Review: Widow's Bay is a boldly original take on comedic horror - Ars Technica

Stephen King meets Parks & Rec Review: Widow’s Bay is a boldly original take on comedic horror An eminently binge-able series that honors classic horror tropes while reinventing them in surprising ways. 57 Credit: Apple TV Credit: Apple TV Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Minimize to nav Widow’s Bay, the delightfully eccentric new comedic horror series from Apple TV, is easily one of the best new series of the year. There’s a reason everyone from Guillermo del Toro and Ben Stiller to Damon Lindelof (Lost) is raving about the show. It’s an eminently binge-able, addictive series that pays tribute to all the classic horror tropes while reinventing them in surprising ways. Think Stephen King meets Parks and Recreation, with a dash of Twin Peaks—except Widow’s Bay is very much its own refreshingly original beast. (Some spoilers below but no major reveals.) Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) is a widower and mayor of Widow’s Bay, a quirky little seaside town that has a colorfully bizarre history marked by periodic tragedies. Tom is eager to elevate the town into a trendy summer tourist destination. But the arrival of New York Times travel writer Arthur Lloyd (Bashir Salahuddin), who has the clout to make Tom’s aspirations for Widow’s Bay come true, coincides with the onset of a mysterious fog. Local resident Wyck (Stephen Root) warns Tom that the fog is an omen that the island is “waking up,” meaning more supernatural occurrences are bound to happen. Initially skeptical, Tom becomes increasingly paranoid after a sailor who got lost in the fog essentially goes mad, with his eyes turning white just before dying. But by then Arthur has published a glowing account of his time in Widow’s Bay, and tourists start flocking to the island for the summer season. Tom gamely tries to put a positive spin on things. He stays in the local haunted hotel alone overnight to prove it’s safe (it isn’t) and runs afoul of the legendary Sea Hag during the traditional mayor’s inaugural swim to open the beach. But Tom still refuses to close everything down, despite Wyck’s warnings. Tom’s assistant, Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), has her own disturbing supernatural experience when she tries to host a “sunset cocktails” event to boost her social status in the town. It doesn’t go well, and the mayhem is next level. That’s all I’m going to say, because the fun lies in the finding out. Meanwhile, Tom’s rebellious teenage son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), has fallen in with a delinquent crowd out of sheer boredom, resentful that he has never been allowed to leave the island. That’s because local legend holds that anyone born in Widow’s Bay cannot leave. The supernatural energy keeps escalating with each subsequent episode, eventually delving into the island’s early history and the town’s founding by one Richard Warren (Hamish Linklater). That history still has repercussions for Widow’s Bay in the present. Series creator Katie Dippold is best known (until now) as one of the writers on Parks and Recreation, and Widow’s Bay actually started out as a spec script for that earlier series. “That version was much jokier,” she told Deadline Hollywood earlier this month. “It was more comedic, and I think it gave a good idea of my sense of humor.” But she described that script as feeling more like a spoof, “and as a horror fan, I just wanna be immersed into the island,” she said. “I wanna feel like I could go explore this island and find all the little nooks and crannies and terrifying little spots. That’s my dream, but I’m strange.” 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), has never left the island. Tom’s rebellious teenage son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), has never left the island. Tom and Wyck (Stephen Root) eventually become allies as supernatural happenings hint at an awakening island curse. Tom and Wyck (Stephen Root) eventually become allies as supernatural happenings hint at an awakening island curse. Tom’s rebellious teenage son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), has never left the island. Tom and Wyck (Stephen Root) eventually become allies as supernatural happenings hint at an awakening island curse. Tom’s assistant, Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), tries to throw a “sunset cocktails” shindig to boost her social status. Dale (Jeff Hiller) sits in as DJ. Local sheriff Bechir Clemmons (Kevin Carroll) is increasingly alarmed at the odd occurrences. Rosemary (Dale Dickey) might hold some 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 Widow’s Bay founder Richard Warren’s (Hamish Linklater) actions might be the source of all the mysterious happenings. Clearly millions of viewers share Dippold’s strangeness. By the time the Patricia-centric fourth episode (“Beach Reads”) aired, viewership numbers had tripled since the launch, and those numbers have kept growing as positive word of mouth rapidly spread. The most impressive aspect of the series is its mastery of tone: a perfect balance between quirky humor and spine-tingling horror that is incredibly difficult to consistently maintain. “I used to get into all sorts of antics when I was young, me and my friends going to check out the abandoned house and then running off,” said Dippold of the tone she wanted for the show. “It was almost kind of a dangerous excitement. And I just love that feeling, because you’re so scared, but you’re laughing so hard, and I just wanted to get that feeling on television.” It also helps that Dippold has populated her fictional town with such well-drawn, unique characters; even one-off side characters, like Todd the Shaman (Chris Fleming) feel fleshed out and fully realized. That’s thanks to the show’s terrific cast, of course, but the actors are given a lot to work with in the smart, snappy scripts. And the series’ structure is very well plotted: it’s part monster of the week, part longer narrative arc. The show is warm and funny in the margins, and genuinely scary when the supernatural antics ramp up. There’s not a single false note across all 10 episodes. All episodes of the first season of Widow’s Bay are now streaming on Apple TV. A second season is already in the works, so we’ll be getting even more comically horrific adventures. Dippold wants the show to come back as soon as possible—and so do we. She jokingly told Deadline that S2 will be “about how everything is great on the island and there’s nothing to worry about.” Don’t you believe it.