The Handmaid's Tale Spinoff Officially Upgrades 1 Gilead Role For The Testaments Season 2

Published Sep 4, 2026, 9:48 PM EDT Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. One of The Testaments’ actors has been upgraded to the main cast for season 2. The spinoff of The Handmaid’s Tale premiered on Hulu back in April, and like its predecessor, it earned positive critical reception. The following month, on the same day that season 1's penultimate episode was released, the streamer officially announced The Testaments season 2 had been ordered. That said, one of the recurring actors from season 1 will receive a lot more screen time in the next batch of episodes. Deadline reports that Charlie Carrick, who plays Commander Michael Judd, will be a series regular in The Testaments season 2. Judd is a high-ranking Gilead official who was tenuously allied with Ann Lowd’s Aunt Lydia Clements in season 1 to consolidate even more power within the dystopian theocracy. B. Frederick Judd’s role in The Testaments novel is split in the TV show between Carrick’s Judd and Reed Diamond’s commander Seth Weston, who runs the Eyes, i.e. Gilead’s secret police force, in this continuity. MovieStillsDB Carrick’s other credits include movies like Alice, Darling and The Apprentice, and TV shows like Reign and Hidden Assets. His promotion in The Testaments season 2 was revealed alongside the addition of Haley Wong as Prudence, who’s described as “a dutiful and pregnant wife who will carve out a space for joy, even if doing so risks everything.” Wong, who’s primarily known for her performances in theatrical productions, will also be a member of season 2’s main cast. Building off the ending of The Handmaid’s Tale, which concluded in 2025 after six seasons, The Testaments follows One Battle After Another’s Chase Infiniti as Agnes MacKenzie, the daughter of Elisabeth Moss’ June Osborne, and Blue Jean’s Lucy Halliday as Daisy, who is an undercover Mayday operative. These two are students at the school run by Aunt Lydia to instill obedience in its elite young women and prepare them for their arranged marriages. The Testaments season 1 main cast also included Mabel Li, Brad Alexander, Isolde Ardies, Rowan Blanchard, Mattea Conforti, Warren Darnell-Martin, Eva Foote, Kira Guloein, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Birva Pandya, and Amy Seimetz. As with The Handmaid’s Tale, Bruce Miller created the spinoff and serves as showrunner, with his past TV work including Eureka and The 100. The Testaments season 1 comprised 10 episodes, and season 2 began filming last month. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Testaments boasts an 88% score on the critic-driven Tomatometer, while the user-driven Popcornmeter rests at 83%. The critics' consensus for season 1 states that the spinoff "ably continues The Handmaid's Tale's fight through a coming-of-age lens in a slow-burning world builder that features an excellent cast of fresh talent.” While The Testaments season 2 doesn’t have a release date yet, it’s possible the new episodes could be ready in time for a 2027 premiere. Infiniti has been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. The ceremony will air Monday, September 14 at 8 p.m. ET both live on NBC and streaming on Peacock. Release Date April 8, 2026 Network Hulu Directors Mike Barker