9 January 2018
The Handmaid’s Tale: Coming soon to Showmax
The award-winning, 10-episode screen adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale is launching on Showmax on Thursday, 1 February 2018. Having recently won the Golden Globe for Best Television Drama, this gripping series continues to attract critical acclaim.
Lead actress Elisabeth Moss, who also won the Golden Globe for Best Drama Actress, is outstanding in her role as a handmaid, a women enslaved in a fundamentalist society. Once, June had a husband, a daughter, a job, a life. Now she’s Offred, enslaved as a walking womb in a country where the only thing rarer than pregnancy is escape.
Moss quoted Atwood’s novel during her acceptance speech, highlighting the relevance of this story in relation to the sexual misconduct revelations that shook Hollywood in 2017.
“We were the people who were not in the papers,” Moss read, “We lived in the blank white spaces at the edge of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.”
“Margaret Atwood, this is for you, and all of the women who came before you and after you who were brave enough to speak out against intolerance and injustice and to fight for equality and freedom in this world,” Moss said. “We no longer live in the blank white spaces at the edge of print. We no longer live in the gaps between the stories. We are the story in print, and we are writing the story ourselves.”
Elisabeth Moss gives a shoutout to the #HandmaidsTale author, upon accepting: "Margaret Atwood this is for you" #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/i4jX5vrdvw
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 8, 2018
Watch the trailer
What the critics say
https://people.com/movies/golden-globes-2018-handmaids-tale-best-television-series-drama/
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/dec/19/the-handmaids-tale-50-best-tv-shows-of-2017-no-1
https://time.com/4732788/handmaids-tale-review/
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/04/the-visceral-woman-centric-horror-of-the-handmaids-tale/523683/
Looking for more award-winning series? Read these:
Original African stories by local talent
Empini S1
Stream the Showmax Original drama series Empini from 23 May 2024.
Original Sin: My Son The Killer
Original Sin: My Son The Killer follows the murder of Andrea Venter by Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren, who then went on the run from South Africa to Brazil.
Tracking Thabo Bester
From the makers of Devilsdorp and the director of Convict Conman comes the true-crime documentary South Africa has been waiting for. All the episodes are streaming on Showmax.
The Illuminated
The Showmax Original docuseries The Illuminated explores different religious movements in South Africa. Stream now, with new episodes every Wednesday.
Koek S1
The crime comedy Koek, starring Cindy Swanepoel, now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Thursday.
Ekhaya Backpackers S1
Stream the Showmax Original comedy series Ekhaya Backpackers. All the episodes are now streaming.
Cheta M
Cheta M explores the love story between Adanna and Nnanna, young lovers who battle the spiritual and political forces in their way. Stream now, with new episodes Wednesday to Friday.
Youngins S1
Stream Tshedza Pictures’s first teen drama, Showmax Original Youngins, with three new episodes every week.
The Roast of Minnie Dlamini: The roast everyone's been waiting on
Empini, coming soon
More Mzansi gold
The Mommy Club Season 2 Episode 10 recap: Getting to the bottom of it
In episode 10 of The Mommy Club S2, Hermajesty and Mrs Sande go head-to-head and Nozipho confides in Mrs Mops. New episodes land every Monday on Showmax.
The Real Housewives of Durban S4: Nonku and Slee’s friendship is dead and buried
In the finale episode of The Real Housewives of Durban S4, all is laid on the table at the ladies’ dinner. All episodes are now streaming on Showmax.
MaBlerh to host The Real Housewives of Durban reunion for the second year in a row
MaBlerh to host The Real Housewives of Durban reunion for the second year in a row. The two-part reunion will stream on 15 May and 22 May 2024.
Your initiation into the cool, chaotic world of Wyfie
Feel like we’re almost at midterms but you stopped going to class after you skipped a couple of lectures? Let’s swot up on Episodes 1-24 of Showmax Original Wyfie.