<ul class="summary-list"><li>The 2020 presidential election helped shape the fourth season of <keyword id="191565" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hulu">Hulu</keyword>'s "<keyword id="3517548" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Handmaids-Tale">The Handmaid's Tale</keyword>."</li><li>The new episodes reflect the "journey" ahead of the US following <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword>'s presidency.</li><li>"June's journey is very much like that," <keyword id="4445642" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="warren-littlefield">Warren Littlefield</keyword>, an executive producer, told Insider. </li></ul><p><em>Warning: This article contains spoilers about the first three seasons of "The Handmaid's Tale."</em></p><p>The first season of "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-handmaids-tale">The Handmaid's Tale</a>" premiered on Hulu in 2017, the first year of <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>'s presidency. </p><p>Many viewers witnessed their deepest fears about America's political future realized in Gilead, a religious totalitarian regime that ousts the US government.</p><p>Critics called the <keyword id="6355065" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="TV">TV</keyword> series the "<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/06/handmaids-tale-trump-era-inside-the-hive-podcast">dystopian story of our time</a>," a "<a href="https://www.wired.com/2017/04/hulu-handmaids-tale-relevant/">deafening klaxon</a>," and the "<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/how-handmaids-tale-became-unintentionally-relevant-show-ever-996659">most unintentionally relevant show ever</a>." Protestors <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2018/10/handmaids-tale-protests-kavanaugh-healthcare-womens-march">donned</a> the Handmaids' signature red-cloaks and white bonnets at demonstrations for women's reproductive rights and movements like Times Up and #MeToo in the years following the premiere.</p><p>"We were ushered in as part of the resistance to the Trump administration when we came on the air. We saw what resistance and revolting is about," Warren Littlefield, an executive producer on the show, recently told Insider.</p><p>Four seasons later, the dystopian drama, based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, is returning to the streaming platform in a post-Trump era - a political shift that guided the show's trajectory. </p><div type="image" title="the handmaids Tale" height="4000" width="5333" msid="82314363" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>The forthcoming season was created in the midst of the 2020 presidential election</strong></h2><p>Season four of "The Handmaid's Tale" began filming in March 2020, anticipating a release date that lined up with last year's presidential election. However, production was delayed for six months due to the pandemic, postponing the premiere to April 2021. </p><p>Littlefield recalled talking "a lot" about how the show initially "would be in production in an election year," but "of course, everything got thrown off with the six-month hiatus."</p><div type="image" title="handmaid's tale" height="3376" width="6000" msid="82314366" hostid="261"></div><p>Taking a note from Atwood - who <a href="https://www.insider.com/handmaids-tale-based-on-real-world-origins-history-events-2019-8">examined real-life events</a> from the Salem Witch Trials to Ronald Reagan's presidency and crafted them into a novel - Littlefield said the "Handmaid's Tale" writers took "historical fact" and morphed it into "dystopian fiction" while creating the show's fourth season.</p><p>"Now we find ourselves in a world, our real world, that no longer has Gilead in the White House and no longer has Gilead in the Justice Department, and yet each and every day, we're aware of how great the journey [is] that's still in front of us: a journey of freedom, a journey of justice, a journey of equality," he said. </p><p>"So, do we reflect that in our show? We absolutely do," Littlefield continued. "June's journey is very much like that."</p><p>At a Television Critics Association panel in February, series creator and showrunner Bruce Miller told <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/how-the-handmaids-tale-season-4-captures-post-trump-era-angst">The Hollywood Reporter</a> that "The Handmaid's Tale" writers and executive producers approached the fourth season with the "post-Trump era" in mind. </p><p>"We're not trying to rip stuff from the headlines and put them on television. We are, in fact, just trying to follow our characters through what is a very historical time in Gilead. And, unfortunately, we're going through a historical time [in America] as well," he told THR. </p><h2><strong>Season 4 picks up on June Osborne's treacherous journey through Gilead </strong></h2><p>On the season three finale, titled "Mayday," June Osborne (played by <a href="http://insider.com/category/elisabeth-moss">Elisabeth Moss,</a> who was also a director and executive producer this season), successfully smuggles over 100 children out of Gilead and into Canada. </p><p>Despite the cataclysmic blow to Gilead, a military powerhouse determined to offset its waning population, victory is still far away. In fact, June is in more danger than ever, as she decides to remain in Gilead to search for her daughter, Hannah. </p><p>"We know that those steps forward, that leap forward, would not be without tremendous cost and conflict, and yet we wanted to do that," Littlefield told Insider. "We go to places we've never been before."</p><p><strong><div type="image" title="handmaids tale" height="900" width="1200" msid="82314369" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>"The Handmaid's Tale," which has expanded far beyond Atwood's novel, has already <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/12/the-handmaids-tale-renewed-for-season-5-by-hulu-1234654290/">been renewed</a> for a fifth season. According to Littlefield, Miller is still toying with "how far" to take the Emmy-winning show. </p><p>"He's looking forward to exploring what that journey is and how much longer to go on it. I think we all feel after this season that we don't feel we're limping," he said. "We feel pretty triumphant about what we were able to accomplish dramatically this season."</p><p>The first three episodes of season four become available to stream on Hulu on Wednesday, April 28. </p>

