Words Kelly Finerty
Comedy Horror Series
One Season (2026) TV-MA
Apple TV & Prime Video
Something unfamiliar this way comes, with a dip into a spooky story from the seaside of a cursed New England Island in the 2026 TV Series Widow’s Bay, created by Katie Dippold.
Not your traditional horror with its delicate lacing of comedic tone, this folky series follows skeptical town mayor and single father Tom Loftis, played by Matthew Rhys (The Beast in Me), as he navigates tourism woes and the shenanigans of his teen son while battling superstitious island residents.
Convinced the island is cursed and ramping up for another cycle of terror, the residents actively attempt to derail newcomers and tourists from visiting, creating often hilarious encounters among several characters who figuratively head-butt Mayor Tom in their own quirky ways. The favourite island head-butting resident is most certainly the town’s canary in the coal mine, Wyck, masterfully played by Stephen Root (Office Space), who adds sea salt to Tom’s ever-growing island economic wounds. Tom, determined to win over his constituents and get his way running a financially sustainable town, finds himself volunteering to experience the whims of the island’s alleged curses, leading to unraveling island mysteries and Tom’s sanity over the season arc.
In addition to the crisp and haunting imagery of the show, something most notable and atypical is that the creative vision of each director’s episode is beautifully distinct. Most episodic television is formulaic in its style and coverage within the boundaries of storytelling. Directors are typically brought in to create one episode in a season, sometimes only given a few lenses to create the “look,” and strictly bound by previous episodes’ styling and camera movement to match tone and give the audience a familiar interpretation of the characters and story. Widow’s Bay diverges from this method and clearly gives each director room to breathe life into the script as they see it, and I would say big kudos to the show’s creator Katie Dippold in this arena. Episode Five was one of my favourites, directed by Andrew DeYoung, with a snappy, psychedelic style, harmonizing with a perfectly hilarious and creepy storyline you really must see.
If you find yourself needing a break from romantic comedies this summer, Widow’s Bay has just the binge-worthy spookiness you’re looking for, and if you live seaside, perhaps best as a daytime watch for the scaredy-fish.
If you liked Widow’s Bay, you may also like:
The Chair Company (2025) – TV Series (Crave)
Weapons (2026) – Feature Film (Crave)
Wellington Paranormal (2021) TV Series (CBC Gem)
Obituary (2023) TV Series (Crave)
