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Culture April 25, 2018

Emmy winning 'The Handmaid's Tale' tackles motherhood in season 2

WATCH: Elisabeth Moss on making 'The Handmaid's Tale'

The second season of the Emmy-winning drama "The Handmaid's Tale" is now streaming on Hulu, and show creator Bruce Miller said motherhood is the theme for the new season.

"Offred [played by Elisabeth Moss] is pregnant," he told ABC Radio. "She's already given away a child, or had a child taken away from her in season 1, and here she is in season 2 pregnant -- and she's about to have another child that's being taken away.

"How in difficult, complicated, strange, circumstances, how can you be a parent?" Miller said. "How can you be a mother?"

While that may sound pretty dark, Miller has another word for it: Resistance.

"Resistance I think is more, I feel like that is much more of a theme than darkness," he said. "I don't find it more dark, I find it, the fact that she survives, more encouraging."

PHOTO: Elisabeth Moss as Offred in Season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu.
George Kraychyk/Hulu
Elisabeth Moss as Offred in Season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu.
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As for the prospect of following up the dystopian drama's hugely popular freshman season, Miller called it "terrifying."

"I mean I think when you, whenever you get any accolades, you know on the one hand you're incredibly proud and incredibly honored by all the people who gave it to you," he explained, "and then also terrified that you're going to screw it up."

PHOTO: The cast and crew of "The Handmaid's Tale" accept the award for Outstanding Drama Series for "The Handmaid's Tale" onstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
Bruce Miller, Margaret Atwood, Elisabeth Moss and the cast and crew of "The Handmaid's Tale" accept the award for Outstanding Drama Series for "The Handmaid's Tale" onstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles.

"But compared to the fear of screwing up the book in the first season, I'll handle this," he added. "This'll be easier."

For its debut season, "The Handmaid's Tale" won the best drama Emmy Award -- the first for a series made by a streaming service -- and star Elisabeth Moss won the Emmy for lead actress in a drama.

Take the future into your own hands. Season 2 of The #HandmaidsTale is now streaming. New episodes Wednesdays. Only on @hulu: https://t.co/374x1MR1ws pic.twitter.com/a59h5iy4gs

— The Handmaid's Tale (@HandmaidsOnHulu) April 25, 2018

ABC Radio's George Costantino contributed to this report