It’s been less than a year since the book was closed on The Handmaid’s Tale, and already a sequel is set to hit the 2026 TV schedule. The Testaments is another book-to-screen adaptation of a Margaret Atwood novel, with this story centering around the next generation. Chase Infiniti, the breakout star of last year’s One Battle After Another, stars as Agnes — the kidnapped daughter of June Osborne. Critics have seen the first season, so how do they think it holds up to its popular predecessor?
The Testaments series jumps ahead a few years from The Handmaid’s Tale’s series finale, where a teenaged Agnes is a student at Aunt Lydia’s prestigious preparatory school for future wives. Yes, that means Ann Dowd is back to reprise her role from the original series, and according to Lauren Thoman of The Wrap, she’s able to peel back even more of Lydia’s layers in what is essentially a YA version of the flagship show. The critic writes:
The Testaments also takes a more leisurely approach to its source material, covering only about a third of the book’s intertwined narrative in Season 1. It also makes significant departures in plot, shuffling around certain events, reimagining others and turning some completely on their heads, leaving plenty of runway for future seasons. … The Testaments moves by at an engaging pace, deftly jumping between its many intertwined subplots while thoughtfully exploring the nuanced relationships between its characters. By the time the series reaches its explosive and unexpected finale, it’s hard to not want to link pinkies with the girls of the Aunt Lydia School and join in their teenage rebellion.
Lacy Baugher of RogerEbert notes that the spinoff takes a less-violent approach to its dark subject matter, but The Testaments’ themes are no less complex, and its story is no less necessary than what The Handmaid’s Tale offered. The adaptation takes some liberties with the source material, but the spirit of the final product is “exactly right.” Baugher says:
Disturbingly relevant and brutal by turns, the series is as incisive and insightful as its predecessor. Here, the monstrousness of Gilead is dressed in the soft silks of privilege and the quiet comfort of ignorance, and resistance is grounded as much in solidarity and friendship as it is rage. The result is an unexpectedly powerful coming-of-age tale that offers a fresh, essential return to a universe many viewers likely thought had nothing new to say.
Tara Bennett of IGN gives it a “Good” 7 out of 10, calling it “Gossip Girl meets The Handmaid’s Tale,” and noting how disturbing it is to see the young women navigating teenage life in their patriarchal regime. Bennett's review says:
The Testaments is a relatively faithful adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s sequel novel of the same name. Like its predecessor series, The Handmaid’s Tale, this series is also beautifully produced and features a strong cast. Tonally, it takes some time to find its feet in following the day-to-day lives of its young Gilead women while the subject matter remains necessary – yet troubling – to watch.
Belen Edwards of Mashable says much of the grimness of its predecessor remains in The Testaments, but it also has new power. Its focus on a new generation through the use of YA tropes may bring The Handmaid’s Tale’s important message to a younger audience. In Edwards’ words:
Between the messed-up marriage market and the disquieting school environment, The Testaments proves just as chilling as The Handmaid's Tale, but far more reserved in its depiction of atrocities. There is the occasional scene of harsh punishment, but no graphic depictions of sexual violence. The restraint is a welcome departure from the original series, and it's also one of The Testaments' greatest strengths: proof that seeing a sinister ideology take root can be more effective than a violent scene played for shock value.
Not all of the critics are as happy. Daniel Fienberg of THR says he doesn’t think it’s possible to watch the spinoff without having seen the predecessor. And while it’s different enough from the first Margaret Atwood adaptation, there’s not enough to make it truly distinctive. Fienberg continues:
There are terrific performances here, from budding star Chase Infiniti, up-and-comers like Lucy Halliday and Mattea Conforti, and known commodities like Ann Dowd and Amy Seimetz. But there’s something creatively suffocated about The Testaments, from the endless references to events featured in The Handmaid’s Tale to the cameos by key Handmaid’s figures to the various recycled archetypes to 10 episodes spent withholding a revelation I’m convinced every single Handmaid’s viewer will have already guessed.
Christina Izzo of AV Club gives it a C+, writing that Chase Infiniti gives a commendable performance, but with The Handmaid’s Tale ending less than a year ago, the message related to issues like women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive rights feels more redundant than relevant. The critic says:
The primary issue with The Testaments is the same one that ultimately plagued The Handmaid’s Tale, which followed its fantastic, Emmy-winning first season with progressively inferior installments that moved further away from the source material: It’s based on a single book. And because this Hulu drama hasn’t been billed as a limited series, it not only means Hulu will inevitably stretch beyond the original text but also that this first season spends a little too much time getting to the point. There’s a lot of world-building across the season’s slow-moving ten episodes, which feels like a waste given how familiar even casual TV watchers are with the original series.
Well, you can’t please everybody, but the majority of critics seem to think The Testaments is a worthy and relevant follow-up to the previous hit Hulu series. It’s garnered a Certified Fresh 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
If this series sounds interesting enough to check out, the first three episodes will be available to stream on Wednesday, April 8, with a Hulu subscription. Episodes drop weekly thereafter.
