It’s still fairly early in the year, but already there have been plenty of shows to debut on the 2026 TV schedule — Wonder Man delighted even non-MCU fans, The Testaments filled the gap left by The Handmaid’s Tale, and Best Medicine has been a new favorite for some. However, the best may be yet to come, as Widow’s Bay has premiered — for those with Apple TV subscriptions — to a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, and critics are raving in their reviews about this unique horror comedy.
The series, which premieres April 29, revolves around Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), mayor of the titular New England island community, who wants to turn Widow’s Bay into a tourist destination. This, however, awakens an ancient evil, and according to the Widow’s Bay reviews, that manifests by way of murderous clowns, mysterious fogs, witches, sea hags and more. This unique premise has earned it a 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and has Lacy Baugher of Den of Geek praising the way it blends laugh-out-loud comedy with genuine scares and a fair bit of gore. The critic says:
Part workplace comedy, part trope-filled horror story, and part love letter to the power of community and found family, it’s a show that’s honestly quite unlike anything else that’s on TV right now. It’s ten-episode first season mixes surprisingly frightening scares with sharp, biting humor and follows a cast of colorful, quirky weirdos who are as complicated and compelling as any on Apple TV’s roster of hard-to-pin-down comedies and genre-bending dramas.
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert agrees there’s nothing else like Widow’s Bay on television. He calls the Apple TV series “wonderfully demented,” and while not all of the show’s big swings are home runs, Tallerico says it’s so refreshing to see something that doesn’t confine itself to any one box, writing:
Article continues belowOne of the many things that works so well about Widow’s Bay is its commitment to being even more horror than it is comedy. The sixth chapter … [is] where the show really finds itself, pushing through the back half of the season with unpredictable momentum, trying to reconcile the region’s folklore with the stasis of its present day. It’s about a community with a past that’s chained like an anchor to its future, and it takes the time to fill out its setting enough to make it feel real, so the unreal that happens within it will hit harder.
Nick Schager of the Daily Beast says in his review of Widow’s Bay that the series radiates confidence with sharp writing that can inject humor into even the grimmest situations, as the mayor’s determination chips away with each new nightmare he faces. That Katie Dippold (Parks and Recreation, The Heat) can make you laugh and gasp in the same episode is “proof of its excellence.” Schager says:
Striking an ideal balance between the quirky and the creepy, Widow’s Bay is a genre-straddling saga about one man’s efforts to cope with a regional legacy that refuses to align with his plans for the present. With a terrifically amusing Matthew Rhys leading a great cast, and showrunner Katie Dippold imagining a wealth of surprisingly silly and sinister scenarios, it’s a charmingly ghoulish saga about a locale beset by the sins of the past. It’s also, to date, the best new show of the year.
Saloni Gajjar of AV Club gives it an A-, pointing out the talented directors Katie Dippold has gathered: Samuel Donovan (Severance), Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), Hiro Murai (Atlanta) and Ti West (the X trilogy). This talent with actors like Matthew Rhys and Stephen Root, combined with Dippold’s sharp writing make for a “genre-mashing” success. Gajjar continues:
In Dippold’s creative hands, the fear stems from creepy crawlspaces, eerie books, sacrificial rituals, and [Jeff] Hiller’s Dale wholeheartedly screaming ‘This place is a house of horrors!’ Meanwhile, the laughs come from sharply-written characters and wacky circumstances. (Tom spends an entire episode high on mushrooms, with DeYoung framing his experiences quite uniquely.) With its diverse elements coming together like lightning in a bottle, Widow’s Bay is a destination well worth visiting.
Nicole Gallucci of Decider, who admits to not being a horror fan, still appreciates Widow Bay’s “masterful blend of nail-biting terror and deliciously dark humor,” particularly in the way Matthew Rhys is able to nail the spectrum of genres. Gallucci says:
Moments of heightened absurdity showcase The Americans star’s adept comedic timing, physical comedy, and charm. But as Tom fights internal and external demons, Rhys dials up the drama, exuding palpable fear and running the gamut of emotions in his facial expressions. As the series tortures Tom, tests moral compasses, and examines the lengths people will go to secure safety and freedom, Rhys’ raw performance anchors the series, ensuring viewers feel the extent of his exasperation and struggles.
These reviews of Widow’s Bay as well as that 100% Rotten Tomatoes score have me really pumped for a new series to watch on Apple TV. The first two offerings of the 10-episode season premiere Wednesday, April 29, with episodes dropping weekly after that.
