The Handmaid's Tale is coming to an end with season 6, but many people don't want the series to end! According to a recent HELLO! poll, 1,100 fans voted that they would like to see more of the series, while 537 felt it was time for it to end. So why is the series ending when the majority of people would like it to continue with more seasons? Here's how…
The story has come to a natural conclusion
Showrunner Bruce Miller and the show's star, Elisabeth Moss, have both spoken about the show coming to its natural conclusion with season six. In a press release, Bruce said, “It has been a true honor to tell the story of Margaret Atwood's groundbreaking novel and its frighteningly relevant world, and we are thrilled to bring viewers a sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale.”
“We are grateful to Hulu and MGM for allowing us to tell this story, which has unfortunately remained as relevant as ever throughout its run, and we are in awe of our incredible fans and their unwavering support, without whom we would never have gotten to this point.”
He added to Digital Spy: “We're going to do it on our terms. That's something we can never achieve because of the way the business is set up. And more importantly, it's not something that anyone would offer to the audience.”
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Bruce confirmed that the ending was a long time coming, explaining, “I've been thinking about the ending since the beginning. I've been thinking about the ending of this story since I first read The Handmaid's Tale. It's one of those books where when you finish it, all you think about is the ending. So in terms of the story, we were able to stay pretty close to what we had in mind in the end from our initial discussions and what Lizzy and I had talked about and what Margaret and I had talked about.”
© Sophie Giraud
Elisabeth added: “I firmly believe that every story has a beginning and an end. The book is about the journey of this one woman. It's not about the whole war or the fall of Gilead. It's about these people in this moment. I don't think anything should go on like this forever. History shows that series may not be that good, but there are exceptions.”
The showrunner is working on a sequel
Bruce is not working on the final season of The Handmaid's Tale as he is focused on producing the upcoming sequel series The Testaments, based on Margaret Atwood's follow-up novel and following Nick and June's daughter Nichole approximately six years in the future of The Handmaid's Tale.
© Sophie Giraud
The series is being developed by Hulu and Elisabeth spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about the series: “We're definitely talking about 'The Testaments', I'm definitely going to be involved in 'The Testaments'. In what capacity, I can't say. But I'm definitely going to be involved in some capacity. It's been one of the most creatively fulfilling experiences of my life making this series.”
“I'm very grateful that we can do 'The Testaments' so that I don't have to say goodbye to the world of the show and all the people who make it – that's a great consolation prize. I haven't even started to think about [saying goodbye to June]Honestly, I'm just focused on making this final season the best one yet.”
