Jump to content

The Handmaid's Tale (TV series): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Line 85: Line 85:
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|Title = Offred
|Title = [https://www.hulu.com/watch/1067334 Offred]
|DirectedBy = [[Reed Morano]]
|DirectedBy = [[Reed Morano]]
|WrittenBy = Bruce Miller
|WrittenBy = Bruce Miller
Line 94: Line 94:
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|Title = Birth Day
|Title = [https://www.hulu.com/watch/1069120 Birth Day]
|DirectedBy = Reed Morano
|DirectedBy = Reed Morano
|WrittenBy = Bruce Miller
|WrittenBy = Bruce Miller
Line 103: Line 103:
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|Title = Late
|Title = [https://www.hulu.com/watch/1069121 Late]
|DirectedBy = Reed Morano
|DirectedBy = Reed Morano
|WrittenBy = Bruce Miller
|WrittenBy = Bruce Miller

Revision as of 01:12, 27 April 2017

The Handmaid's Tale
GenreDrama
Dystopian fiction
Created byBruce Miller
Based onThe Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producers
ProducersMargaret Atwood
Elisabeth Moss[1]
Production locationToronto, Ontario
Running time47–57 minutes
Production companies
  • MGM Television
  • White Oak Pictures
  • The Littlefield Company
  • Daniel Wilson Productions, Inc.
Original release
NetworkHulu
ReleaseApril 26, 2017 (2017-04-26) –
present

The Handmaid's Tale is an American television series created by Bruce Miller based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. It was ordered by streaming service Hulu with a straight-to-series order of 10 episodes, with the production beginning in late 2016.

The first three episodes of the series premiered April 26, 2017, with subsequent episodes added on a weekly basis.[2] In Canada, the series will be broadcast by Bravo, beginning with the first two episodes premiering on April 30.[3]

Plot

In a dystopian near-future, the totalitarian and Christian fundamentalist government of Gilead rules the former United States amidst an ongoing civil war and subjugates women, who are not allowed to work, control money, or even read. Widespread infertility due to environmental contamination has resulted in the conscription of young fertile women—called Handmaids, according to biblical precedent—who are assigned to the homes of the elite, where they must have ritualized sex with the men in order to become pregnant and bear children for those men and their wives.

The main character, Offred, is the Handmaid assigned to an elite Commander and his wife, and as such is subject to the strictest rules and constant scrutiny; an improper word or deed on her part can lead to her execution. Offred, so named because her master is named Fred, can remember the "time before", when she was married with a daughter and had her own name, but all she can safely do now is follow the rules of Gilead in hope that she can someday live free.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byTeleplay byOriginal release date
1"Offred"Reed MoranoBruce MillerApril 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)
2"Birth Day"Reed MoranoBruce MillerApril 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)
3"Late"Reed MoranoBruce MillerApril 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)

Production

A straight-to-series order by Hulu of The Handmaid's Tale was announced in April 2016, with Elisabeth Moss set to star.[4] Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, the series was created by Bruce Miller, who is also an executive producer with Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, and Warren Littlefield.[4] Atwood served as consulting producer,[4] and had a small cameo role.[5] In June 2016, Reed Morano was announced as director of the series.[6] Samira Wiley, Max Minghella, and Ann Dowd joined the cast in July 2016.[7][8][9] Joseph Fiennes, Madeline Brewer and Yvonne Strahovski were cast in August 2016,[10][11][12] followed by O.T. Fagbenle and Amanda Brugel in September 2016.[13][14] In October 2016, Ever Carradine joined the cast,[15] and Alexis Bledel was added in January 2017.[16]

Filming on the series took place in Toronto and Hamilton from September 2016 to February 2017.[17] The first full trailer of the TV series was released by Hulu on YouTube on March 23, 2017.[18] The series premiered on April 26, 2017.[19]

Reception

The Handmaid's Tale has received acclaim from television critics. On Metacritic, it has a score of 92 out of 100 based on 33 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[20] The series has a 98% approval rating Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 9.09 out of 10 based on 42 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Haunting and vivid, The Handmaid's Tale is an endlessly engrossing adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel that's anchored by a terrific central performance from Elisabeth Moss."[21] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called it "probably the spring's best new show and certainly its most important."[22] Jen Chaney of Vulture gave it a highly positive review, and wrote that it is "A faithful adaptation of the book that also brings new layers to Atwood's totalitarian, sexist world of forced surrogate motherhood" and that "this series is meticulously paced, brutal, visually stunning, and so suspenseful from moment to moment that only at the end of each hour will you feel fully at liberty to exhale."[23]

References

  1. ^ Onstad, Katrina (April 20, 2017). "'The Handmaid's Tale': A Newly Resonant Dystopia Comes to TV". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  2. ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (March 23, 2017). "'The Handmaid's Tale' Gets Disturbing Full Trailer, Three-Episode Premiere". Screen Crush. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  3. ^ Yeo, Debra (March 27, 2017). "The Handmaid's Tale finally gets Canadian distributor". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (April 29, 2016). "Elisabeth Moss To Star in Drama Series The Handmaid's Tale On Hulu". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  5. ^ Atwood, Margaret (March 10, 2017). "Margaret Atwood on What The Handmaid's Tale Means in the Age of Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  6. ^ Jafaar, Ali (June 22, 2016). "Reed Morano in Talks To Direct The Handmaid's Tale Starring Elisabeth Moss For Hulu". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  7. ^ Roshanian, Arya (July 25, 2016). "Orange Is the New Black's Samira Wiley Joins Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale". Variety. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  8. ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 25, 2016). "Samira Wiley Joins Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  9. ^ Petski, Denise (July 15, 2016). "Max Minghella & Ann Dowd Join The Handmaid's Tale Drama Series on Hulu". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  10. ^ Prudom, Laura (August 23, 2016). "Joseph Fiennes to Star in The Handmaid's Tale for Hulu". Variety. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  11. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (August 19, 2016). "Hulu's Handmaid's Tale Adds Madeline Brewer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 29, 2016). "Yvonne Strahovski To Star in Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (September 7, 2016). "The Handmaid's Tale Casts O-T Fagbenle; Sofia Wylie Joins Andi Mack". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  14. ^ Petski, Denise (September 28, 2016). "The Handmaid's Tale Casts Amanda Brugel; Jemar Michael Joins Dear White People". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  15. ^ Pederson, Erik (October 27, 2016). "Ever Carradine Books Role On Handmaid's Tale; Sibo Mlambo To Recur On Teen Wolf". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 5, 2017). "Alexis Bledel Joins New Hulu Series The Handmaid's Tale As Recurring". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  17. ^ Bailey, Katie (June 7, 2016). "The Handmaid's Tale to shoot in Toronto". Playback. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  18. ^ "The Handmaid's Tale Trailer (Official)". YouTube. May 23, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  19. ^ Petski, Denise (December 16, 2016). "The Handmaid's Tale Gets Spring Premiere Date on Hulu". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  20. ^ "The Handmaid's Tale : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  21. ^ "The Handmaid's Tale: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  22. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (April 13, 2017). "'The Handmaid's Tale': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  23. ^ Chaney, Jen (April 13, 2017). "Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale Is Your Must-Watch Show This Spring". Vulture. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Handmaid%27s_Tale_(TV_series)&oldid=777411909"