Pack your bags and prepare to be haunted: Apple TV+ has officially renewed its hit horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay” for a second season! And we are totally here for it!
The announcement comes at the perfect time, dropping just ahead of the highly anticipated season one finale on Wednesday, June 17. Clearly, Apple is so obsessed with this island nightmare that they’ve also locked down creator and showrunner Katie Dippold (Ghostbusters, The Heat) to an exclusive, multi-year overall deal.
The series, led by Emmy winner Matthew Rhys, quickly secured a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (even holding a flawless 100% score at its debut). Critics are already calling it “the show of the summer” and “better than Martha’s Vineyard”—though, to be fair, Martha’s Vineyard has significantly fewer ancient curses.
Rebranding an Island (With Terrible Cell Service)
Set 40 miles off the coast of New England, Widow’s Bay follows Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), a man trading Soviet espionage (The Americans) for municipal dread. Tom is desperate to save his dying town by turning it into a premier tourist destination.
The obstacles in his way? There is absolutely no Wi-Fi. The cellular reception is nonexistent. And the locals are fiercely superstitious, aggressively weird, and openly think Tom is a soft coward. (To be fair, he is.)
Miraculously, Tom’s marketing plan actually works. The tourists arrive! Unfortunately, the locals were right. After decades of calm, the town’s utterly ridiculous local legends and lurking supernatural evils wake up—and they didn’t get the memo about the island’s trendy new rebranding.
“Season two is about how everything is great on the island and there’s nothing to worry about.” — Katie Dippold, Creator & Showrunner (lying through her teeth)
A Masterclass in Genre-Bending
What makes “Widow’s Bay” a breakout hit is its brilliant balance of genuine, spine-chilling horror with awkward, character-driven comedy. The humor doesn’t undercut the scares; instead, it highlights the hilariously human ways a town of isolated eccritics reacts to being actively hunted by the supernatural. To them, an ancient curse is less of a tragedy and more of an annoying property-value issue.
Cast & Creative Team
The series boasts an incredibly stacked lineup of talent both in front of and behind the camera. Rhys pulls double duty as both star and executive producer. The cast also includes Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Kevin Carroll, and Dale Dickey. “Parks and Recreation’s” Katie Dippold both created the series and is the showrunner. To go inside the series, watch our interview with both the cast and Dippold (below).
Adding to the show’s cinematic, eerie vibe, the first season’s ten episodes featured a powerhouse roster of rotating directors. Alongside Hiro Murai (who directed five episodes), the series tapped horror icon Ti West (X, Pearl), Sam Donovan, and Andrew DeYoung to bring the island’s unique atmosphere to life.
How to Watch
The final episode of Season One streams on Wednesday, June 17. You can catch the entire season exclusively on Apple TV+, available on the Apple TV app across over 100 countries and on all your favorite screens.
