Latest news with #TheTestaments'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘S.W.A.T.' Receives Spinoff After Multiple Cancellations — But Who From the Cast Is Returning?
S.W.A.T. has been picked up for a spinoff after multiple cancellations — and days after CBS aired the show's series finale — but which cast members are returning for the new iteration? Sony announced on Sunday, May 18, that a new spinoff series starring Shemar Moore as Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson has been picked up. Sony Pictures Television will produce and distribute S.W.A.T. Exiles globally with development currently underway and production scheduled to start in Los Angeles this summer. According to the official press release, the 10-episode series picks up after "a high-profile mission goes sideways, Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson is pulled out of forced retirement to lead a last-chance experimental SWAT unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits." Moore's character must "bridge a generational divide, navigate clashing personalities, and turn a squad of outsiders into a team capable of protecting the city and saving the program that made him who he is." Moore, 55, reflected on the decision to reprise his role, which comes two days after CBS aired the S.W.A.T. series finale. Every TV Spinoff to (Hopefully) Look Forward to in 2025: From 'The Testaments' to 'The Madison' 'My eight seasons on S.W.A.T. have been epic and memorable. We entertained the world, defied the odds, came back from the dead twice, and continued to woo fans and families worldwide," the actor said. "I am excited for this next generation and iteration of S.W.A.T. with Sony. Katherine Pope, Neal H. Moritz, Jason Ning, and I will keep the franchise, thrill ride action, heartfelt drama, and storytelling of S.W.A.T. alive. WE DON'T LOSE!!!! ROLL SWAT!!!.' Based on the 1975 TV show and 2003 film adaptation of the same name, S.W.A.T. centered around the Los Angeles Police Department. The CBS series premiered in 2017 and aired six seasons before it was picked up for a seventh and final run. CBS ultimately reversed that decision and S.W.A.T. returned for season 8. But the celebration didn't last long — the network canceled the show for a second time in March. The last season of S.W.A.T. also starred Jay Harrington, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit, Anna Enger Ritch, Annie Ilonzeh and Niko Pepaj, but there's no word yet on who could return for the spinoff. Before news of S.W.A.T. Exiles broke, Ilonzeh spoke with Us Weekly about attempts to revive the series. Which TV Shows Are Canceled in 2025-2026? Get the Status of Your Favorite Series "We are crossing our fingers. So there is a particular discussion being had. I hope I can say [soon] that we really did it. We rallied for a third time," she shared in April. "But we're making noise. They do see it — producers and streamers that are interested — they are like, 'OK, this is something.' So if we can plug and play, we're all geared up to go. We don't want this ride to be over." Despite fighting for S.W.A.T. to get a new home, it would be the show's last battle to stay on the air. "I was just talking to [my costar] Shemar [Moore] yesterday and he was like, 'If we do this for a third time — whenever we do get canceled again — I will be OK with it. I'm not fighting for a fourth [time] because we really did it and we end on that,'" she noted. "We will end on the fight and the win and relish in all of this and squeeze the life out of it. We will know that we did it, we did our job and we can walk away happy campers."
