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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the hardiest horror movie fan out there. Some people delight in oozing gore and jump scares, but I’m more likely to cover my eyes and peep through my fingers until the on-screen grotesquerie has subsided. I have an equally fearful reaction to cringe comedy shows like “The Office” (2005-2013), which mine embarrassing situations for laughs, at great cost to my personal psyche.
So it was with some trepidation that I began watching “Widow’s Bay” (2026), a new comedy horror series created by Katie Dippold and Hiro Murai for Apple TV. I was rewarded for my bravery with a fantastically engaging and outrageously funny show that had me alternatively clutching a pillow for protection and cackling like a libidinous sea hag (if you know, you know).
Promotional trailer for “Widow’s Bay” (2026). (Credit: Apple TV via YouTube)
Originally conceived as an episode premise for “Parks and Recreation” (2009-2015), “Widow’s Bay” has all the best elements of any workplace sitcom, but offers far more range. Its absurd, character-driven humor combines with genuine scares and heartfelt moments to create the best sort of emotional rollercoaster.
The show follows Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) as he attempts to increase tourism to his remote New England island community. The sleepy town of Widow’s Bay has plenty of charm – comparable, Loftis hopes, to Bar Harbor or Martha’s Vineyard. But unlike either of those two summer destinations, Widow’s Bay is under a centuries-old curse, and things are getting dangerous, just in time for tourist season.
In the opening episodes, we learn that things have been going wrong in Widow’s Bay since its founding in 1702. Plague, witch trials, deadly fog, unnatural storms, killer clowns, and cannibalism are par for the course on the island. To cope, most locals have adopted a philosophy of fatalism and a stiff upper lip in the face of supernatural unpleasantness.
But Mayor Tom Loftis, who was elected unopposed, wants more for the island and for his son, Evan (played charismatically by Kingston Rumi Southwick). And he’ll do everything in his, albeit limited, power as mayor to make Widow’s Bay prosper. Loftis is helped, and often hindered, by his team of office assistants and local managers. Actors Dale Dickey, K Callan, and Jeff Hiller shine as recalcitrant local bureaucrats, proving the adage that there are no small parts.
Local bureaucrats Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) and Dale (Jeff Hiller) provide punchlines, and the occasional scare, in “Widow’s Bay,” (2026). (Credit: Apple TV via IMDb)
As the series progresses, Loftis is forced to confront the realities of the island’s curse, assisted reluctantly by his loyal aide, Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), former mayor Wyck (Stephen Root), and Sheriff Bechir (Kevin Carroll).
The episodic structure of the show allows it to pay glorious (and hilarious) homage to the rural horror tropes that define the genre. Figures out of seafaring legends mix with superhuman slashers and immortal demons to create a potpourri of horrors afflicting the town. In my favorite episode of the series, inadvertent witchcraft brings a folk horror theme to a municipal cocktail party gone wrong (and then right, and then wrong again).
At first glance, the premise of the show may seem familiar to fans of rural horror. As we discussed in our podcast, Rural Horror Picture Show, plenty of horror movies and shows take place in small towns that seem idyllic — until a dark secret is revealed. Often, the protagonists (frequently out-of-town visitors) are victimized by a hostile populace that is in league with, or at least indifferent to, the local source of evil. But that’s not what happens in “Widow’s Bay.” For one thing, the town’s dark history is dealt with in a comically open and casual way. In the opening episode, the town historian describes the town’s 18th-century witch trials as “a great source of pride. We caught ‘em, we burned ‘em.” And while tourists do play a role, the protagonists of the show are all locals with strong ties to the community.
As a long-time and fully committed horror fan (see this very funny post from 10 years ago), showrunner Katie Dippold is well aware of these tropes, and knows how to use them to her advantage. The show gleefully plays with rural horror conventions – alternately poking fun at, subverting, and embracing them – while still delivering genuine scares. And in the moments between fear and laughter, I developed a real emotional connection with the characters. Their complicated relationships to one another, and to their home, create a plotline just as compelling as the supernatural mystery that envelopes the island.
Promotional poster for “Widow’s Bay” (2026). (Credit: Apple TV via IMDb)
The show’s portrayal of the rural setting is equally nuanced. Widow’s Bay is located forty miles from the mainland, and is stylized with a quaintness that frequently crosses over into spookiness. The isolated island isn’t fully sheltered from modernity, but it’s the kind of place where landlines and walkie-talkies often serve better than cell phones, due to spotty service. Like in any community, the residents are made up of an eclectic mix of characters, from weathered fishermen to polished, book club-hosting women. The show has fun with the small town setting, but not in a way that makes rurality the punch line. If anything, viewers grow increasingly sympathetic to Widow Bay’s idiosyncrasies as it becomes clear that the odd local customs and perspectives are entirely justified. And while many characters express an urge to get the hell off the island, that has less to do with their dissatisfaction with rural life than it does with the fact that the community is really and truly cursed.
Personally, I’ll be looking forward to visiting the island again (since I am lucky enough to do so from the safety of my own couch) when it returns for season two.
Season one of “Widow’s Bay” is now streaming on Apple TV.
This article first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, recommendations, retrospectives, and more. Join the mailing list today to have future editions delivered straight to your inbox.
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