What year does 'The Handmaid's Tale' take place? We asked the experts.
When The Handmaid’s Tale returns for its second season on Hulu in April, the dystopian series will answer one of the major remaining questions in Margaret Atwood’s seminal 1985 novel: Where does Offred (played by newly minted Golden Globe winner Elisabeth Moss) end up after she leaves the Waterford residence? But one mystery will likely remain — namely, in what year does the theocratic Republic of Gilead sweep away democratic America? Atwood never specified whether her tale was set in the past, present or future and showrunner Bruce Miller is following suit. Not that he doesn’t have his own ideas. “My theory is always close to the present,” Miller told Yahoo Entertainment on the Golden Globes red carpet. “The more you feel connected to when it’s taking place — the more real it feels — the scarier it is.”
Moss’s co-star Ann Dowd, who plays the tyrannical Aunt Lydia, echoes the sentiments of her boss. “We’re playing it as though it’s contemporary; it’s now.” Executive producer Warren Littlefield also sees some uncomfortable parallels to the present in the series, particularly with regard to the current occupant of the White House. “Unfortunately, we’re reminded every day how truly relevant Margaret Atwood’s work is.” Does he hope Donald Trump watches the series? “I look forward to hearing that he has,” Littlefield replies, diplomatically.
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