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Margaret Atwood calls Canada-U.S. tensions ‘most direct threat since the War of 1812'
TORONTO - Margaret Atwood says it feels 'very weird' to see reality mirror 'The Handmaid's Tale' as the dystopian series comes to an end. The show, adapted from the Canadian author's 1985 novel and filmed largely in and around Toronto, aired its final episode on Crave this week. Starring Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne — a woman forced into reproductive servitude under a brutal theocratic regime — 'The Handmaid's Tale' is set in a totalitarian society that strips women of their rights and autonomy. Since its debut, the series has often felt reflective of real-world politics, especially during Donald Trump's presidency. It premièred amid a growing cultural reckoning over reproductive rights and authoritarian rhetoric, and its imagery even bled into protest movements — with women's rights activists donning red robes and white bonnets based on the show's costume design. 'That's uncanny. Trump won the first time in 2016 when we were in the middle of shooting Season 1, and we all woke up the next day and said, 'We're in a different series,'' Atwood said in Toronto on Thursday while in town to receive an honour at The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Canada Awards. Although the script hadn't changed, she said, 'the frame changed, and people viewed it way differently than they would have if Hillary Clinton had won. If she'd won, it would've been, 'We missed the bullet.' But when he won, people were going, 'Here it comes.'' With Trump now back in office, Atwood reflected on the series' conclusion and the strange timing: 'It's very weird. But we'll be launching 'The Testaments' Season 1 in less than a year, and that's weird too,' she said, referring to the Hulu sequel series based on Atwood's 2019 novel. ''The Testaments' takes place after 'The Handmaid's Tale,' when a resistance is already building. As they do.' That sense of resistance also applies to the current political tension between Canada and the U.S., as growing anxieties over trade disputes and cultural sovereignty are bubbling to the surface — and, in Atwood's view, reaching a level of urgency not seen in decades. 'I've seen that movie a couple of times, but under different circumstances,' she says. 'I think this is the most direct threat we've had since the War of 1812.' The author notes Canada's had a renewed spirit of patriotism she hasn't witnessed in years. 'I know there's a degree of 'yay Canada' that I haven't seen since the 1980s. So it's very interesting for me, and quite new for a lot of young people. They're probably thinking, 'What just happened? What's going on? Is this real?' Still, she says, Canadians shouldn't panic just yet. 'To cheer you up, the States and Canada are both members of (NATO),' she says, explaining that if the U.S. took any hostile action it would first have to exit the alliance, which would then have to defend Canada. 'So how much of a world war do you want to get into?' And while some Canadians are calling for homegrown artists to step up amid rising calls for cultural protectionism, Atwood believes true artistic expression can't be forced. 'You can't order artists to do anything, and if you are ordering them and they're obeying you, they're just propaganda tools,' she says. 'So let the artists rip, they'll make their own decisions, they will create their own things, and then you can decide what you think about them.' Ultimately, Atwood has cautious optimism about the public's ability to recognize warning signs before dystopian fiction becomes lived reality. 'I don't see people running around in red outfits with bonnets yet, so we still have hope,' she says with a smile. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Margaret Atwood calls Canada-U.S. tensions ‘most direct threat since the War of 1812'
TORONTO – Margaret Atwood says it feels 'very weird' to see reality mirror 'The Handmaid's Tale' as the dystopian series comes to an end. The show, adapted from the Canadian author's 1985 novel and filmed largely in and around Toronto, aired its final episode on Crave this week. Starring Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne — a woman forced into reproductive servitude under a brutal theocratic regime — 'The Handmaid's Tale' is set in a totalitarian society that strips women of their rights and autonomy. Since its debut, the series has often felt reflective of real-world politics, especially during Donald Trump's presidency. It premièred amid a growing cultural reckoning over reproductive rights and authoritarian rhetoric, and its imagery even bled into protest movements — with women's rights activists donning red robes and white bonnets based on the show's costume design. 'That's uncanny. Trump won the first time in 2016 when we were in the middle of shooting Season 1, and we all woke up the next day and said, 'We're in a different series,'' Atwood said in Toronto on Thursday while in town to receive an honour at The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Canada Awards. Although the script hadn't changed, she said, 'the frame changed, and people viewed it way differently than they would have if Hillary Clinton had won. If she'd won, it would've been, 'We missed the bullet.' But when he won, people were going, 'Here it comes.'' With Trump now back in office, Atwood reflected on the series' conclusion and the strange timing: 'It's very weird. But we'll be launching 'The Testaments' Season 1 in less than a year, and that's weird too,' she said, referring to the Hulu sequel series based on Atwood's 2019 novel. ''The Testaments' takes place after 'The Handmaid's Tale,' when a resistance is already building. As they do.' That sense of resistance also applies to the current political tension between Canada and the U.S., as growing anxieties over trade disputes and cultural sovereignty are bubbling to the surface — and, in Atwood's view, reaching a level of urgency not seen in decades. 