Widow's Bay (2026)

Widow's Bay is an American supernatural comedy horror television series created by Katie Dippold for Apple TV, and starring Matthew Rhys, Kate O'Flynn, Kevin Carroll, Dale Dickey, Kingston Rumi Southwick, and Stephen Root. The series is set in the fictional New England island town of Widow's Bay, which happens to be afflicted with a centuries-old curse that brings various supernatural evils upon the island. Hiro Murai serves as director and executive producer on the series.

The series premiered on April 29, 2026, to critical acclaim. For its first season, it received a record 14 wins at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Comedy Series, acting wins for Rhys, O'Flynn, Root, and Betty Gilpin, as well as wins for directing and writing.

In June 2026, the series was renewed for a second season.

Cast and characters

Main

Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis, mayor of Widow's Bay. Originally from the mainland, he is initially skeptical of the local residents' superstitions about the island's supposed curse. He is a widower, and father to a son, Evan, from his marriage to his deceased wife, Lauren.

Kate O'Flynn as Patricia Moyer, Tom's eccentric assistant. She is a social outcast among her former classmates, who believe she lied about being targeted by a serial killer known as the Boogeyman while in high school.

Kevin Carroll as Bechir Clemmons, sheriff of Widow's Bay

Dale Dickey as Rosemary, an employee in the mayor's office

Kingston Rumi Southwick as Evan Loftis, Tom's rebellious teenage son, who was born on the island and is bored by a lack of things to do there.

Stephen Root as Wyck Crawford, an outspoken believer of the town's supernatural history. He initially clashes with Tom over the latter's refusal to believe in the island's curse.

Jeff Hiller as Dale (season 2; recurring season 1), an employee of the mayor's office

Recurring

K Callan as Ruth Livingston, Tom's elderly secretary

Christian Clemenson as Dr. Calvin Morgan, the town doctor

Nancy Lenehan as Gerrie Doyle, an employee of the mayor's office who is knowledgeable about the island's history and folklore

Beck Nolan as PJ Glanville, one of Evan's friends

Charles Van Flaherty as Gil, one of Evan's friends

Neil Casey as Kurt, the innkeeper at the Breakwater, a supposedly haunted inn

Meredith Casey as Lauren Loftis, Tom's deceased wife

Kylie McNeill as Kelly, a girl visiting from Boston who hits it off with Evan

Sipiwe Moyo as Chelle, Bechir's wife

Guest

Bashir Salahuddin as Arthur Lloyd, a journalist from The New York Times writing a piece on Widow's Bay

William Hill as Wayne, the bartender at the Barnabus Tavern

Tom Kemp as Shep Clark, a fisherman from Widow's Bay who goes missing out at sea

Toby Huss as Reverend Bryce, the pastor of Widow's Bay

Tim Baltz as William, a man Tom meets while staying at the Breakwater Inn

Olli Haaskivi as Ray, a local coffee shop owner

Elizabeth Alderfer as Marissa, a touring bridesmaid who hits it off with Tom

Lauren Bittner as Kris, Patricia's former high school classmate who socially excludes her

Emily Davis as Shelby, a woman Patricia meets at her former classmates' party

Connor Ratliff as Deputy Kent, Bechir's deputy

Chris Fleming as Todd O'Connor, a local drug dealer known as "The Shaman" and Patricia's former classmate

Michael Malvesti as Kenneth, the Town Hall custodian

Hamish Linklater as Richard Warren, the founder of Widow's Bay

Betty Gilpin as Sarah Westcott Warren, Richard's wife

David Dean Bottrell as Pastor Collins, the pastor of Widow's Bay in 1702

Veanne Cox as Abigail Stevens, the wife of Widow's Bay's physician in 1702

Tom Nowicki as Ezra Lowery, a settler of Widow's Bay in 1702 whom Richard murders

Lenora Severance as Frances Warren, Richard's youngest daughter

Anthony Atamanuik as a guest at the Breakwater Inn who argues with Kurt

Airon Armstrong as the Boogeyman, a masked killer who went on a murder spree in Widow's Bay decades ago

Episodes

Production

The ten-part series is created by Katie Dippold, who is an executive producer and showrunner. It was ordered by Apple TV in September 2024, with Hiro Murai directing and executive-producing, alongside Claudia Shin and Carver Karaszewski. In February 2025, Matthew Rhys joined the project as an executive producer; he leads the cast as Mayor Tom Loftis. Murai directed five episodes of the series; Ti West, Sam Donovan, and Andrew DeYoung served as directors of the remaining episodes. Alongside Rhys, the cast includes Kate O'Flynn, Stephen Root, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Kevin Carroll, and Dale Dickey.

Filming took place in Massachusetts in 2025, with locations including Ayer and Worcester in May, and Essex, Gloucester and Rockport in June. Interiors were constructed and shot at New England Studios in Devens. The Berlin Town Hall stood in for the town hall of Widow's Bay while Eastern Point Light was used as the town's lighthouse. The Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers, the Martha Mary Chapel in Sudbury, and the Lorenzo Maynard House in Maynard were also used as filming locations.

After having filmed the first two episodes, Dippold contacted David Fleming to score Widow's Bay. Neither of the two wanted to use comedy music, with Fleming suggesting to use elements from the fictional town to create the soundscape. This included the use of bass flutes and other woodwinds, as well as conches. For the sixth episode set in 1702, instruments such as the Baroque cello and viola da gamba were used. For the eighth episode, inspiration was drawn from John Carpenter's film score to the 1978 film Halloween and its use of the analog synthesizer. The score was recorded in Los Angeles, and the soundtrack album was released on May 4, 2026, via Milan Records.

On June 11, 2026, Apple TV renewed the series for a second season. In August 2026, Jeff Hiller was promoted to a series regular for the second season.

Release

The first two episodes were released on Apple TV on April 29, 2026, with further episodes being made available weekly.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 98%, based on 107 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critics consensus states: "Katie Dippold successfully continues to invest in eccentricity with this outlandish horror-comedy that stokes the genre's well-worn tropes to winning effect, bringing scares, laughs, and a game cast." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 78 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the series 5 out of 5 stars, calling it "an absolute blast [...] rich and wonderful. Grownup, funny, scary, true – Mare of Easttown meets Schitt's Creek, but with something else that makes it singular". Variety's Alison Herman wrote, "Widow's Bay may not make the best tourist destination, but I'd happily make a return trip."

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Widow's Bay at IMDb