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CNN
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
'The Handmaid's Tale' had a remarkable ending — for real-world reasons
Hollywood studios and streamers aren't exactly craving politically provocative shows and movies right now. Producers are thinking twice about liberal-sounding storylines. Media companies are downplaying diversity initiatives. And 'The Apprentice,' a biopic about President Trump that contained some critical scenes, struggled to gain US distribution last year. That's what makes the timing of 'The Handmaid's Tale' finale all the more remarkable. The acclaimed Hulu drama, which streamed its final episode earlier this week, was unavoidably and unapologetically political. In the series, based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood, America has been transformed into Gilead, a totalitarian theocratic regime where women are treated like property. The 'handmaid' in the title is June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. The actors and producers started working on the first season of the show in 2016 with the belief that Hillary Clinton would be the first woman president. They described in interviews how the entire cast and crew were shocked by President Trump's victory. Trump's election — following campaign trail narratives about misogyny and bigotry — changed how the show was received. The premiere in April 2017 spawned a thousand think pieces. Some anti-Trump protesters even donned red robes and white bonnets inspired by the show. The show's producers leaned in. They didn't hesitate when asked about real-world comparisons to the radicalism portrayed on screen. 'We're on a very, very slippery slope toward Gilead,' executive producer Warren Littlefield told me back in 2019. While awaiting the finale this week, I checked back in with Littlefield. He perceives that the slope is even more treacherous today. 'Our America is getting harder to recognize each and every day,' he said, 'and Margaret's speculative fiction written 40 years ago on a rented typewriter in Berlin becomes closer to reality.' Moss, the cover star of this week's Variety magazine, was asked if the Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade created a 'new urgency on set.' She said the vibe was already pretty urgent: 'The only way we've ever made this show was to have this sense of immediacy and relevancy that is not pleasant but is definitely galvanizing.' Maybe the political overtones turned off some would-be viewers. But 'The Handmaid's Tale' didn't meaningfully suffer in this polarized media climate. Instead, it benefited — because it evoked meaningful emotions and was elevated by current events. 'Handmaid's Tale' had something to say, and a unique time to say it, and isn't that every artist wants? 'In early Handmaid's days,' Littlefield said, 'we present a world that was too preoccupied staring into their phones to see Gilead coming until it's upon our characters and taken over their lives.' Over the years, many reviewers have pointed to that as one of the enduring takeaways from the show. 'Handmaid's' 'showed the ease with which the unthinkable can become ordinary — a lesson crucial in the age of the Big Lie,' The Atlantic's Megan Garber wrote in 2021. The final season of the series was in production while Kamala Harris lost to Trump, and began streaming in April. The Hollywood Reporter TV critic Daniel Fienberg credited the show with 'perfect — or perfectly awful — timing' over the years, and said 'the show's topicality sometimes hit so close to the bone that it became difficult to watch.' One of the showrunners, Yahlin Chang, posited in a recent interview with TheWrap that the show 'kind of failed' to serve as a cautionary tale, 'or we didn't caution enough people.' 'It's shocking to me, when I think about when I joined the show, I had more rights as a woman than I have now,' she said. Conversely, Chang said in an oral history of the show that 'Handmaid's' was an opportunity to tell big-budget stories 'about refugees and displaced people' – in this case, about American characters who fled to Canada to escape tyranny. 'You can't just walk into a Hollywood studio and pitch that,' she said. 'The fact that we're able to give voice to have our characters as Americans go through what, unfortunately, people all throughout the world go through and where we can really empathize with them fills me with hope for humanity.' The final episodes manage to be uplifting, at least in part, and Littlefield said, 'Our message this year, in hopefully a compelling dramatic way, continues to be — like June, don't give up the fight.' Many of the 'Handmaid's Tale' producers are now working on a sequel series called 'The Testaments,' which will pick up about 15 years in the fictional future. It will be another test of audience (and studio) interest in a show that both entertains and asks a serious question: 'Could it happen here?'