'I've seen that movie a couple of times, but under different circumstances,' she says. 'I think this is the most direct threat we've had since the War of 1812.' The author notes Canada's had a renewed spirit of patriotism she hasn't witnessed in years. 'I know there's a degree of 'yay Canada' that I haven't seen since the 1980s. So it's very interesting for me, and quite new for a lot of young people. They're probably thinking, 'What just happened? What's going on? Is this real?' Still, she says, Canadians shouldn't panic just yet. 'To cheer you up, the States and Canada are both members of (NATO),' she says, explaining that if the U.S. took any hostile action it would first have to exit the alliance, which would then have to defend Canada. 'So how much of a world war do you want to get into?' And while some Canadians are calling for homegrown artists to step up amid rising calls for cultural protectionism, Atwood believes true artistic expression can't be forced. 'You can't order artists to do anything, and if you are ordering them and they're obeying you, they're just propaganda tools,' she says. 'So let the artists rip, they'll make their own decisions, they will create their own things, and then you can decide what you think about them.' Ultimately, Atwood has cautious optimism about the public's ability to recognize warning signs before dystopian fiction becomes lived reality. 'I don't see people running around in red outfits with bonnets yet, so we still have hope,' she says with a smile. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
What's next for 'The Handmaid's Tale'? What we know about 'The Testaments'
What's next for 'The Handmaid's Tale'? What we know about 'The Testaments' Show Caption Hide Caption The most anticipated TV shows of 2025 USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler shares her top 5 TV shows she is most excited for this year Editor's note: This post contains spoilers about the Season 6 finale of "The Handmaid's Tale." 'A chair, a table, a lamp." "The Handmaid's Tale" came full circle with the final episode of Season 6 as June (Elisabeth Moss) found herself reliving her journey and trauma at the burned down and abandoned Waterford house in a now-free Boston. The dystopian series, adapted from Canadian author Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name, ends with June not reuniting with her oldest daughter, Hannah, but instead determined to continue to fight for her. On the suggestion of her mother (Cherry Jones), with whom she reunited, she appears to document her journey as a handmaid, taking viewers back to the 2017 pilot. Finale recap: Here's how 'The Handmaid's Tale' ends after 6 years in Gilead Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. In the final episode of "The Handmaid's Tale," Gilead's Boston came down after its Commanders were killed in a plane that was bombed by Commander Lawrence as it was heading to D.C. with the top leadership on board. Turns out Boston is just the start, and Gilead will continue to fall across the once-United States with June fighting undercover until she gets Hannah, who is stuck in Colorado, out. Her husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle) vows to do the same. While June did not get what she was hoping for, Janine (Madeline Brewer) has an emotional reunion with her daughter Charlotte thanks to a reformed Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd). Serena's fate, on the other hand, is left open-ended as she is once again left a refugee without a home for her and son Noah. While the curtain drops on the "The Handmaid's Tale," here's what to know about the series future, including details of a sequel. We've got room on the couch! Sign up for USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter for more recaps of your favorite shows. Will 'The Handmaid's Tale' return for Season 7? No. After a successful six season run, "The Handmaid's Tale" which premiered on April 26, 2017 ended on May 27 with the series finale. In September 2022, ahead of Season 5's premiere, Hulu, while renewing the series for another season, announced Season 6 would be its last. "It's been a very, very, very luxurious time that I've had to think about what happens at the end of this story and exactly how we'd like to get there as a company," creator, showrunner and executive producer Bruce Miller told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. "I'm very glad we're being able to do it on our own terms because I know how lucky that makes us — all the actors and creative people who put their hearts and souls into it — to close up the play the way you want. Dropping the curtain the way you want is such a huge privilege." 