Following the finale ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, viewers should turn their attention to a new crime drama on Netflix, which can be easily binged at only five episodes. Based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood,The Handmaid’s Taleis set in a dystopian universe where women are forced to live as concubines, due to the world’s collapsing fertility rates, and are often forcibly separated from their families. Thecast ofThe Handmaid’s Taleincludes Elizabeth Moss as June Osborne, who rises from merely wishing to be reunited with her family to joining a resistance trying to overthrow the corrupt government.
Since its release in 2017,The Handmaid’s Talehas been widely praised by both critics and viewers, and received multiple accolades across its six seasons, including two Golden Globes and eight Emmy Awards. The series concluded in 2025, and whileThe Handmaid’s Tale’sseries finalewas divisive with viewers,it remained faithful to the dreary and harrowing themes depicted in the acclaimed Margaret Atwood novel. Viewers canlook forward to more with theupcoming adaptation of Atwood’s sequel novel,The Testaments.Still,in the meantime, they can watch another similar seriesavailable for streaming on Netflix.
Netflix’s Baby Farm Show Has A Dark Premise Very Similar To The Handmaid’s Tale
Both Series Offer Dark Stories Regarding Pregnancy & Motherhood
In March 2025, the drama seriesBaby Farm,created by EbonyLife Studios, was released on Netflix and has since become one of the most-watched series on the streaming service. Set in Lagos, the series follows a single young woman named Adanna, who is pregnant with twins and living on the streets. Wanting to find a new life for her children, Adanna is encouraged to accept the help of a non-profit organization that promises to help her. But soon,Adanna discovers that she has been kidnapped by a baby farm that is determined to steal her children, and she must do everything she can to escape.
While it initially flew under the radar upon its release,Baby Farmhas been ranked as one of Netflix’s best new shows and has seen a rise in its popularity with viewers. Thecast ofBaby Farmhas been praised for their harrowing performances throughout the series, and the show has been positively compared toThe Handmaid’s Tale. While the shows are both set in different alternate universes,bothBaby FarmandThe Handmaid’s Taleare psychological horror series that depict young women being kept in captivityand different organizations benefiting from the women’s pregnancies.
Another similarity betweenis their depiction of the control of fertilityand the oppression of women. ThroughoutThe Handmaid’s Tale,Janine’s backstoryis explored alongside how she was oppressed into giving up her baby daughter to her Commander and its impact on her mental health; Janine’s determination to regain custody of her daughter is explored throughout the series. Similarly, inBaby Farm,Adanna must fight back against the Evans Foundation, who are determined to steal her babies.Baby Farmoffers a story of fighting back against control and female exploitation, and is certainly worth a watch afterThe Handmaid’s Tale.
Baby Farm Continues Hollywood’s Pregnancy Horror Trend
Pregnancy Horror Has Been A Popular Trend Since The 1970s
Pregnancy horror has served as a recurring and popular trend throughout different Hollywood productions since the late 1960s. Movies such asVillage of the Damned(1960),Rosemary’s Baby(1968), andThe Hand That Rocks The Cradle(1992), offer explorations of themes including possession, dominance, the pressures placed on women in society, and mental illness. Throughout 2024,movies includingImmaculateandThe First Omencontinued the pregnancy horror trend, by blending psychological terror and supernatural elements together to provide terrifying depictions of childbirth and the suppression placed on women during their difficult pregnancies.
In recent years, various television shows have also explored the pregnancy horror trend, as seen throughAmerican Horror Storyseason 12’s pregnancy storyline, which depicted a young woman named Anna (Emma Roberts) suffering from psychological torture as she and her husband attempt to conceive a child.
Since 2017,The Handmaid’s Talehas covered various aspects of the horror trend, including ritualized rape, female enslavement, and the cruel treatment towards “fallen women” in society, an aspect that was similarly covered in theacclaimed Cillian Murphy movie,Small Things Like These. AlthoughThe Handmaid’s Talehas now aired its finale, Netflix’sBaby Farmwill allow the pregnancy horror trend to continue.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Cast
The Handmaid’s Tale is a television adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel, released in 2017. It is set in a dystopian future where a woman is compelled to live as a concubine under a strict fundamentalist theocracy.
