly popular (and former Emmys darling) dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale. The first two episodes were a doozy, including Alexis Bledel’s departure as Emily and the introduction of new characters like Nick’s wife Rose. There's another plotline that's brewing, and star/director/producer Elisabeth Moss recently revealed the deeper story behind “June versus Serena.”

Episode 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 premiere ended with Commander Waterfords funeral being televised around the world. June and Luke (O-T Fagbenle) watch in horror as Serena parades their daughter Hannah out in front of the globe, leading to a tense stare-off across countries. Elisabeth Moss talked about this ongoing plot line between the women to THR, and revealed more behind that feud’s meaning. As she put it,

Talk about a compelling dynamic. Despite both Serena and June not actually residing in Gilead during Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale (which is available with a Hulu subscription) it’s clear how much the pair of women are still very connected to that violent society. And given their shared history and the recent munrder of Fred by the former Handmaids, it’s hard to imagine the stakes being very much higher.

While June finally killed Fred, the first two episodes of Season 5 made it clear that she only faced a temporary sense of relief. And when she didn’t actually suffer any legal consequences, there was another emotional reckoning. But just when it seemed like she was starting to enjoy her freedom in Toronto, Serena and Gilead brought her back to her trauma. Especially when Hannah’s face was broadcast in front of their eyes, with Serena smirking at the camera. But as Elisabeth Moss points out, the two women are truly at battle with themselves during this conflict. 

Later in that same piece by THR, Serena Joy actress Yvonne Strahovski helped to explain where her signature character’s head is during The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5. Obviously she’s pregnant and recently widowed, but the antagonist also does still have some power with the Waterford name. Strahovski addressed her sense of total fear and loneliness, saying:

It looks like Serena Joy has been backed into a corner, which has the potential to make her even more vengeful and calculating. Once again taunting June with her daughter is a tactic she used back in Season 2, and it’s just as devastating this time around. And who knows how June is going to get her revenge. There’s only two seasons left before the show ends forever, although there are plans for a sequel series.

The Handmaid’s Tale airs new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu. In the meantime, check out the fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch. 

Since its debut in April 2017, The Handmaid’s Tale has been not just one of the best Hulu shows but one of the most beloved and critically-acclaimed series on TV and streaming. Set in the dystopian Gilead, the sprawling and oftentimes unnerving story of June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) has taken many twists and turns over the course of the show's first few chapters, including The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 ending which set in motion plans for another that will potentially take the show into its endgame.

Below, we have included a list of quick things to know about The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, including when it premiered, when new episodes dropped, information on the show’s cast, and what the future holds for one of the best Hulu original series. 

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Premiered September 14th on Hulu

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 made its long-awaited premiere Wednesday, September 14, 2022 on Hulu, and welcomed longtime fans back into the lives of Elisabeth Moss’ June Osborne and Yvonne Strahovski’s Serena Waterford, as each character deals with the fallout from the explosive ending to the previous season. Elisabeth Moss has opened up about how Season 5 is about June versus Serena, but also about how the characters are grappling with their own morality. 

How Many Episodes Of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Have Streamed So Far

When The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 premiered on Hulu, the streaming service offered up the first two episodes. This isn’t a new strategy for the series, as previous installments have premiered with anywhere from two to three episodes apiece; The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 featured a three-episode premiere when it debuted on the streaming service back in April 2021. There were ten episodes in total during the fifth season of the dystopian drama, and we recently were given its fifth and final episode. 

When Do New Episodes Of The Handmaid’s Tale Come Out?

And just like in previous years, new episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 will be available to anyone with a Hulu subscription at 12:01 a.m. ET each Wednesday until the latest installment wraps up at some point later in the year. If the show follows suit with previous seasons, it should run for 10 episodes. As such, the finale titled "Safe" got its wide release on November 10th. You can either watch the episodes as they are released or wait a couple months and watch all in one long binge session.

The Handmaid’s Tale Has Been Renewed For Season 6, Which Will Be The Last Season

As was the case with The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, which was given the green light before the fourth season premiered, the show’s sixth and final season was renewed by Hulu prior to the penultimate season becoming available to viewers. Upon the announcement of Hulu deciding to pick up the show for one more season, The Handmaid’s Tale creator and showrunner Bruce Miller had this to say:

But just because The Handmaid’s Tale will be drawing to a close with its sixth season it doesn’t mean this is the last we’ll see of the world created by author Margaret Atwood, as Hulu also announced that Miller is actively in the process of adapting The Testaments, which will be set years after the events of the beloved dystopian drama series. The early development has already started for that spinoff, and it looks like Season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale might already be setting up some of its story.

Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski And Ann Dowd Lead The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 Cast

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, like others to come before it, is headlined by Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne, Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford, and Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia Clements. And even though longtime cast member Alexis Bledel’s Emily Malek is no longer part of the narrative after the former Gilmore Girls star departed the series ahead of its fifth season, several other familiar faces are back for another round of action on Hulu’s smash hit drama.

Other returning members to the cast include Max Minghella as Commander Nick Blaine, Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo, O. T. Fagbenle as Luke Bankole, Samira Wiley as Moira Strand, Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue, Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence (who also made his directorial debut in Episode 9), McKenna Grace as Esther Keyes, and multiple others. Unfortunately, Alexis Bledel's fan-favorite Emily is noticeably absent, with Season 5's premiere finding a way to wrap up that story. Clea DuVall even returned as Emily's wife Sylvia, in a powerful reunion with her Girl Interrupted co-star Elisabeth Moss. One of the newcomers whose plot is heating up is Genevieve Angelson as Mrs. Wheeler. It looks like she's set to have a major standoff against Serena Joy over baby Noah following the character's horrifying cliffhanger. A big plot line in this new season has been the future of June and Luke's daughter Hannah. And as a result actress Jordana Blake has been back in a meatier role than the last few seasons. 

Expect to hear more about The Testaments and The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 as the show continues its march toward the sixth and final chapter. In the meantime, read about what could possibly be the show’s best new character as well as a rundown of all the new and returning shows on our schedule of all the 2022 TV premiere dates.