'The Testaments': A 'Handmaid's Tale' sequel "The Handmaid's Tale" may be coming to an end, but the world of Gilead is not. A "Handmaid's Tale" sequel "The Testaments" is in production at Hulu. The upcoming series is also being helmed by Miller. "The Testaments," described by Hulu as "a coming-of-age story that finds a new generation of young women in Gilead grappling with the bleak future that awaits them," will pick up more than 15 years after the events of "The Handmaid's Tale." It will follow the story of Agnes/Hannah, June's daughter and a new generation of young women in the dystopian Gilead. "For these young women, growing up in Gilead is all they have ever known, having no tangible memories of the outside world prior to their indoctrination into this life," Hulu says about the series. "Facing the prospect of being married off and living a life of servitude, they will be forced to search for allies, both new and old, to help in their fight for freedom and the life they deserve." Is there a release date for 'The Testaments'? A release date for "The Testaments" is not yet known. The series is currently in production, Hulu announced on Instagram. Will Elisabeth Moss be involved in 'The Testaments'? While it is not yet known if Elisabeth Moss will be reprising her role as June in the upcoming series, she will be an executive producer on it, Hulu said. Book review: Sequel to 'The Handmaid's Tale,' Margaret Atwood's 'The Testaments,' well worth the wait 'The Testaments' cast The upcoming series will see Ann Dowd reprise her "Handmaid's Tale" role of Aunt Lydia. Other cast members, as per Hulu, include: Chase Infiniti as Agnes as Agnes Lucy Halliday as Daisy as Daisy Rowan Blanchard as Shunammite as Shunammite Mattea Conforti as Becka as Becka Mabel Li as Aunt Vidala as Aunt Vidala Amy Seimetz as Paula as Paula Brad Alexander as Garth as Garth Zarrin Darnell-Martin as Aunt Gabbana as Aunt Gabbana Eva Foote as Aunt Estee as Aunt Estee Isolde Ardies as Hulda as Hulda Shechinah Mpumlwana as Jehosheba as Jehosheba Birva Pandya as Miriam as Miriam Kira Guloien as Rosa How to watch 'The Handmaid's Tale' "The Handmaid's Tale" is available to stream on Hulu. Hulu offers membership options ranging from $9.99 a month to $18.99 a month for normal streaming services, and $82.99 a month to $95.99 a month for plans with streaming and live TV. New users can also sign up for a free trial. Watch every season of The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘The Handmaid's Tale' showrunners on the unattainable finale reunion: ‘It was heartbreaking'
This article contains spoilers for the series finale of 'The Handmaid's Tale.' 'The Handmaid's Tale' ended in the early days of a new beginning, but with a battle that is still far from over. Is it hopeful? Time will tell. After a planted bomb on a plane exploded and killed some of the top commanders of Gilead, the Hulu drama concluded Tuesday with June (Elisabeth Moss) and company figuring out a path forward as the occupation of the U.S. by the totalitarian regime begins to be dismantled, with liberation taking hold first in Boston and other parts in the Northeast. June, though, won't rest until freedom reaches Colorado, where her eldest daughter, Hannah, is living under the regime. While June's central mission throughout the series has been to reunite with her daughter, the series ends with only the hope that it will someday happen. An emotional cliffhanger tied to logistics — a spin-off sequel titled 'The Testaments,' based on the novel written by 'The Handmaid's Tale' author Margaret Atwood, in the aftermath of the show's success, will launch later this year and focus on June's daughter, who was renamed Agnes by her new family, and the other young women of Gilead. Like the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel it's based on, 'The Handmaid's Tale' provided a startling and harrowing look at what can happen when unchecked power and a totalitarian mindset, combined with religious extremism and social engineering designed to strip women of their autonomy, become codified. It was never supposed to feel like real life. But Yahlin Chang and Eric Tuchman — longtime series writers who took over as showrunners for the final season from co-creator Bruce Miller, who has pivoted to adapting 'The Testaments' — are aware that some viewers see similarities between the fictional cautionary tale and reality. The Times spoke with Chang and Tuchman about the real world parallels and bringing the series to its conclusion with Miller, who wrote the finale. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation. June returns to the Waterford home where she records her monologue, a callback to what we hear in the very first episode. Was that always envisioned as the closing scene? Chang: Originally, Bruce envisioned it as the penultimate scene, but it became the ultimate scene because it became so clear, in my head anyway, that June was telling the story to Hannah and for Hannah, and that the whole series we've been watching has actually been her story to Hannah. Given that our hands were tied, unfortunately, and we could not bring June and Hannah together because of 'The Testaments,' which was something that we really struggled with — I struggled with, speaking for myself — not giving people what they wanted or what I wanted, the idea of her telling the story to Hannah was just so emotionally captivating. I don't think that Bruce was so worried about not seeing Hannah. There's this whole sequel that focuses on Hannah. And Lizzie had a big part of this too; she influenced the writing of this scene between June and Holly [June's mother, portrayed by Cherry Jones], where it evolved into a scene where Holly says, 'This story is for the people who have lost, who have not gotten their children back; this is for them.' Tuchman: Knowing we couldn't reunite June and Hannah, it was heartbreaking because we're certainly aware of how much the