Season 4 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' reflects the 'journey' ahead of the US after the Trump administration, the show's executive producer says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jeff Bridges says that he's "feeling great now," three years after his cancer went into remission. </li><li>Bridges was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2020, and caught COVID-19 in early 2021. </li></ul><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bridges-wife-susan-marriage-longevity-2024-5">Jeff Bridges</a> is more than ready to go ahead with the season two premiere of his FX series "The Old Man," three years after he contracted COVID-19 while undergoing chemotherapy.</p><p>Bridges appeared on Wednesday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour alongside his "Old Man" costar <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-crown-cast-real-life-2017-1">John Lithgow</a> and executive producers Jonathan Steinberg, Dan Shotz, and Warren Littlefield. Bridges spoke about the show's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctsG1r50egs&amp;feature=youtu.be">upcoming second season</a> and gave an update on his health.</p><p>"I'm feeling great now. I'm coming back for more punishment," Bridges said.</p><p>Bridges announced in October 2020 that he had been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bridges-announces-lymphoma-diagnosis-with-big-lebowski-quote-2020-10">diagnosed with lymphoma</a>. Early the following year he said he <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bridges-covid-19-chemotherapy-cancer-2021-9">caught COVID-19</a> while undergoing chemotherapy. Bridges was in the hospital for five weeks, and told <a target="_blank" href="https://people.com/health/jeff-bridges-says-he-was-close-to-dying-covid-while-in-chemo/">People</a> that he was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bridges-almost-died-covid-chemotherapy-2022-5">"pretty close to dying."</a></p><p>In <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-new-tv-shows-june-ms-marvel-the-old-man-2022-6">"The Old Man,"</a> Bridges plays Dan Chase, a former CIA operative haunted by his past. The show's first season went on a production hiatus after Bridges' diagnosis. It resumed production in 2022 after he announced in September 2021 that he was in remission, <a target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2021/09/jeff-bridges-cancer-remission-eyes-return-production-the-old-man-1234832157/">Deadline</a> reported.</p><p>"In the first season when I was doing these fight scenes, I had a 9-inch by 12-inch tumor in my body, in my stomach, that didn't hurt at all," Bridges said. "So that's surprising to me, but I'm feeling great now."</p><p>Bridges praised "The Old Man's" stunt coordinators for helping him pull off some fight scenes. His costar, Lithgow, recommended that people watch Bridges in the 1972 film "Bad Company" to better "appreciate" the work he's doing now.</p><p>"Some of the greatest scenes in 'The Old Man' are Jeff's fight scenes, an old man having to summon up the strength and skill he had 50 years ago," costar Lithgow said.</p><p><em>Season two of "The Old Man" will premiere on FX on September 12.</em></p>

