‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Will Come To Australia, However, Fans Will Have To Wait Until July

Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has been a huge success so far. However, Australian fans have been left wondering if they will ever get to see the dystopian series as Hulu is not available in their region.

Even though only four episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale have aired on Hulu, already there is talk of the series being renewed for Season 2. For fans of the book series, this is exciting news as it means the world created in Margaret Atwood’s book could be expanded exponentially if Hulu commissions a second season. But, for fans in Australia, this only meant that the agony of not even knowing if they will ever be able to view the first season was exacerbated.

However, a recent announcement by Australia’s SBS network has fans excited to learn they will finally get to view The Handmaid’s Tale. SBS will screen Season 1 in its entirety via their On Demand service beginning July 6.

So, yes, fans will be able to start counting down on their calendar until July 6 and they can finally check out what all the hype is about. It is a long wait though, especially considering, by then, Hulu will have aired all the episodes of Season 1 of The Handmaid’s Tale and the hype on social media will have likely waned. It is also tricky for potential Australian fans who will have to negotiate their favorite social media platforms without risking potential spoilers — especially during the Season 1 finale.

The finale of Season 1 of The Handmaid’s Tale will likely air on June 14, based on the current airing schedule on Hulu. This will give Australian fans a further three weeks to wait until they can watch the series. This is likely due to Hulu’s exclusivity contract, meaning fans will have to wait until this period passes and SBS is able to air the series.

The good news is, though, that Australian fans will be able to curl up and binge on the entire first season of The Handmaid’s Tale thanks to SBS sending the whole season straight to its On Demand service. This also means that Australians will be able to watch The Handmaid’s Tale for free.

“Few shows launch with as much unanimous praise by critics and viewers alike as The Handmaid’s Tale. Already, critics are talking about the series as one of the best of 2017, preparing to put it on their end of year best lists. The good news is that every episode of the shows first season is coming to Australia from Thursday, 6 July, streaming exclusively on SBS On Demand where it joins the SBS library of premium world-class drama.”

You can view the official synopsis for Season 1 of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale below.

“The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalism in its militarized ‘return to traditional values.’ As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the castes of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate the world. In this terrifying society, Offred must navigate between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead – all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.”

The trailer for Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale is below.

Are you excited to find out Australia will get to see Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale? Let us know by commenting below.

The Handmaid’s Tale is currently airing exclusively on Hulu from April 26. SBS On Demand will screen all episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale in Australia from Thursday, July 6.

[Featured Image by Hulu]