If you loved
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood · Book · 2017
What hooked you in The Handmaid's Tale was the way systemic oppression forces individuals to navigate the brutal intersection of personal survival and political resistance.
Start with the source
The source
The Handmaid's Tale
Bruce Miller · Series · 2017
Films on the same thread
Mad Max: Fury Road
George Miller · Film · 2015
Much like the female resistance found in The Handmaid's Tale, this film follows a woman who rebels against a tyrannical ruler to reclaim her agency in a desolate, unforgiving landscape.
Wonder Woman
Patty Jenkins · Film · 2017
If you appreciated the moral clarity required to confront evil in The Handmaid's Tale, you will find a similar spirit in this journey through a world defined by war and conflict.
Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig · Film · 2017
While set in a different world than The Handmaid's Tale, this coming-of-age story captures the same intense struggle for identity and independence against the constraints of a restrictive environment.
Fahrenheit 451
François Truffaut · Film · 1966
This classic shares the core dystopian fear present in The Handmaid's Tale: the terrifying reality where a government maintains total control by stripping away individual thought and essential human freedoms.
Series on the same thread
The White Princess
Series · 2017
Fans of the power dynamics in The Handmaid's Tale will recognize the high-stakes political maneuvering and the precarious position of women trying to survive within a rigid, patriarchal royal hierarchy.
The Man in the High Castle
Frank Spotnitz · Series · 2015
This series mirrors the chilling totalitarian atmosphere of The Handmaid's Tale, exploring how ordinary people endure and resist in a society fundamentally altered by a foreign, oppressive regime.
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo
Tong Hua · Series · 2016
Like the protagonist of The Handmaid's Tale, this character finds herself trapped in a dangerous historical power structure, forced to navigate complex political intrigue to survive in a foreign time.
Humans
Jonathan Brackley · Series · 2015
This show explores the ethical dilemmas of a changing society, echoing the way The Handmaid's Tale questions how technological or social shifts can lead to the total erosion of human rights.
Podcasts on the same thread
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
If you were fascinated by the societal collapse depicted in The Handmaid's Tale, this deep dive into the patterns of human history provides a compelling look at how regimes rise and fall.
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network · Podcast · 2026
This podcast examines the moral ambiguity of those caught in the legal system, reflecting the same interest in human behavior and justice found within the pages of The Handmaid's Tale.
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Common questions
Is The Handmaid's Tale based on a book?
Yes, The Handmaid's Tale is a novel written by Margaret Atwood and published in 2017. The story is set in the near future within the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that emerged from the United States following social unrest and a declining birthrate.
Is The Handmaid's Tale a television series?
Yes, The Handmaid's Tale is a Hulu original series. It is an adaptation of the 2017 novel by Margaret Atwood, which depicts a near-future society known as the Republic of Gilead where the government enforces a repressive social structure in response to a falling birthrate.
What is the setting of The Handmaid's Tale?
The Handmaid's Tale is set in the near future in a region that was once the United States. It is now known as the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that formed as a reaction to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate among the population.
How does The Handmaid's Tale describe the Republic of Gilead?
The Handmaid's Tale describes the Republic of Gilead as a monotheocracy. This society was established in the former United States as a response to social unrest and a declining birthrate, resulting in a system that reverts to and goes beyond repressive control over its citizens.