Widow’s Bay
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root,
and Kate O’Flynn
Created and Directed by Katie Dippold
and Hiro Murai
Streaming on Apple TV
First Impression:
Apple TV has really hit it out of the park with their surprise hit series Widows Bay, a genre-bending comedy/thriller/horror. I have genuinely never seen anything quite like it on any streamer. The way it blends elements of comedy, horror, and mystery so seamlessly is a treasure to behold. It reminded me of the workplace comedy Parks and Recreation that got dropped into the middle of the Stephen King universe—and somehow, it works brilliantly. This is by far one of the best shows to premiere this year and I can’t wait for you all to enjoy it.
When I stumbled upon the show Widows Bay, it was totally by accident. I was genuinely thinking of canceling my subscription to Apple TV due to the lack of quality original shows and movies. I kept the service because I enjoyed the shows Severance and Pluribus (filmed in and around Albuquerque), but both shows had ended their respective seasons and I thought I was ready to cancel and rejoin when they returned. Boy, was I happy I didn’t cancel, because Widows Bay turned out to be just as good and, surprisingly, more watchable than both Severance and Pluribus combined. And that’s kind of what frustrates me with Apple TV in general: whenever they have an exciting new show or original movie, they never properly promote it! It’s like they expect you to stumble around in the dark until you find something good. I know Apple is a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, but still, Apple, hey—promote your shows. More people need to know about quality when quality is there.
Anyway, moving on to Widows Bay: it’s set in the seaside island town off the coast of Maine where ambitious mayor Tom Loftis (Rhys) is obsessed with making Widows Bay the next Martha’s Vineyard, but the island has many dark secrets that are still unraveling to this day. We are accompanied by a great group of actors, from Stephen Root as the resident curmudgeon who doesn’t want tourists to invade the town—he thinks it’s dangerous, and he’s proven right throughout the series. We also see breakout character Patricia, played by the underrated Kate O’Flynn, who has some memorable episodes based around her quirky and intense character.
The episodes of Widows Bay are short compared to most streaming shows coming out today, with an average runtime of 35 to 40 minutes, so it’s very easy to binge the whole show rather fast. And it’s also very rewatchable; you pick up new things and Easter eggs that tie to other episodes that you may have missed upon first watch.
I rarely review television shows, but when I find a good one, it’s worth letting you know. Widows Bay is fun and funny, scary and thrilling, and it doesn’t necessarily have to sacrifice one aspect of itself to enhance the other. Hopefully, you find it just as amazing as I did.