CNN
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
'The Handmaid's Tale' had a remarkable ending — for real-world reasons
Hollywood studios and streamers aren't exactly craving politically provocative shows and movies right now. Producers are thinking twice about liberal-sounding storylines. Media companies are downplaying diversity initiatives. And 'The Apprentice,' a biopic about President Trump that contained some critical scenes, struggled to gain US distribution last year. That's what makes the timing of 'The Handmaid's Tale' finale all the more remarkable. The acclaimed Hulu drama, which streamed its final episode earlier this week, was unavoidably and unapologetically political. In the series, based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood, America has been transformed into Gilead, a totalitarian theocratic regime where women are treated like property. The 'handmaid' in the title is June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. The actors and producers started working on the first season of the show in 2016 with the belief that Hillary Clinton would be the first woman president. They described in interviews how the entire cast and crew were shocked by President Trump's victory. Trump's election — following campaign trail narratives about misogyny and bigotry — changed how the show was received. The premiere in April 2017 spawned a thousand think pieces. Some anti-Trump protesters even donned red robes and white bonnets inspired by the show. The show's producers leaned in. They didn't hesitate when asked about real-world comparisons to the radicalism portrayed on screen. 'We're on a very, very slippery slope toward Gilead,' executive producer Warren Littlefield told me back in 2019. While awaiting the finale this week, I checked back in with Littlefield. He perceives that the slope is even more treacherous today. 'Our America is getting harder to recognize each and every day,' he said, 'and Margaret's speculative fiction written 40 years ago on a rented typewriter in Berlin becomes closer to reality.' Moss, the cover star of this week's Variety magazine, was asked if the Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade created a 'new urgency on set.' She said the vibe was already pretty urgent: 'The only way we've ever made this show was to have this sense of immediacy and relevancy that is not pleasant but is definitely galvanizing.' Maybe the political overtones turned off some would-be viewers. But 'The Handmaid's Tale' didn't meaningfully suffer in this polarized media climate. Instead, it benefited — because it evoked meaningful emotions and was elevated by current events. 'Handmaid's Tale' had something to say, and a unique time to say it, and isn't that every artist wants? 'In early Handmaid's days,' Littlefield said, 'we present a world that was too preoccupied staring into their phones to see Gilead coming until it's upon our characters and taken over their lives.' Over the years, many reviewers have pointed to that as one of the enduring takeaways from the show. 'Handmaid's' 'showed the ease with which the unthinkable can become ordinary — a lesson crucial in the age of the Big Lie,' The Atlantic's Megan Garber wrote in 2021. The final season of the series was in production while Kamala Harris lost to Trump, and began streaming in April. The Hollywood Reporter TV critic Daniel Fienberg credited the show with 'perfect — or perfectly awful — timing' over the years, and said 'the show's topicality sometimes hit so close to the bone that it became difficult to watch.' One of the showrunners, Yahlin Chang, posited in a recent interview with TheWrap that the show 'kind of failed' to serve as a cautionary tale, 'or we didn't caution enough people.' 'It's shocking to me, when I think about when I joined the show, I had more rights as a woman than I have now,' she said. Conversely, Chang said in an oral history of the show that 'Handmaid's' was an opportunity to tell big-budget stories 'about refugees and displaced people' – in this case, about American characters who fled to Canada to escape tyranny. 'You can't just walk into a Hollywood studio and pitch that,' she said. 'The fact that we're able to give voice to have our characters as Americans go through what, unfortunately, people all throughout the world go through and where we can really empathize with them fills me with hope for humanity.' The final episodes manage to be uplifting, at least in part, and Littlefield said, 'Our message this year, in hopefully a compelling dramatic way, continues to be — like June, don't give up the fight.' Many of the 'Handmaid's Tale' producers are now working on a sequel series called 'The Testaments,' which will pick up about 15 years in the fictional future. It will be another test of audience (and studio) interest in a show that both entertains and asks a serious question: 'Could it happen here?'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Barbara Walters Grills Taylor Swift On Love Life In Explosive Hulu Documentary
is once again making headlines, this time posthumously, as Hulu prepares to release a no-holds-barred documentary chronicling the legendary broadcaster's jaw-dropping career. The late trailblazer, who passed away in 2022 at age 93, was renowned for her fearless, often polarizing interview style. And in the new trailer for "The Barbara Walters Effect," viewers get a taste of just how bold and, at times, brutal, her questions could be. In one especially tense clip, obtained by PEOPLE, Walters grills a then-25-year-old on her love life. With photos of Swift and her famous exes, including , , and , flashing across the screen, Walters deadpans, 'As you've become more famous, so have the boyfriends.' She then goes for the jugular, asking how Swift ever expects 'to find anybody' to date with her track record of heartbreak ballads. The "Love Story" singer, known for weaving personal experience into her music, didn't take the jab lightly. 'That's an old joke,' she replied sharply, calling out the sexist undertone. 'It comes from a place of such sexism.' Earlier in the same interview, Swift acknowledged the frustrating double standard that plagues women in music. 