Jeff Bridges says he's 'feeling great' 3 years after contracting COVID while undergoing chemotherapy 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Gilead said goodbye to Fred Waterford on a season five episode of "<a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Fseries%2Fthe-handmaids-tale-565d8976-9d26-4e63-866c-40f8a137ce5f%3Fcmp%3D9224%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3DSEM%26utm_campaign%3DCM_SEM_Originals%26utm_term%3Dwatch%2520the%2520handmaid%2527s%2520tale%2520hulu%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjw94WZBhDtARIsAKxWG-_iu_B2VjupvKjRjivlKLiTBKmZRqleihjyJ02I6Q6U4BihENyvJQIaAhYpEALw_wcB%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds" rel="nofollow sponsored">The Handmaid's Tale.</a>"</li><li>Showrunner Bruce Miller told Insider that Fred's funeral was inspired by John F. Kennedy's in 1963.</li></ul><p>Fred Waterford was laid to rest in Gilead on <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-handmaids-tale-facts-trivia-2019-6">"The Handmaid's Tale"</a> season five episode two, "Ballet." In a joint interview with executive producer Warren Littlefield ahead of the premiere, showrunner Bruce Miller told Insider he and his team were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jfk-funeral-arrangement-2013-11">inspired by John F. Kennedy's 1963 funeral</a> for the elaborate scene.</p><p>Miller said they borrowed the idea of a public parade from Kennedy's funeral procession. Kennedy's widow Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis and Fred Waterford's (Joseph Fiennes) widow Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) also wore similar black outfits and veils. But the similarities go beyond the basics.</p><p>Miller confirmed the riderless horse featured in the funeral scenes was a nod to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEQSFDd4agc&amp;ab_channel=CNN">the riderless horse</a> that became an iconic part of Kennedy's funeral procession. The horse at the former president's funeral, named Black Jack, carried a saber and reversed boots in the stirrups of his empty saddle — symbols of a "fallen warrior," according to the <a href="https://www.jfklibrary.org/visit-museum/exhibits/past-exhibits/a-nation-remembers">John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum</a>. </p><div type="image" title="riderless horse at John F. Kennedy's funeral." height="1586" width="2114" msid="94209019" hostid="261"></div><p>"Also, I loved the fact that for the most part, the first lady was walking alone. Not with anybody," Miller said, referring to Onassis. "No one is escorting her. And that made it feel so bare and raw that she was just this sad woman out there on her own, not being comforted by anybody."</p><p>In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuJjaOKITn4&amp;ab_channel=SteveForbes">footage from Kennedy's funeral events</a>, Onassis in fact often walked alone or held her children's hands. <a href="https://www.insider.com/handmaids-tale-based-on-real-world-origins-history-events-2019-8#giving-birth-in-public-is-a-practice-royals-in-the-17th-and-18th-century-used-to-follow-5">Similarly, on "The Handmaid's Tale," </a>Serena Joy was walking alone with her child, though she was pregnant so she had no hands to hold.</p><p>Littlefield also pointed to similarities in the weather on that November day in Washington D.C. and in Gilead when Serena Joy returned from Canada to lay her husband to rest. </p><p>The executive producer said that on the day of shooting "the world was cold and gray." They enhanced that effect and the flurries of snow in the scenes, but the vibe is reminiscent of the rain on the day that the US said goodbye to its president. </p><div type="image" title="Max Minghella, Yvonne Strahovski, and Bradley Whitford." height="4017" width="5356" msid="94209021" hostid="261"></div><p>The episode's title, "Ballet," refers to the fact that June (Elisabeth Moss) was on a date with Luke (O. T. Fagbenle) at the ballet when Gilead is honoring Fred. Miller said that he and Moss, who directed the episode, didn't necessarily purposefully plan to juxtapose the funeral with a ballet — they were just thinking about where June and Serena would naturally be on their journeys. </p><p>June didn't expect to come out of the ballet and see Serena taunting her on a national stage by accepting flowers from June's daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake).</p><p>Miller told Insider he doesn't write the relationship between Serena and June "in stone" because in <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-the-handmaids-tale-about-hulu-2017-2">the Margaret Atwood book that inspired the series,</a> their relationship is never what the reader might expect. </p><p>"Let the characters talk a little bit before you start telling them what they're going to do," he said, noting that he writes "spare" scripts and lets the actors guide his next move. </p><p>New episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale" are released on Wednesdays.</p>

