Hulu just dropped the first three episodes of The Testaments, the follow-up series to The Handmaid‘s Tale. The show takes viewers back to Gilead, but with a major twist. The timeline is much closer to the original series than the book version. This change affects the ages of the two main characters, Agnes and Daisy, and even changes who Daisy really is.
The series is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ starting April 8, 2026. New episodes will come out every Wednesday until May 27, 2026. If you read Margaret Atwood‘s 2019 book, you will notice some big differences right away.
The Show‘s Timeline Is Only Four Years After The Handmaid‘s Tale
The biggest change between the book and the TV show is the time gap. Bruce Miller, the showrunner for both series, decided to set The Testaments just four years after the end of The Handmaid‘s Tale. This is very different from the book.
In Atwood‘s novel, the story takes place 15 years after the events of the first book. That long gap allowed the characters to grow up and become adults. But the TV show could not do that because of how The Handmaid‘s Tale series ended.
Miller explained this choice to The Hollywood Reporter. He said the team is following the main ideas of the book but had to change the timeline to make sense for the TV world.
“We‘re definitely trying to follow the overall story of the book, but the ins and outs of the actual storyline are difficult because characters are different ages, and we had to redefine the Daisy character to keep things practical in our world.” – Bruce Miller, Showrunner
Agnes Is 14 Years Old When The Series Begins
In the Hulu series, Agnes is 14 years old. The actress who plays her, Chase Infiniti, shared this detail in an interview. She was 24 when filming started and turned 25 during production.
Chase talked about how she prepared for the role. She wanted to capture what it feels like to be a young teenager.
“I really tried to tap into what it was like being 14, 15, and to bring that mindset and that excitement to life itself to her. [I tried] making sure that she‘s staying grounded, but also staying very hopeful and youthful and bright in the world, because it‘s hard not to be.” – Chase Infiniti
She added that viewers will see Agnes go through normal 14-year-old experiences. But at the same time, the character starts to realize that her life is not what she was told it would be.
In the book, Agnes is much older. She is a young woman who becomes an Aunt and takes the name Aunt Victoria. The 15-year time jump in the novel allows her to go through training and reach adulthood.
Daisy Is Also A Teenager But With A Different Identity
Daisy is played by Lucy Halliday, who was about 21 during filming. In the show, Daisy appears to be around 15 to 16 years old. This is similar to the book, where Daisy is also about that age.
But here is the major difference. In Margaret Atwood‘s book, Daisy is actually Nicole, the daughter of June and Nick. She was the baby who got smuggled out of Gilead as an infant. The whole story revolves around her going back to Gilead to save her half-sister Agnes.
The TV show changes this completely. Daisy is not June‘s daughter. Miller explained why this change was necessary. Because the show takes place only four years after The Handmaid‘s Tale, baby Nicole would only be four or five years old.
“Holly would only be four or five. So in our story, because of the timeline, baby Holly, as far as we know, is safe growing up in Toronto… for now!” – Bruce Miller
The Age Gap Between The Sisters Disappeared In The Show
In the book, Agnes is about 10 years older than Daisy. This makes sense because Agnes was already a child when Gilead took her. Daisy (Nicole) was born later and sent to Canada as a baby. The 15-year time jump puts Agnes in her mid-20s and Daisy in her mid-teens.
The TV show changed this completely. Now Agnes and Daisy are both teenagers close in age. They meet at Aunt Lydia‘s school as students. Their relationship becomes a partnership between peers rather than an older sister rescuing a younger one.
This change affects the whole story. The book focuses on Daisy going into Gilead to save Agnes. The show seems to build a different bond between the two girls as they figure out the truth about Gilead together.
Aunt Lydia‘s Role And Backstory Also Changed
Ann Dowd returns as Aunt Lydia in the new series. Her character also went through changes from the book to the screen. In Atwood‘s novel, Lydia was a family court judge before Gilead. In the show, she was a school teacher.
Dowd shared this detail while teasing what is coming in later episodes. The series will show Lydia‘s past and show why she made the choices she did when Gilead first started.
The series also shows Lydia in a new position. She now runs an elite school for future Wives. She is not directly working with Handmaids anymore. This puts her in a place of power, but she has to work carefully under the Commanders‘ rules.
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What This Means For The Story Going Forward
The timeline change allows the show to keep connections to The Handmaid‘s Tale cast. June (played by Elisabeth Moss) already appeared at the end of the first episode and in episode three. She can show up more often because not much time has passed.
Moss also serves as an executive producer on The Testaments. She will likely make periodic appearances throughout the series.
The younger ages of Agnes and Daisy also mean the show can explore their growth over multiple seasons. Miller has hinted that the parts of the book set further in the future are goals they are working toward. This suggests the show might run for several seasons and eventually catch up to the book‘s timeline.
Chase Infiniti described Agnes as someone who is just starting to see the truth about her world. “She is really learning that [her life] is not all that she was prepped for and expecting,” Chase said.
This coming-of-age story feels different from the book because the characters are younger. They have less experience and fewer survival skills. This makes their journey more dangerous and unpredictable.
The Testaments is streaming now on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in other countries. The first three episodes are available, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday.
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