‘I’m a TV expert and you need to watch this after The Handmaid’s Tale’ | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

The Handmaid’s Tale has come to an end after six seasons – with some fans fuming at the fact that Gilead still hasn’t been overthrown by the end. Readers of Margaret Atwood’s book series will know that she addresses some of that in the sequel, The Testaments, which fans are hopefully will be adapted for screen next.

But meanwhile, if you’re stuck for something to watch now that Elisabeth Moss is no longer playing June on the hit Hulu show, I’ve got you covered. The dystopia has left a hole in all our lives, but there are some shows that will hopefully fill it – at least temporarily – until The Testaments is finally released.

First on my list is something of a hidden gem. 2022 miniseries Roar is also adapted from a book, this time a book of short stories by Cecelia Ahern, who penned PS I Love You. Though the book version contains 30 separate stories, only eight were chosen to be adapted for TV in the anthology series.

It’s all a bit surreal, but it has a powerful feminist message. One episode sees a woman literally placed on a shelf, unable to climb down, by her husband as the world moves on around her. In another, the main character decides to return her husband after regretting marrying him. We also see a woman solve her own murder, a woman eat photographs so she can step back in time, and another disappear into thin air.

Roar is available to stream on AppleTV+. 

If Roar is your next binge-watch, The Wilds should closely follow. Though this Amazon Prime exclusive got cancelled after just two seasons, it remains one of my top rated shows ever. The first season centres around a group of girls who are stranded on a desert island after a plane crash – but there are so many twists and turns that it could rival Lost. 

With a big social experiment at the heart of it and some truly creepy moments, it’s a story of female empowerment and learning to survive away from the patriarchy.

A film is up next – and if you’re a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale, keep reading. Level 16, released in 2018, follows a group of girls living at a “school” – much like the Red Centre of Gilead – that teaches them to be perfect young women before they’re given to different families.

Of course, not all is as it seems – and two girls are soon working together to discover the truth about their captivity. The film is available to stream on Prime Video. 

You could also try Y: The Last Man. Adapted from the graphic novel series of the same name, the Hulu show explores a world in which men have been wiped out – and tackles issues like the gender binary and trans rights.