ABC and NBC this week have both promoted the apocalyptic, liberal series The Handmaid’s Tale as “resonate and “not just a show.” Good Morning America on Wednesday touted the use of the costumes from the program in pro-abortion protests.
GMA co-host Michael Strahan gushed over the importance of the show, which portrays a dystopian future where women are oppressed: “This isn't just a show, I mean you see for Halloween, you see for protest, people wearing the same outfits worn on the show and for solidarity. How has been it to see the impact of this in real life, though?”
Actress Elisabeth Moss told Strahan: “I get inspired when I see women out there wearing that costume and standing up for what they believe. That actually inspires me. I think they're doing the real work.” Actress Samira Wiley agreed: “It gives me a heightened sense of responsibility in terms of what we are making. It is television, but at the end of the day it can elicit real change so, again, I'm really proud.”
Of course, there wasn't a clear sense from the actors or host Strahan that the show and the protests are designed to represent liberals.
Ratings for a streaming show are hard to discern, but Barron’s in 2017 deemed the show likely the “least watched winner ever”:
Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale was the first-ever streaming show to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama. It was probably also the least watched winner ever.
Last year, Hulu said it had 12 million subscribers, with slowing growth relative to prior years. BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield estimates that the streaming service now has no more than 15 million subscribers. And, of course, not all of them have seen The Handmaid’s Tale. Probably no more than half the service’s subscribers watched the show -- a high guess -- and that’s 7.5 million.
As a comparison, Hulu’s TOTAL subscriber base is now 25 million. Netflix’s is 139 million. So maybe this bleak, far-left take on politics isn’t that popular with Americans at large.
On Monday’s Today, liberal actor Bradley Whitford, who has joined the Handmaid’s cast, insisted the show is “resonant culturally” in 2019: “And being on Handmaid's Tale is like a guest shot on Godfather 2. You can't believe you are there. It's such an incredible creative experience, and obviously, unfortunately, a little too resonate culturally. It's an amazing place to be.”
In a contrast to the liberal talking points, Greg Gutfeld on The Five, Monday, dismissed the liberal warning of a coming authoritarian crisis: “The always paint America as a dystopian nightmare, the Handmaid's Tale. They always make it sound like it's Road Warrior proportions out here.”
On Sunday, CNN’s Brian Stelter invited Handmaid's actor Ann Dowd to bash pro-lifers and Donald Trump over abortion bans.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Good Morning America
6/5/19
8:45
MICHAEL STRAHAN: This isn't just a show, I mean you see for Halloween, you see for protests, people wearing the same outfits worn on the show and for solidarity. How has been it to see the impact of this in real life, though?
ELISABETH MOSS (actress, The Handmaid’s Tale): It's such an honor honestly. I mean that's our, you know, those are our work clothes, the thing we put on when we do our job. But I get inspired when I see women out there wearing that costume and standing up for what they believe. That actually inspires me. I think they're doing the real work. I think they're out there on the front lines and so I feel honored to put on that costume with them, you know.
SAMIRA WILEY (actress, The Handmaid’s Tale): Absolutely. I feel like — [ applause ] I feel like that is exactly who we are representing and to see that we — that people are out there wearing those things and wearing the handmaids costumes, it gives me a heightened sense of responsibility in terms of what we are making. It is television, but at the end of the day it can elicit real change so, again, I'm really proud.
...
Today
6/5/19
9:36BRADLEY WHITFORD: And being on Handmaid's Tale is like a guest shot on "Godfather 2." You can't believe you are there. It's such an incredible creative experience, and obviously, unfortunately, a little too resonate culturally. It's an amazing place to be.
