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The Handmaid's Tale offered a gripping dystopian thriller that audiences could not ignore watching. Throughout the six seasons, fans sat on the edge of their seats as Hulu brought Margaret Atwood's compelling 1985 novel to life.
Elisabeth Moss, Ann Dowd, Yvonne Strahovski, and Joseph Fiennes delivered performances that made the viewers feel every moment of fear and faith.
Imagine this: America has fallen apart. The environment has collapsed, babies aren't being born, and a scary religious cult has taken over—women who can have babies become treasured property.
These women are compelled to have children for powerful elite families through twisted ceremonies that reinterpret religious texts to justify horror. At the centre of it all is June (portrayed by Elisabeth Moss), trying to survive in a dystopia where one wrong move means getting unalive.
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The show won Emmy Awards and loyal viewers. It made people think about women's status and rights, religious fundamentalism, and what happens when freedom is restricted. But like any long-running show, some seasons hit harder than others. The Handmaid's Tale had unexpected highs and tiring lows that left fans arguing about which seasons were worth the emotional turmoil and binge-watching
So, which seasons made viewers cancel their weekend schedule to binge-watch? Which ones had fans getting distracted on their phones during episodes? Here's how all six seasons ranked up, from the ones that missed the mark to the absolute hit.
A Deep Dive and Ranking of The Handmaid's Tale Seasons.
6) Season 3 (2019) - The Season That Tested Viewers' Patience
Season three gave viewers thirteen episodes that felt like watching paint dry in a very exhausting horror movie. June moved to a new house with Joseph Lawrence (portrayed by Bradley Whitford), where she planned her most significant move yet, getting kids out of the region to safety in Canada. Meanwhile, Serena and Fred face trial for their crimes while Moira and Luke help refugees.
The problem was that The Handmaid's Tale moved very slowly. Fans could make out what would happen three episodes progressing forward, but the series refused to get there until the very last episode. Characters did eccentric, dangerous things without facing the consequences, which took away from the eerie world-building that made the show special.
Most viewers felt that season three existed only to set up the premise for season four instead of narrating its plot.
Character arcs were stagnant and did not become more interesting. The season did show June finally fighting back with force, but getting there took away her relatability from many fans.
5) Season 5 - Almost Hitting The Spot
After fans watched June and other former handmaids kill Fred Waterford, season five asked the big question: what goes next? Would June get punished for her act? The Handmaid's Tale made viewers wait an entire season for that answer to these intriguing questions, and when it came, many viewers felt underwhelmed.
The real question fans cared about was whether June would finally rescue Hannah. This set the backdrop for most of the season's story, but the show focused too much on June and Serena's developing bond. Serena spent this season locked up in a Canadian prison, but somehow, she and June were still in the spotlight every episode. This left less space for other characters and storylines that could have made things more exciting.
Season five was engaging, but it felt like The Handmaid's Tale was losing its winning factor. Fans started expressing their thoughts on the show's need to end soon, and the creators seemed to agree since they announced the forthcoming season would be the last.
4) Season 4 - Freedom Comes with a Price
The 10 episodes, which aired in 2021, depicted June's attempts to escape from her nightmare, her capture, and ultimately, her real escape to Canada. Fans were happy when June reunited with Moira and Luke, but the celebration was short-lived. The Handmaid's Tale delved deeply into what happens to people after they have overcome terrible trauma.
June couldn't just go back to ordinary life. She needed justice before she could work on her healing, but viewers started wondering if she'd ever be content. The show focused on depicting how violence changes people and whether cruel actions become okay when someone has been deeply hurt.
Viewers had mixed feelings about season four. They were happy June escaped, but unsatisfied as she left without Hannah. Even more unexpected was how different June seemed from the woman viewers met in the first season. Some fans asked if June was still the story's main protagonist or if she'd become someone else. The season ended with a shocking finale that answered a few questions while raising new ones.
3) Season 6 - The Grand Finale
The final season of The Handmaid's Tale had to stick the landing, and part of it did. Viewers finally saw the significant effort to free people from the religious government's control. While the entire country didn't get liberated, enough of it did to give women back their freedom in most places.
Season six felt unique from the previous few seasons because it finally moved beyond just June and Serena's story.
The Handmaid's Tale showed viewers what liberation looked like and how people rebuilt their lives after escaping dictatorship. June and Hannah's reunion gave fans the emotional relief they'd been waiting for through years of separation.
Some viewers thought the happy ending felt extra predictable. The show stayed faithful to the original novel, ending with June returning to the house where her captivity commenced. While satisfying, some viewers wished for more plot twists in the final episodes.
2) Season 2 (2018) - When Fear Felt Real
The second season, 13 episodes in 2018, brought viewers face-to-face with just how suffocating life in this new dystopian America could be. June got a brief taste of freedom with Nick before getting caught and convicted. The season switched multiple storylines that kept fans on edge every week.
Nick was forced to marry young Eden (portrayed by Sydney Sweeney). June got to see Hannah for a limited time. The wives rebelled against the system that stopped them from reading. Emily planned the rescue of baby Nicole to Canada. The stakes with every episode kept rising, which kept the viewers hooked.
The season's first episode was beautiful, terrifying, and perfectly curated. It showed fans that anyone could end at any moment, even June. This danger made every scene feel significant. Critics remarked about the violence, but it served a purpose by starting conversations about women's rights and body autonomy that felt especially important at the time.
1) Season 1 (2017) - The Season That Changed Television
The 10-episode season in 2017 revolutionized television forever. The first season of The Handmaid's Tale introduced viewers to this dystopian world, accompanied by flashbacks of how normal life used to be. Characters could get killed by trusting the wrong people, and viewers learned that lesson alongside the characters.
The season took real historical torment that women have faced and turned them into a fictional story that felt too real.
The Handmaid's Tale pushed boundaries that no other TV series had touched. The writing and acting were sharp, and every episode left viewers wanting more while anticipating the impending doom.
Season one earned fifteen Emmy nominations and created cultural debate amongst the viewers that continues to date.
It proved that audiences were hungry for intellectual, eerie, smart, and thought-provoking television. The season established The Handmaid's Tale as incredible entertainment and critical social commentary.
Across six seasons, The Handmaid's Tale kept viewers talking, thinking, and occasionally covering their faces with horror. While some seasons struggled with pacing and attention, the series always delivered impactful performances and stories that mattered.
