“There is something about seafaring towns. The superstitions. They’re tall tales. I find it charming myself.”
Widow’s Bay – the Apple TV horror-comedy about a mayor (Matthew Rhys, The Americans) whose attempt to turn his Massachusetts island into a Martha’s Vineyard-esque getaway unleashes a long-dormant evil – is without a shadow of a doubt the best series currently on streaming and television.
The quote at the top of this review, spoken by Rhys’ mayor Tom Loftis to a New York Times travel writer, perfectly summarizes why this series works perfectly. It takes the Twin Peaks formula of a small town riddled with idiosyncratic characters and an underlying sense of long-dormant indigenous evil and throws it into a chowder pot of ’80s page-turning paperback horror novels. The series is equal parts big laugh comedy, exploration of long-buried trauma and straight-up white knuckle horror and suspense where, very wisely, one never overpowers the others.
The Twin Peaks of it all allows viewers to feel this odd sense of grounding. While Widow’s Bay is a bit of an anomaly, thanks to its distinct lack of modern-day technology (cell phones, Wi-Fi, a lack of modern vehicles, etc.), it still has the atmosphere of a New England island that your parents may have taken you to as an antsy teenager in the ’90s. It’s slightly out of place, but that sort of adds to the odd charm. This odd charm is eventually weaponized by the writing and this charm eventually rears its true, ugly, insidious face.
The brilliance of this balancing act can be laid squarely on the shoulders of writer and showrunner Katie Dippold. Her time as a writer on Parks & Rec (where the Widow’s Bay idea originated) and the horror-comedies Ghostbusters (2016) and Disney’s Haunted Mansion (2024) can be seen on fully display.
While the Parks & Rec influences are more than obvious, many who’ve seen her latter big-screen work (in particular Haunted Mansion) will recognize her use of traumatic, hidden secrets and the usage and innovation on classic horror plot devices. It’s easy to see that the writer’s career (which also includes The Heat and Spy) were all leading to Widow’s Bay.
The implementation of classic horror stories, and placing them in the world of Widow’s Bay is done with such effortless excellence. In lesser hands, these plots would have felt jarring and out of place, but here, it’s more of an “of course this would happen.” And that’s not saying anything in Widow’s Bay is predictable; it’s more that these horrible things would happen in a place that is ravaged by an ancient evil.
This is why Matthew Rhys is the perfect choice to lead the series. Normally, we’ve seen Rhys in more stoic, intense roles such as his Emmy-winning role as Phillip Jennings in FX’s The Americans and the titular Perry Mason, in HBO’s adaptation of the famed series. In Widow’s Bay, we see Rhys’ Tom Loftis as a frayed, desperate and easily excitable man driven to bring prosperity to this sleepy island. Rhys’ comedic timing is impeccable, and yet the script allows him to carry an immense burden behind his tired eyes and furrowed brow. And that’s why you bring Rhys into this series: to deliver a complex performance that allows him to be the straight man, as well as the emotional core of the series.
However, this is not a one-man series. The supporting cast surrounding Rhys propels this series to the heights of greatness. Kate O’Flynn (Bridget Jones’s Baby), in particular, shines the brightest amongst the supporting cast as Loftis’ right-hand woman, Patricia Moyer—a woman haunted by the fact she was nearly murdered by a serial killer, a fact no one in town believes. O’Flynn, like Rhys, takes her character and allows her to be the butt of many a joke, but also a very active participant against the horror this island spits out. Her look is obviously inspired by Shelley Duvall in The Shining, and O’Flynn is able to use that to her advantage in ways both hilarious, and for one really big moment late in the season.
Stephen Root (Barry), the master character actor, does the same with Wyck, a salty local who knows all too well about the horrors of Widows Bay. His character is allowed to break out of the “I know the tale!” local who is there to spin spooky yarns. He is also an active participant who must fight evil, maintain the peace and come to terms with his own trauma at the hands of the island.
Widow’s Bay is a brilliant series that will have you laughing, crying and white knuckling your seat thanks to its weaponization of traditional American horror. It’s the perfect series to binge during the summer season, and then revisit during spooky season.
The second season is on the horizon, and given how this season ends, we’ve yet to see all that Widow’s Bay – the series and island – has to offer.