'If a man writes about his feelings, he's brave. If a woman does it, she's oversharing or 'crazy,'' she said. The documentary doesn't stop at Swift. It also revisits the moment Walters left in tears during a painfully personal interview, as well as her infamous confrontation with Donald Trump, in which she accused him of lacking humility. In a 1990 interview on ABC's "20/20," Walters confronted the current President of the United States about his public persona, particularly his perceived lack of humility. She pointedly asked, "With all of the publicity, and with the way that you have answered, there are people who say, 'Why won't he show some humility?'" Another clip features Walters questioning Courtney Love about doing drugs in front of her child, a moment still debated to this day. During this conversation, Walters directly questioned Love about her past drug use, including whether she had ever used drugs in front of her daughter, Frances Bean Cobain. This line of questioning was part of Walters' signature probing style, aiming to delve deep into her subjects' personal lives. Some viewers felt that Walters' questions were invasive, while others saw them as a bold attempt to hold public figures accountable for their actions, especially concerning sensitive topics like parenting and substance abuse. And one of Barbara Walters' most unforgettable interviews came in 1980, when she sat down with former President Richard Nixon and asked a question that stunned viewers: 'Do you ever deeply regret that you didn't just burn the tapes?' Walters was referring to the infamous Watergate tapes, the secret White House recordings that ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974. The directness of her question caught Nixon off guard, prompting a rare moment of reflection. After a pause, he admitted, 'Yes, I think so. I think it was a mistake.' That clip, along with many more, will be revisited in the upcoming documentary. Barbara Walters died on December 30, 2022, at the age of 93. According to her longtime publicist, Cindi Berger, the legendary journalist passed away peacefully at her home in New York, surrounded by loved ones. Walters had largely stayed out of the spotlight in her later years as she reportedly faced ongoing health challenges. A true pioneer in broadcast journalism, Walters broke barriers as the first woman to co-anchor an evening news program and went on to co-create the long-running talk show "The View." Following news of her passing, tributes poured in across social media, with fans, colleagues, and celebrities remembering her trailblazing career, sharp interviewing style, and enduring impact on the industry. "Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything" premieres on Hulu on June 23.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Barbara Walters doc revisits savage interviews with Taylor Swift, Trump, the Kardashians and more
A new Hulu documentary is revisiting Barbara Walters' most scathing interviews throughout her decades-long career. In a sneak peek trailer for 'Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything', released Wednesday, celebrities like Taylor Swift, the Kardashians and now-President Trump appear in footage highlighting the late broadcast journalist's most memorable sit downs. At one point, Walters can be seen telling Swift, 'I know you don't want to talk about guys, and I won't push it, but how are you going to find anybody?' Other scenes show the intrepid journalist savagely pointing out to the Kardashian family that they 'don't really act,' 'sing,' 'dance' or 'have any talent' — and calling out Trump for his widely perceived lack of 'humility.' Elsewhere in the teaser, the documentary even re-explores the time Walters asked Courtney Love if she had ever done 'drugs in front of [her] child.' The singer shares daughter Frances Bean, now 32, with late ex Kurt Cobain. 'No one ever got out totally unscathed,' Walters' former ABC News colleague, Cynthia McFadden, said in a confessional interview. 'She asked the question that nobody else had asked,' Oprah Winfrey added. 'And asked it in a way that always hit a nerve.' The scene then cuts to a clip of the 'Color Purple' star, 71, being reduced to tears due to Walter's tense interview style. The pioneering journalist, who collected many legendary accolades throughout her 50-year career, died at age 93 in December 2022. But her voice lives on in the upcoming documentary, as throwback footage plays of Walters looking back on her own legacy in the media prior to her death. As the first woman to ever anchor the evening news on a major network, she didn't attribute her success to her good looks. 'I was never beautiful,' she said in the clip. 'If I had been a dog, I mean, maybe they wouldn't have put me on television. But, I mean, nobody ever put me on because I was beautiful or glamorous.' Instead, Disney CEO Robert Iger credited Walters' enterprising 'vision' as the impetus that propelled her career. 'She had a vision that celebrities are news, and she turned out to be right. They were newsmakers,' Iger, 74, shared. 'Whether it was her looks or her voice, just the fact that she was a woman, there were people that just didn't believe in her and she loved proving them wrong,' he continued. 'Her job was the love of her life.' 'Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything' begins streaming June 23 on Hulu. Originally published as Barbara Walters doc revisits savage interviews with Taylor Swift, Trump, the Kardashians and more
Cosmopolitan
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Here's When Every Episode of FX's ‘Adults' Drops
FX knows a thing or two about making an amazing comedy. Between The Bear, English Teacher, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and so many other faves, we can't help but also get excited for their latest addition: Adults. The series gets real as it follows a group of BFFs as they try to navigate their 20s in the the only way they possibly can: chaos and survival. Of course, not everything always works out as planned for them, but hey, at least they have each other for it all. Ready to see what happens to this new group of misfits? Here's everything you need to know about FX's Adults release schedule. The series officially premiered on FX on May 28, 2025 with two new episodes, our favorite kind of double feature! Following an FX show can be kind of tricky, especially since their drops tend to depend on whether or not they premiere on their official network or not. And, even then, Adults comes with a special twist. New episodes will drop every Wednesday night at 9 PM ET / PT with two new episodes airing back to back. Don't have cable? You can still watch Adults on Hulu when new episodes drop the next day on the streamer! FX's Adults season 1 will have 8 episodes that will air on FX. Two new episodes will air every Wednesday night at 9 PM ET / PT and will drop on Hulu the next day.