'The Handmaid's Tale' showrunner breaks down all the ways JFK's funeral inspired Fred Waterford's elaborate burial scenes

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57adf30cce38f222008b65c7-1440/seinfeld 5.png" alt="seinfeld 5" data-mce-source="NBC" data-mce-caption="The cast of &amp;quotSeinfeld&quot; in &amp;quotThe Subway.&quot;" /><p class="source"><span>NBC</span></p><p class="caption">The cast of "Seinfeld" in "The Subway."</p></div><p></p></div></div>"Seinfeld" was one of the highest-rated shows on television during its nine-season run on NBC and has generated <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/31/seinfelds-per-line-payday.html" target="_blank">more than $3 billion in syndication</a>, but there was a huge possibility before its run that it would've never aired.</p><p><span>"It was probably the lowest-testing pilot in the history of NBC," Kevin Reilly, who was a development executive at NBC in the 1980s and later became the network's president, said of the early feedback on "Seinfeld."</span></p><p><span>A pilot episode of a series is a standalone episode (usually the first episode, if it ever gets more than one) that is used to sell the show to networks.</span></p><p><span><span>"'These are losers,'" Reilly quoted the comments from early tests. "'It's not funny.' 'We know who Jerry Seinfeld is. He should not do this show.'"</span></span></p><p><span>Reilly met with other major TV players of the time <span>for a panel discussion in Beverly Hills on Tuesday about NBC's "Must See TV" era, according to <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nbc-execs-look-back-er-seinfeld-will-grace-973094" target="_blank">the Hollywood Reporter</a>. The primetime TV block included "Seinfeld," "Wings," "Mad About You," "Frasier," "Friends," and later "Will &amp; Grace."</span></span></p><p><span><span>Despite the terrible early feedback, the NBC brass liked the show. But they had to pull some financial strings to give it a series order. </span></span></p><p><span><span><span>"We loved it," former NBC entertainment president Warren Littlefield said. "We picked up all this other crap and finally we were running out of options and time and there was a late-night meeting with finance and [then-NBC scheduling executive Preston Beckman]."</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>"Seinfeld" was originally commissioned by NBC's late-night and specials department, so one of legendary comedian Bob Hope's specials was spiked in order to make "Seinfeld" happen.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span>"Bob still thinks he made that special," Beckman joked.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span>NBC scrounged up enough money to offer "Seinfeld" a very small four-episode order to begin with.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span>"Jerry was quiet and always respectful and said, 'Just one question: In the history of television, has anything ever worked with a four-episode order?'" Littlefield recalled. "</span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span>I said, 'I don't know.' And he said, 'Okay, we'll do it,' and that began the marriage."</span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span>"Seinfeld" aired on NBC from 1989 to 1998. In its early seasons, the show ranked No. 46 on TV for ratings. But by its sixth season, it had climbed into one of the top two highest-rated shows on TV and maintained that through its final season. The finale was watched by 76.3 million people.</span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/seinfeld-obama-on-being-famous-2016-1">Jerry Seinfeld got real with President Obama about being famous</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Rha3h5eTqeDH9GifVschdy4l1mcAbs_n" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'Rha3h5eTqeDH9GifVschdy4l1mcAbs_n',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Why it's a miracle 'Seinfeld' ever became one of TV's biggest hits

