The Story Of Gilead Isn't Over: The Testaments Trailer & Release Date
by Explore Disney+ Contributor
April 2, 2026
Learn all about the Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel, including plot, cast, and streaming details
A new generation of women is about to rise up against Gilead’s oppressive regime. The Testaments follows a group of the state’s privileged young women, revealing new truths about Gilead from the inside. It’s a bold story of hope, friendship, and daring to challenge the system. Find out how the new show connects to The Handmaid’s Tale, meet the new and returning characters at the center of the story, and see where to stream every episode.
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Watch The Testaments Official Trailer
How To Stream The Testaments
When will The Testaments be released?
The show kicks off with a three-episode premiere on April 8 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.* New episodes will then drop weekly until the season finale on May 27.
How many episodes are there in The Testaments Season 1?
The first season has 10 gripping episodes.
What subscription do you need to watch The Testaments?
To watch the show on Disney+, you’ll need a bundle subscription that includes Hulu.* Read more about Disney+ bundles and what you can get with your subscription.
The Testaments: Everything You Need To Know
What is The Testaments about?
A defiant coming-of-age story set in Gilead, the show focuses on a group of privileged teenage daughters of commanders who are preparing to become wives to the state’s most powerful men. At the center of the story is Agnes (Chase Infiniti), the biological daughter of June / Offred from The Handmaid’s Tale. Agnes and her peers attend an elite “Wife School,” where Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) is training them to become obedient spouses.
Agnes grows up in seemingly idyllic circumstances, but her worldview begins to fracture when outsider Daisy arrives at the school. Amid typical teenage experiences like budding crushes and intense friendships, Agnes begins to reckon with a system that both benefits and harms her. A teen rebellion ignites, and Agnes becomes determined to free herself and her friends from their gilded cage.
As in The Handmaid’s Tale, the uprising of subjugated women is at the show’s core, though the tone is more optimistic, with vibrant visual storytelling. The show focuses on the power of friendship, lost innocence, and the ability of rebellion to change the world, as its main characters emerge as defiant lights in a dark system.
Is The Testaments a prequel or sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale show?
Set four years after the fall of Boston in the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale, the show follows a new generation of young women in the same dystopian world.
Is anyone from The Handmaid’s Tale in The Testaments?
Yes. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) returns as head of the elite preparatory school for future wives that Agnes and her friends attend. Nate Corddry stars as Agnes’ adoptive father, Commander MacKenzie (previously played by Jason Butler Harner in The Handmaid’s Tale).
Who is behind The Testaments?
Showrunner Bruce Miller adapted Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel for television, and Michael Stoyanov serves as a producer. Executive producers include Mike Barker, Fran Sears, Sheila Hockin, and more.
The Testaments Cast & Characters
Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd)
About The Character
Aunt Lydia was a key figure in The Handmaid’s Tale. In The Testaments, she has turned away from disciplining the handmaids, and now runs a school where she trains Gilead’s young, affluent women to become perfect wives. On the surface, she’s devoted to Gilead’s religious mission, but her intentions aren’t always what they seem. In The Testaments, we find out more about Aunt Lydia’s past, motivations, and plans for the future.
Where You've Seen Ann Dowd Before
A veteran character actor, Dowd delivered a masterful performance as Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale. The performance garnered her several Emmy® Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and one win in 2017. She also had a notable run on the supernatural drama The Leftovers.
Agnes (Chase Infiniti)
About The Character
Agnes, whose birth name was Hannah, is the biological daughter of June Osborne and Luke Bankole (O-T Fagbenle). Early in the rise of Gilead, she was taken from her parents and placed with the influential Commander MacKenzie and his wife. Now a teenager, Agnes is beginning to question the circumstances of her upbringing as well as Gilead’s values and methods.
Where You've Seen Chase Infiniti Before
Infiniti received a Golden Globe® nomination for her role as Willa in One Battle After Another and has also starred in the legal thriller show Presumed Innocent.
Daisy (Lucy Halliday)
About The Character
Daisy is a new arrival at Agnes’ school. Having moved from Canada, which is not under Gilead’s authoritarian rule, Daisy is notably different from the other girls. She and Agnes quickly grow close, and Daisy is the catalyst for the start of a new chapter in Agnes’ life.
Where You've Seen Lucy Halliday Before
Halliday played Lois in the movie Blue Jean (Hulu).
Becka (Mattea Conforti)
About The Character
Becka is one of Agnes’ friends at Aunt Lydia's School for Girls.
Where You've Seen Mattea Conforti Before
Conforti played Joe Proctor’s daughter, Elisa Marie, on Power (Hulu). She was also the voice of young Elsa in Frozen 2.
Shunammite (Rowan Blanchard)
About The Character
Shunammite is one of Agnes’ friends at Aunt Lydia's School for Girls.
Where You've Seen Rowan Blanchard Before
Blanchard played the lead in coming-of-age romance Crush (Hulu), Veronica Kiley in A Wrinkle in Time, and the titular girl, Riley, in Girl Meets World.
More Cast & Characters In The Testaments
The cast also includes Brad Alexander (You) as Garth, Amy Seimetz (Sweet Tooth) as Paula, and Nate Corddry (The Circle) as Commander MacKenzie.
Catch Up On The Handmaid’s Tale
Though The Testaments is a brand new story that can be enjoyed on its own, watching The Handmaid’s Tale sets the stage and provides a rich background for what’s to come.
Add The Handmaid’s Tale to Watchlist (login required) or learn more on Hulu.com
More Young Adult Shows & Dystopian Dramas
Tell Me Lies: Read our article on Season 3, add to Watchlist (login required), or learn more on Hulu.com
Paradise: Read our article on Season 2, add to Watchlist (login required), or learn more on Hulu.com
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Read our article on Season 2, add to Watchlist
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See More Scenes From The Testaments
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