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Hulu’s gripping series, The Handmaid’s Tale, and its anticipated spinoff, The Testaments, are set in the chilling fictional world of the Republic of Gilead. But is Gilead a real place? This question often intrigues fans captivated by the show’s intense narrative.
The series, which first captivated audiences in 2017 and continued until 2025, is inspired by the renowned novel by Margaret Atwood. The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a dystopian future where alarmingly low fertility rates have led to women being subjugated and assigned to men for the sole purpose of reproduction. The show portrays a society gripped by totalitarian control, where personal freedoms are severely restricted.
With a stellar cast including Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, and Amanda Brugel, the series vividly brings to life the harrowing existence within Gilead. Within the show’s narrative, Gilead emerges out of the ashes of a Second American Civil War, occupying significant swathes of former U.S. territory.
The fictional Republic encompasses parts of the U.S., with full control over states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
As Hulu continues to expand the universe of The Handmaid’s Tale with The Testaments spinoff, audiences are eager to learn more about the new cast and how the chilling saga will unfold. This new chapter promises to delve even deeper into Atwood’s dystopian vision, exploring the repercussions of a world where women’s rights are stripped away in the face of a fertility crisis.
Other areas are considered disputed territory while the remaining American government fled to Canada with some American refugees.
Off screen, filming on the series largely took place in Toronto, Mississauga, Brantford, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Cambridge, Ontario. The second season featured many of the same locations while season 3 included scenes in Washington, D.C.
The Handmaid’s Tale is expanding its TV universe with The Testaments, which is narrated by Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia as viewers are thrust back into the dystopian future with characters such as Agnes from Gilead and Daisy from Canada — as they secretly gather and smuggle incriminating information about Gilead’s regime out of the country. Agnes and Daisy pose as “Pearl Girls” to infiltrate Canada, while Aunt Lydia acts as a covert source within Gilead.
“We are making The Testaments, and it’s not going to track precisely,” creator Bruce Miller told TVLine in 2022. “Margaret writes these absolutely deliciously specific characters. We had to go away from that in Handmaid’s, and we’re going to have to go away from that in Testaments. Testaments is certainly going to be a sequel to the show.”
Hulu Hulu’s highly anticipated The Handmaid’s Tale spinoff The Testaments is in the works — but what is there to know about the show so far? Margaret Atwood’s dystopian universe was initially brought to life with The Handmaid’s Tale, which is based on the novel of the same name about a future where low fertility […]
More recently, The Handmaid’s Tale showrunner Yahlin Chang teased how the show set up spinoff The Testaments, telling TV Insider in March 2025, “For sure, there will be cliffhangers for The Testaments, so it doesn’t conclude everything.”
The sixth season of The Handmaid’s Tale wrapped up certain plot points “in some very satisfying ways.”
“Any fans that are left wanting more are going to get more in The Testaments, which will be great for them,” Chang continued. “But it does conclude in some very satisfying ways many of the story lines, but not every single one.”
The Testaments premieres April 8 on Hulu.