If you deny the supernatural hard enough, will it just go away? That’s essentially the question that Mayor Tom Loftis has to keep asking himself in the early episodes of “Widow's Bay” Season 1, which is available to stream in its entirety on Apple TV. But as Tom learns the hard way, the horrors aren’t quite so easy to wish away as he might hope.

The show’s season finale dropped on Wednesday, but I hadn’t had a chance to watch any of Season 1 until Thursday. If you haven’t had occasion to try “Widow’s Bay” either, I can’t recommend it highly enough — it quickly became my favorite stream of the week.

“Widow’s Bay” takes place on a small island off the coast of New England. The mayor of the small town located on the island is skeptical of its “cursed” past, but when strange events overtake Widow’s Bay and its citizens, he can no longer deny its history or the consequences of its legacy.

Matthew Rhys stars in the show as Tom Loftis, the flustered mayor who just wants to turn attention away from his town’s checkered past and toward something better. Tourism is the way to revitalize Widow’s Bay, Tom feels, and that makes him particularly sensitive to any talk of ominous fogs, cannibalism, or other curse-related topics.

Watch the teaser for ‘Widow’s Bay’

“Widow’s Bay” packs in a ton of great comedic moments, with talented comedic actors like Kate O’Flynn, Dale Dickey, and Stephen Root filling key roles in the show. It’s a credit to the writers that the comedy is so deftly handled; it manages to feel understated and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

The show isn’t just a comedy, however. By the end of its first episode, it’s quite clear that Tom’s protestations that nothing strange is going on are more hope than belief. Things turn horrifying quickly, and the show ends up being quite scary at times.

The real magic of the series is how well it blends horror and comedy, sometimes in the same scene. It shows how well everything is working behind the scenes; writers, actors, and directors are clearly on the same page, and the balance between terror and humor is rarely so well achieved on TV or in movies.

As the season dives deeper into the town and its history, it becomes clear that talk of a curse isn’t just mythology. Nightmares begin coming to life, and the town’s residents are forced to fight for their lives in many cases. Shocking secrets are revealed about the seemingly docile island residents, and by the time the season ends, viewers will be left guessing with terror-filled anticipation at what darkness awaits Widow’s Bay in the show’s second season.

If you love horror comedies, there’s a good chance you’ll find “Widow’s Bay” one of the best titles in that genre in years. You can stream all episodes of the show’s first season now with a subscription to Apple TV, which costs $13 per month after a seven-day free trial.

Widow’s Bay

April 28, 2026

The mayor of a New England town resolves to turn it into the next tourist hot spot, despite local warnings that it’s cursed.