Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) has big aspirations for Widow’s Bay as a summer tourist destination.
Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) has big aspirations for Widow’s Bay as a summer tourist destination.
Tom’s rebellious teenage son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), never left the island.
Tom’s rebellious teenage son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), never left the island.
Tom and Wyck (Stephen Root) eventually become allies when supernatural events hint at the awakening of a curse on the island.
Tom and Wyck (Stephen Root) eventually become allies when supernatural events hint at the awakening of a curse on the island.
Tom’s rebellious teenage son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), never left the island.
Tom and Wyck (Stephen Root) eventually become allies when supernatural events hint at the awakening of a curse on the island.
Tom’s assistant, Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), tries to organize a “sunset cocktail” party to improve his social status.
Dale (Jeff Hiller) plays DJ
Local sheriff Bechir Clemmons (Kevin Carroll) is increasingly alarmed by these strange occurrences.
Rosemary (Dale Dickey) could have key information about the island.
Todd the Shaman (Chris Fleming), a town drug dealer, has a particular local hallucinogenic mushroom to offer.
A flashback to the actions of Widow’s Bay founder Richard Warren (Hamish Linklater) could be the source of all these mysterious happenings.
Clearly millions of viewers share Dippold’s strangeness. When the fourth episode focused on Patricia (“Beach Reads”) aired, the viewing figures had tripled since launch, and those numbers have continued to grow as positive word of mouth spread quickly.
The most impressive aspect of the series is its mastery of tone: a perfect balance between quirky humor and chilling horror that is incredibly difficult to maintain consistently. “I used to get up to all kinds of pranks when I was young: my friends and I would go see the abandoned house and then run away.” Dippold said. the tone I wanted for the show. “It was almost a kind of dangerous emotion. And I love that feeling because you’re very scared, but you laugh a lot, and I just wanted to convey that feeling on television.”
It also helps that Dippold has populated his fictional town with such well-drawn and unique characters; Even one-off supporting characters, like Todd the Shaman (Chris Fleming), feel developed and fully realized. That’s thanks to the show’s excellent cast, of course, but the actors have plenty to work with in smart, snappy scripts. And the structure of the series is very well laid out: it’s part monster of the week and part longer narrative arc. The show is warm and funny at the margins, and truly terrifying when the supernatural antics ramp up. There is not a single false note in the ten episodes.
All episodes of the first season of widow’s bay they are now streaming on Apple TV. A second season is already in the works so we will have even more comically horrible adventures. Dippold wants the show to return as soon as possible, and so do we. He jokingly told Deadline that S2 will be “about how everything is great on the island and there’s nothing to worry about.” Don’t believe it.
