Emmy nominee Josh Charles has joined the cast of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale in a series regular role.The Handmaid's Tale goes into production later this year and reunites Charles and Elisabeth Moss, his co-star in the FX miniseries The Veil that premiered in April. Details about Charles' character (photo below) and the focus of the season are not yet known. The sixth and final season is expected in 2025.
Based on Margaret Atwood's classic novel, The Handmaid's Tale tells the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. It centers on June Osbourne/Offred (Moss), one of the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the oppressive Republic and her struggle to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful commander and his vengeful wife.
Season five finds June in the aftermath of the murder of Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and the consequences she must face for her role in the gruesome murder. At the very least, she'll have to take on his widow Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), and on some level, Gilead. But most of all, she will be forced to redefine her identity and purpose, now forever changed.
Meanwhile, Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) teams up with Nick (Max Minghella) and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) as he attempts to reform Gilead and rise to power. But who knows what the commander and Nick, who helped June frame Waterford for the murder, have up their sleeves?
Still in Canada, June, with the help of Luke (O.T. Fagbenle) and Moira (Samira Wiley), fights Gilead from afar as they continue their mission to rescue and reunite with their daughter Hannah.
The series also stars Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Sam Jaeger and Ever Carradine.
The Handmaid's Tale is produced by MGM Television and executive produced by Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Eric Tuchman, Yahlin Chang, Elisabeth Moss, Steve Stark, Kim Todd, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Frank Siracusa, Daniel Wilson and Fran Sears. The series is distributed internationally by Amazon MGM Studios Distribution.
Charles was nominated twice for Primetime Emmy Awards, in 2011 and 2014, for his portrayal of Will Gardner on the CBS series The Good Wife in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category.
Charles also starred in the HBO miniseries We Own This City, Netflix's Away, The Loudest Voice and Masters of Sex, both from Showtime.