audience was longing for that. It seemed to be what was driving June over the course of the whole series. But once we found out that we couldn't do that, that there was that boundary that we had to respect, when I think about it now, it shifted what her emotional engine became: What does it mean to keep going when you don't get what you want and what you are hoping for, and what if that might never happen? It actually feels like a really powerful message now — that you keep going; you never stop loving and hoping and wishing and dreaming and whatever obstacles come your way, certainly as a parent, you're going to do whatever it takes to keep moving forward. Just to see Lizzie climbing those recreated steps of the Waterford house to Offred's room and to end up sitting in that window seat in that iconic pose, felt like such an almost overwhelmingly emotional experience because it's a complete full circle. News broke in 2018 that Margaret was writing 'The Testaments.' It had been in development as a sequel series, but an official order from Hulu didn't arrive until April of this year. When did it become clear that you needed to shift how you wrapped 'The Handmaid's Tale'? Tuchman: If I'm remembering correctly, Bruce got an early look at that manuscript, so we knew pretty early on about this concern that we might not be able to reunite them. I think Hulu was very enthusiastic about trying to produce a sequel series, so the restriction about Hannah, we knew about by Season 4. We never stopped thinking about ways around it. Certainly this season, we had many pitches — and Yahlin had fantastic pitches, especially — about how to maybe satisfy that reunion without quite really reuniting them. Care to share one of those pitches? Chang: Just as a mom myself, I kept thinking about, 'What could I do, knowing that there's the sequel.' I had pitched a couple deep flash forwards, like deep into the future. So it's like 'The Testaments' would have had to run for like 30 years. But I totally understand why we couldn't do it. What we get is June continuing the fight because, as she says, they are never going to stop coming and not fighting is what brought about Gilead and it needs to be broken. Do you consider the ending a triumphant one? Is this a victory for June? Chang: I think it's triumphant because she survived and she's still fighting. But it's bittersweet because she doesn't get what she wants. It's like life. The power of the show has always been that it's like life. I know Bruce very much didn't want the finale to feel like [raises voice to sound more authoritative], 'This is a television series finale.' He wanted to feel like this is what happens the next day. And I think you get that sense that we are dropping in on these characters on this day. When it came to the rebellion, how did you think about what that would look and feel? People on social media were saying they were hoping for another red wedding; for the men to experience torture and suffering. We got some of that, but not to a high degree. Chang: Well, because there is a very famous 'Game of Thrones' episode called 'Red Wedding,' I never wanted it to be a red wedding like that. Full disclosure, I did originally envision seeing a bunch of murders, but honestly, we didn't have the time or the money to shoot them. It's a question that you do always have with producing television, when you have a world of limited time and limited budget: How do you most effectively tell the story? It felt like what you want is this very satisfying murder that June does of a very vile, satisfying character, [Commander Bell], which is part of the reason we cast Tim Simons. When we actually [conceived of] Bell from the very beginning, we used Tim as a model. Tuchman: We called him Jonah in the room because of 'Veep.' We couldn't call him Jonah Bell eventually, but that was his name in the room. Eric, with Episode 9, was there a lot of debate over how to deal with these commanders? Was it always going to be death by a bomb on a plane? Tuchman: It was an idea that we came up with very early on when we were first breaking the season. I think I mentioned it one day in the room. I know for sure that I pitched Lawrence bringing this bomb on. I think I also pitched Nick showing up unexpectedly at the same time. That was something that we were aiming for as a big tentpole event later on in the season. To take a step back to talk about the revolution on the show, I think people may, deservedly, have wanted more bloodlust, but you have to remember what show this is. We wanted to stay true to the kind of storytelling that has been representative of the show, a very character-driven, emotional experience, which is not to say we haven't had spectacle and we haven't had action. We wanted to provide just enough of that in the in the ninth episode, where you see the uprising happen and ignite, but also remain true to June's point of view. We don't typically leave her to go off into other events. But what was very satisfying for me, and what I think we really accomplished this season, is getting June and Moira [Samira Wiley] back in that handmaid's outfit, back to the beginning. It had to be the handmaids to take down Boston. It's 'The Handmaid's Tale' — June had to be vital, essential in that uprising. She had her very last opportunity to spark the revolution, she grabbed it on that execution stage and she did it. What did you and the writers want out of the Serena [Yvonne Strahovski] and Aunt Lydia [Ann Dowd] arcs? They were significant players to the harm women faced in Gilead. What