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53bdb6dd6da81126269dd026-730-365/seinfeld-4.png" border="0" alt="seinfeld" style="color: #000000;" /><p class="source"><span>NBC/"Seinfeld"</span></p><p class="caption">The pilot had much of the "nothing" dialogue that would be popular when the show went from "The Seinfeld Chronicles" to just "Seinfeld." </p></div><p></p></div></div>25 years ago this month, the pilot episode of the classic sitcom "Seinfeld" premiered on NBC.</p>
<p>While "Seinfeld" went on to become one of television's most popular shows of all time (the comedy has generated a reported <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/06/breaking-down-the-seinfeld-economy.html" target="_blank">$3.1 billion since entering syndication</a> in 1995), it wasn't seen as a success after its first episode.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.tvguide.com/news/seinfeld-research-memo-1083639.aspx">TV Guide</a>, an NBC research memo rated the show's pilot (then titled "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDiM-3ot9Q0">The Seinfeld Chronicles</a>") as "weak" and almost ended it before anyone got to know Jerry, George, Elaine, or Kramer.</p>
<p>"No segment of the audience was eager to watch the show again," the research memo read.</p>
<p>The memo also went on to say that none of the characters supporting Jerry were "particularly liked" and that the test audience found the everyday things the characters were doing (which would later go on to be the show's trademark) pretty unlikable and boring.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53bdb88cecad04c21eb61b19/tumblr_lf3svo05ec1qaphrco1_400.gif" border="0" alt="seinfeld laundromat" style="color: #000000;" /><p class="source"><span>NBC/"Seinfeld"</span></p><p class="caption">As one early viewer put it, "You can't get too excited about going to the Laundromat."</p></div><p></p></div></div>As one viewer put it, "You can't get too excited about going to the Laundromat."</p>
<p>While the show's format included Jerry's stand-up comedy acts, viewers were still confused by what he did for a living.</p>
<p>"Viewers were unclear whether Jerry worked as a comedian or if his routines took place outside of the show as commentaries," the memo stated. "The movement back and fourth was also considered abrupt and somewhat disorienting, particularly to older viewers."</p>
<p>Viewers weren't the only ones skeptical about the show when it debuted.</p>
<p>The head of NBC's entertainment division, Brandon Tartikoff, found the show to be "too New York, too Jewish" <span>- </span>even though, as TV Guide points out, Tartikoff was both from New York <em>and</em> Jewish.</p>
<p>The mixture of the negative reception from both executives and <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">the test screening caused NBC to dump the show in the middle of summer.</span></p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53bc70046bb3f78252c537ed-1200-924/seinfeld-awards.jpg" border="0" alt="Seinfeld awards" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Associated Press</span></p><p class="caption">The show, which did so poorly with test audiences, would go on to win multiple Emmys and be one of the most popular TV shows ever.</p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"The pilot aired in its original form on July 5th, 1989 which usually means that it's a burned off pilot, that it's a busted pilot, it's never going to go any further," said NBC executive Rick Ludwin in the series' <a href="http://youtu.be/I8_2hPjljag?t=33m55s">making-of featurette, "How It Began.</a>" "We sometimes refer to some of those sorts of dumpings as garbage dump theater."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">However, some executives like Ludwin and Warren Littlefield thought the show was funny and helped the network hold on to it. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">By taking development money for other projects and diverting it to "Seinfeld," the network was eventually able to put the show into their primetime lineup.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"[Littlefield] told me he got an order for four episodes," creator Jerry Seinfeld said in the <a href="http://youtu.be/I8_2hPjljag?t=36m23s">featurette</a>. "And from that point, I pretty much felt that the show was going to work. I never thought it was going to be a big hit, but I thought people will like this."</span></p>
<p>The show, along with "Friends" and "ER," would go on to be huge hits and would help to create NBC's popular "Must See TV" Thursday night lineup during the mid-nineties. "Seinfeld" went on to win <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Seinfeld">10 Emmys</a> and coin phrases that would forever stay in the <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/pictures/close-talkers-and-double-dippers-15-phrases-seinfeld-spawned-20140702">pop culture lexicon.</a></p>
<p>As for the famed memo itself, Jerry Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David [who would go on to create HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm"] found a proper place to put it.</p>
<p>"Larry and I both hung it up near our toilets," Seinfeld told TV Guide. "We thought if someone goes in to use this bathroom, this is something they should see."</p>

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Season 4 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' reflects the 'journey' ahead of the US after the Trump administration, the show's executive producer says

Claudia Willen

Jeff Bridges says he's 'feeling great' 3 years after contracting COVID while undergoing chemotherapy

Palmer Haasch

'The Handmaid's Tale' showrunner breaks down all the ways JFK's funeral inspired Fred Waterford's elaborate burial scenes

Esme Mazzeo

Why it's a miracle 'Seinfeld' ever became one of TV's biggest hits

Jethro Nededog

An Internal NBC Research Memo Almost Killed 'Seinfeld' After Its First Episode

Frank Pallotta