The Testaments renewed for season 2 and Elisabeth Moss already came back

The Testaments is coming back for a second season and Elisabeth Moss already returned

Hulu renewed the Handmaid's Tale sequel one week before the season one finale, after the show pulled in over 45 million streaming hours globally.

Hulu confirmed on 20 May that The Testaments will return for a second season, with the announcement coming just one week before the season one finale airs on 27 May. The renewal was accompanied by a caption that read "a secret we couldn't keep any longer" — which, given what the show is about, lands appropriately.

The series has pulled in over 45 million hours viewed globally across Hulu and Disney+ since its April premiere. By episode eight, that episode's first-day views were up 76% compared to the premiere. For a sequel to a show that ran six seasons and ended last year, those are numbers that make the renewal feel less like a decision and more like a formality. ‍

Elisabeth Moss returned during the first season in a surprise guest appearance, reprising the role of June Osborn. That was not announced in advance and landed as one of the season's biggest moments for fans of the original. It also answers the question that hovered over the whole project: whether The Testaments could hold its own without its most recognisable face. The numbers suggest it can.

The show follows Agnes, played by Chase Infiniti, and Daisy, played by Lucy Halliday, two teenagers navigating Aunt Lydia's elite preparatory school for future wives in Gilead. Ann Dowd returns as Aunt Lydia. The season one finale airs on Hulu and Disney+ on 27 May. No date has been announced for season two.