was the conversation on what justice or redemption looked like for them? Chang: We never talked in terms of what is their redemption arc. Those are characters who have willful blindness to what's going on, and it was about how do you crack open their eyes to see the truth, then how would they react to it? In our show, the thing is that our villains suffer not from being inhuman, but being too human. They have all the insecurities and fears and weaknesses of humans. For Serena, it's this narcissism and self-justification. For Lydia, it's also that she's justifying everything by saying it's God. As the seasons went on, it was about peeling those away so that they could finally see the truth. Once they saw the truth, we felt like they would probably do the right thing as long as they understood how horrible it was what they were doing. Tuchman: One thing we always talk about is one of the virtues of June is that she can see the humanity in everyone — at least, she hopes to touch the humanity even in the most despicable characters. It's through June's influence, ultimately, that she breaks through to Lydia in Yahlin's episode. She's speaking in a heartfelt, genuine way, woman to woman, and opens Lydia's eyes. In the following episode, there's the scene between June and Serena, where Serena has to give up the information that's going to take down that plane; you see June using Serena's own devotion to God and to her child to wake up and realize there's no hiding anymore from what's the right thing to do. It's that influence from our central character that really transforms these two other women. In their final exchange, Serena apologizes for what she's done and June forgives her. Were there different iterations of that exchange? Chang: The first draft of [Episode] 10 did not bring the June-Serena scene to that place of forgiveness, but it felt important that we get to a milestone in their relationship in the final episode. That's all Serena has been after. Like it or not, she has been seeing June as her vehicle for redemption and really needs it and really cares about this relationship. She's so desperate for it, and then June grants the forgiveness as like a gift, and also because of what she [Serena] did in Episode 9. You spoke earlier about willful blindness, and it made me think about Nick [Max Minghella]. I struggled with making sense of this character that I thought I knew and the decisions he made in the end. But maybe it speaks to my willfull blindness. Tuchman: We are very aware that people are very invested in the Nick-June relationship, for good reason. Max Minghella is so compelling and charismatic. He has unbelievable chemistry with Lizzie. And Nick, as a character, has been her savior time and again. He provided a source of love and comfort for her. He stuck his neck out to help with Hannah. He's done all those wonderful things and that's what June has seen; she has not chosen to think about what he might be up to when he's not helping her out. I would just like to remind all of us of a few things that played on-screen because, granted, we didn't show a lot of his life off-screen away from June, but we did hear in Season 3 that the Swiss delegation refused to speak to Nick because he's a war criminal who can't be trusted. He rose from being a driver to a commander. They don't just dole out those promotions too easily. And on top of all that, he's been given many opportunities to come to the light and be free and live in Canada. And he chose not to. What we wanted to do this season is have June — and the audience — be confronted with who this person is for real and realize there is no such thing as a good Nazi, even if that Nazi might be adorable and helpful when you need him. I understand that people are upset, but we were just trying to be honest. We gave Nick one last chance before he decides to get on that plane that seals his fate and tells us is he going to be all in with Gilead or is he going to decide to turn around and call Mark Tuello [Sam Jaeger] and say, 'Come get me.' He doesn't. That's true to his character. He's got the safety and the status that he wants in Gilead. To me, he's been a consistent character. He's been who he is all along and we, like June, were swept away and didn't see the truth about him. Chang: Nick chose every day to be a commander. We're getting to the idea that people aren't all good or all bad, they exist in shades of gray. Also, the idea that him betraying the plan to Wharton, at that moment, it wasn't like, 'Oh, Nick's been a hero, and then suddenly he makes this decision and he's evil.' He figured out the odds and he was under emotional distress and he couldn't come up with something else, except for the truth, because Wharton had put together so many pieces. He made a split-second decision that, in retrospect, was maybe the wrong one. He's human. It's not like suddenly he's your mustache-twirling [villain]. He's the same person he's been throughout. Commander Lawrence's story comes full circle in a way. He is an architect of Gilead and makes the ultimate sacrifice to bring about its downfall by getting on that plane with the bomb. Chang: Lawrence, from the very beginning, was this very enigmatic figure. He was an architect of Gilead. The way we envisioned him was as this obscure economics professor tooling away in the corner of a university. His ideas were basically taken by Gilead and taken seriously and it was exciting for him to remake the world. He really felt that he saved humanity. He never believed in the God stuff, but he did believe