‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 4 Release Pushed Back To 2021

For the first time in the series, Handmaid’s Tale will be skipping a full year before another season comes out. The season 4 premiere of the hit Hulu series has been pushed back to 2021. The announcement came during Hulu’s virtual newfront presentation to advertisers.

The fourth season of the Elisabeth Moss-led drama was originally set to launch this fall. Production was getting well underway in Canada back in March, however, much like other productions, it was shut down to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s not clear when production will resume and no exact release date has been set. However, according to The Wrap, an individual with knowledge of the situation says Hulu will reveal a narrower premier window once a date for filming to resume has been set.

The Handmaid’s Tale has been one of Hulu’s most popular series. It has garnered 11 Emmys over two seasons in addition to positive feedback from critics and audiences alike. The dystopian series was renewed for a fourth season in July 2019, a month before the premiere of the Season 3 finale in August.

The third season of Handmaid’s Tale saw Moss’s character, June, remain in Gilead after parting from her newborn daughter who she sent to the safety of Canada. In the finale, June and her fellow handmaid helped free children from Gilead by sending them on a plane to Canada. However, June was shot in the process. Though she appears alive, her situation seems grave.

As for what happens next, details are scarce. Fans can be assured, however, that it will not be the last. In the Television Critics Association press tour, executive producer Warren Littlefield hinted that plenty more seasons are on the way. “We have not planned Season 4 to be the end, but we also look to Margaret [Atwood]’s book The Testaments and know that that story takes us 15 years into the future,” Littlefield told TVGuide. “We don’t see ending it in [Season 4], and I can honestly say to you, we don’t have a definitive out. But I think we want to keep the bar high, and it would not be a bad thing to leave the audience wanting more and then we could ideally shift into The Testaments.”

In addition to Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu also announced that the Kate McKinnon-led drama The Dropout and the limited series Nine Perfect Strangers starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy will debut next year.