The Handmaid’s Tale has just set an official date for its return to Hulu, along with a teaser for its final season. The sixth outing for the Elisabeth Moss-led series, based on the original books by Margaret Atwood, is going to premiere on Hulu on April 8. Earlier this week, one of the show’s stars, O-T Fagbenle (who plays Luke in The Handmaid’s Tale), made the announcement via social media that production on Season 6 had wrapped.

Production on the final season began back in September, which was almost two years after the finale of the fifth season. It’s another example of a show that takes far too long to tell a story, but hey, it’s here now so let’s be grateful for that. The final season of the series introduced some creative shifts, with executive producers Erich Tuchman and Yahlin Chang taking over as co-showrunners. The transition came after creator Bruce Miller stepped back from showrunning duties to focus on developing The Testaments, a sequel series. Like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments is adapted from Atwood’s novel of the same name but takes place 15 years later.

Is ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Any Good?

The Handmaid’s Tale has been widely acclaimed since its debut on Hulu in 2017. The first season won eight Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, making it the first streaming series to win that category. It also earned a Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama. However, reception did change somewhat as the show moved further away from Atwood’s book.

Collider‘s review of the fifth season praised it for the heavy hitting drama, but did warn viewers that it would be a difficult watch as the characters go through some supremely painful and uncomfortable moments of suffering throughout the show.

All in all, Season 5 is full of scarce highs and really low lows, lots of heavy-hitting drama, and emotional scenes. Some of the biggest events of this season lead to some pretty uncomfortable viewing, but viewers who stick with it will be rewarded with some huge moments that will have repercussions for the final season. In the end, that’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from The Handmaid’s Tale, isn’t it?

The Handmaid’s Tale will return to Hulu for its final season on April 8.

via Collider