that the God stuff and the religion stuff was very helpful in terms of getting people to comply because they needed more of a spiritual reason to comply with Gilead. And what he did worked. But of course, he has had these huge regrets. He was playing both sides. He's both a commander, but then to feel good about himself and to feel OK, he's voting the right way, secretly doing these other things. What we show is that he can't exist with a foot in both worlds all the time. Tuchman: He's always said he wants to clean up his mess. He has a lot of guilt about what happened to his wife, Eleanor, who's a true love for him. He's been desperately trying to make New Bethlehem work, his idea of a kinder, gentler Gilead, and then finds that he was duped by his fellow commanders and his pet project was nothing but an ambush to entrap more refugees. At the plane, he's presented with an opportunity to strike back against these guys who've betrayed him and who are horrific and will end up brutalizing and massacring a bunch of people if he doesn't stop them. Then they show up and he has a chance to concoct some excuse to get out of it, but I feel at that point, he rises to the occasion and sees that this is a practical way to make a genuine difference — if he can stop these militant aggressors and do something to dent Gilead, to help break Gilead, he's going to take it. The series was developed in the Obama era, but it is often discussed in the context of the Trump administration. It's invoked on social media as people repost or comment on the headlines of today — whether about women being charged for having miscarriages, the overturning of Roe [vs. Wade], deportations or lawsuits against the press. You've said before that the goal with the show is not to make a statement about current politics, but aren't politics inherent to the story? Chang: It's so scary because every day — even just yesterday, I was reading about these conservative proposals to get parents to stay home with their kids, and we're meaning really moms to stay home with their kids; it's like something we would make up. It's this weird thing, when people watch a TV show that you made, you really want it to feel real and not made-up. That's the No. 1 goal. It's weird to have the world and current politics as it stands help us in that goal. The truth is the world of 'The Handmaid's Tale' in Gilead is incredibly weird and unlikely. It feels like if Eric and I had just gone in and pitched it, 'All right, there's going be these handmaids in red rose, and there's going to be a ceremony ...' and there was no book, we would be laughed out of the room because it sounds so crazy. But it became this iconic book because it speaks to some really dark undercurrents and elements in our world involving misogyny, the oppression of women and fascist desires. There's that Margaret Atwood quote that defines the whole show that we use, which is, 'Nothing changes instantaneously. In a gradually heating bathtub, you'd be boiled to death before you know it.' Because that's true, you do need novels, shows, movies and plays that jolt you out of that, where you go, 'Wait, this isn't OK. This could be leading somewhere bad.' I didn't realize when I started working on this show that I would have fewer rights than I do now. Even I, in Season 2 in 2017, was like Roe vs. Wade will never be overturned. Even working on the show, I'm continually shocked. It has to do with what we were talking about before with Nick and normalizing fascism. He has been a fascist this whole time, but we so normalized him and made him a romantic hero that we forgot. We do have this tendency to continually normalize every outrageous thing that happens. I've joked with Eric that if people call the show a cautionary tale, then we really failed in our mission to be a cautionary tale because life is worse now than it was before. Tuchman: I remember when we first started the writers' room in Season 1, this was 2016, and I thought, 'Oh, we're adapting this great, classic piece of literature,' which was known as speculative fiction about a dystopia, and we just wanted to tell the best version of that story as a TV show. Suddenly the show that might have been a cautionary tale became a reflection of our real world and our country, and it was a very different vibe. It became, like it or not, a cultural touchstone for what was going on in the country. The fact that we've come around and, by the end of the show, I can't even say back where we started, I dare say we are worse than where we started. We have failed miserably, if we were at all meant to be the cautionary tale, because enough people were not watching, listening and absorbing and thinking hard enough, in my opinion, about the dangers of not addressing the warning signs. I don't know what it says about us as a nation if more than half of the voters decided that they were OK with with this slide away from democracy. If the show has taught us anything, it has taught us that freedom is precious and democracy is fragile. Chang: People are saying, 'Is it a ripped-from-the-headlines kind of thing where you read stuff and then you would put it in the show?' The answer to that is no. What's really scary about it is that we were just imagining the worst of the worst of what could happen if you have the wrong people in power, then the world kept catching up to it. The more that authoritarianism is seeming to creep into our world, there's a part of me that's like, 'Oh God, are Eric and I are going to end up on the wall?' I was never scared about that before.
