The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Release Date Pushed Back
by EG
The next season of The Handmaid's Tale will get a later-than-usual start this, and there's a good reason for the delay: the spring premiere of another giant series could steal The Handmaid's Tale's thunder if it released at its usual time. Read on for details.
This June, it's all about June (Elisabeth Moss).
Hulu's Emmy-winning The Handmaid's Tale will return for its third season on June 5 with three brand new episodes, the streaming service announced Monday at TCA. It's the latest start yet for the flagship Hulu series, from creator Bruce Miller and based on Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name, since it first premiered in 2017. The two previous seasons of the dystopian drama launched in the month of April.
On a practical level, the late premiere date pushes The Handmaid's Tale season three out of contention for the 2019 Emmy Awards, with June 1 as the eligibility cut-off date. (The last six episodes of season two will still be eligible in some inpidual categories — like direction — but cannot be considered for best drama series even though they aired between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019.) What's more, it keeps the story of Offred/June clear of another genre giant: Game of Thrones. One imagines the April 14 launch of the record-breaking HBO epic's final season as a factor in Hulu's decision-making, given the lightning rod quality surrounding all things Westeros, especially as it prepares to unfold its episodes.
In speaking with reporters Monday at TCA, Hulu senior vp originals Craig Erwich stressed that the delay had everything to do with maintaining the quality of The Handmaid's Tale. "Maintaining the quality of The Handmaid's Tale, which is impeccable, takes time," he told reporters. "We wanted to give the show enough time to maintain the incredibly high standards of storytelling set in seasons one and two. The season three episodes — all of them — [will be] eligible for the Emmy body when the show is qualified." Asked by THR specifically if the delay had anything do with avoiding Game of Thrones, the exec said it didn't. "No it doesn't," he said. "We wanted to give the show as much time as possible to maintain the quality that it has."
The third season of Handmaid's Tale stands ready to follow June into a new life where she's free from the shackles of being Offred, if not quite free from Gilead itself. In the season two finale, June faced her best opportunity for escape yet, but opted to stay behind in the land that used to be known as America. The reason: Hannah (Jordana Blake), June's young daughter, is still living somewhere in Gilead.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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