The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 will bring the dystopian drama to what promises to be an intense conclusion and here’s how to re-watch seasons 1-5 so you’re ready.
Based on Margaret Attwood’s best-selling novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale had the tricky task of bringing this dynamic and complex story to life on screen – and it rose magnificently to the challenge. The first season debuted in 2017 and now fans are preparing to return to the chilling dystopian world of Gilead for one final time. Having gone past the book storyline, The Handmaid’s Tale has been taking its own path as June Osborn (Elisabeth Moss) remains determined to bring down the oppressive theocratic dictatorship once and for all. She’s got plenty of allies on her side but also a lot to lose with her daughter Hannah still there.
The previous season aired back in 2022 and now that the season 6 trailer has finally dropped, many people might be wondering again how to watch The Handmaid’s Tale so they can remind themselves where we left June in season 5. Here we reveal all and explain when you’ll be able to watch the final season too.
How to watch The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 in the UK
In recent years it hasn’t been as easy to watch The Handmaid’s Tale in the UK as it once was, as the show is not currently available to watch via Channel 4’s catch-up service anymore. Instead, if you want to watch The Handmaid’s Tale seasons 1-5 you’ll have to either have an Amazon Prime subscription or watch it as you try out Prime’s 30 day free trial. All the previous seasons are currently available to stream or buy on Amazon Prime and after the free trial, the Amazon Prime subscription will auto renew for £8.99 a month, or £95 a year.
Unfortunately at the moment we don’t have a confirmed UK air date for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6. However, it’s expected to premiere jointly on Amazon Prime and Channel 4 as it did for season 5. It’s possible that Channel 4 could make the previous seasons available to catch-up on just before the final instalment premieres, but this is not certain or guaranteed to happen.
With The Handmaid’s Tale season 5, it landed in the US first in September 2022 and then premiered in October in the UK. If the new season follows this pattern fans might have to wait until late spring/early summer to see season 6.
How to watch The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 in the US
If you’re based in the US then you can watch The Handmaid’s Tale season 1-5 and, in due course, season 6 too, via Hulu. The final season of the intense drama is set to be released on Hulu on Tuesday 8th April 2025 and all the previous instalments are available to stream on the platform too. You can also watch The Handmaid’s Tale with a Hulu subscription through Disney+, and Hulu subscriptions vary in price and what the packages include, but the basic ad-supported plan costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
For those who prefer to purchase or rent specific episodes as they remind themselves of what happened to June and her fellow handmaidens and brush up on The Handmaid’s Tale book vs show differences, you can via Amazon Video or Apple TV. When the final season starts on Hulu, the first three episodes will drop at once. After that new episodes will drop weekly until the finale of The Handmaid’s Tale airs on 27th May.
How to watch The Handmaid’s Tale from anywhere
It doesn’t matter if you’re going to be overseas when you want to catch up on The Handmaid’s Tale seasons 1-5 or watch season 6 when it starts. You can still enjoy it as you normally would at home with the use of a VPN. This is a piece of software which allows you to change your IP address to make it look like you’re accessing streaming services from any country in the world.
Our sister site, TechRadar, has tested all of the major VPN services and they rate Nord as the absolute best. They say, “It’s compatible with all of your devices, supports most streaming services, and ranks among the fastest. You can even install it on devices like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. So for a one-stop-shop, you can’t go wrong with Express.”
If you’ve never installed a VPN before, don’t worry, it’s quick and easy. Just follow these three steps:
- Download and install the VPN following NordVPN’s easy-to-follow instructions.
- Once you’ve installed your VPN, open the app and select your server location as anywhere in the UK.
- With your VPN installed and server location set to UK or US, you can now watch The Handmaid’s Tale online.
(Image credit: Future)
Takeaways from The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 trailer
Fans’ patience was rewarded when The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 trailer dropped on 19th March and it teases a pretty intense final season. The trailer begins with June declaring, “For years we’ve been afraid of them. Now it’s time to be afraid of us”, as she gathers her allies for a full-scale rebellion to overthrow Gilead for good and reunite with her and Luke’s daughter Hannah.
The season 5 finale ended with her and her daughter Nichole coming across Serena Joy and her child on a train with the intention of leaving Canada. However, it seems that the two are once again in very different worlds. Serena has seemingly gone back to Gilead and in one scene she walks down the aisle wearing a blue wedding dress. She appears to have decided to become a wife to a Commander once more after Fred’s death.
Her second husband is a new character played by Josh Charles and wedded bliss doesn’t last forever as Serena can be heard screaming at him that he’s just like “them” later on in the trailer. However she felt she could make a difference by being back in Gilead, June’s approach is very different.
She is preparing to fight and her husband Luke is seen by her side at different points in the trailer. This is rather a surprise given that he was arrested at the end of season 5 after killing June’s would-be assassin. The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 will therefore reveal what happens to him and whether he manages to escape the authorities or is pardoned for this crime.
We also see handmaid Janine and Aunt Lydia in the trailer and on a romantic level, June is torn between her husband Luke and former lover Nick who have both risked a lot to help her over the seasons. The stakes couldn’t be higher and the anger, urgency and violence that permeate the trailer suggest that June and her fellow rebels will stop at nothing to topple the dictatorship.
