Why ‘Widow’s Bay’ is the TV phenomenon of the summer

If you haven’t visited “the next Martha’s Vineyard,” you’re missing out.

“Widow’s Bay” has become a word of mouth sensation. For those who haven’t seen the AppleTV+ series yet, chances are, a friend has mentioned it, or it’s come across your social media feeds. 

The last time a show swooped in out of nowhere with this kind of buzz, it was “Heated Rivalry.” 

On the surface, “Widow’s Bay” is an unlikely candidate to be the show of the summer. 

Its biggest star is Matthew Rhys. The “Americans” actor is fantastic – but he’s not a household name like Nicole Kidman or Steve Martin, and he’s not a trendy A-lister who makes headlines every time he sneezes, like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, or Jacob Elordi.

Compared to many other shows, it has a modest cast. 

It’s also not romantic or sexy, like “Heated Rivalry,” or the recent hit, “Off Campus.” It doesn’t have huge action setpieces, like the shows in the “Game of Thrones” world.

Despite all that, “Widow’s Bay” has become a phenomenon, for good reason. 

Cue Corona’s “The Rhythm of the Night.”

The horror-comedy is set on the fictional New England island town of the same name. It has the air of a Stephen King story – but it’s original – sprinkled with “Parks and Recreation” (creator Katie Dippold was a writer on the latter). 

The town is quaint. There’s a lighthouse; there’s a tavern called The Salty Whale. It’s also cursed. The fog may kill you. The inn is haunted. You might go to a party, end up in a trance, and nearly drown in a bizarre ritual led by a lady in an antler-headdress. 

Mayor Tom Loftis (Rhys) is desperate to ignore the danger, attract tourists and make the place, “the next Martha’s Vineyard.” The “Jaws” comparisons are strong. 

Other locals – like Wyck (Stephen Root) aren’t keen on visitors, determined to warn everyone about the spooky supernatural happenings. As much as Tom tries to dismiss Wyck as a conspiracy-minded “hick,” the latter is often right. 

“Widow’s Bay” perfectly threads the needle between horror and comedy. Many other shows have tried and failed to nail that balance. 

The “American Horror Story” franchise sometimes attempts it, and spirals into messy nonsense. 

“What We Do in the Shadows” was delightful, but much more of a comedy. 

The Epix show “From,” HBO’s “Welcome to Derry,” and Mike Flanagan’s shows are somewhat similar, but they’re all much heavier on horror than humor. 

It’s rare that a show succeeds at an even split. And, as it mixes genres, “Widow’s Bay” doesn’t feel like it’s trying to do too many things at once. Each episode has a consistency of vision. There are a lot of disparate elements, but “Widow’s Bay” never seems like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. It’s throwing darts with sharp precision, and hitting the bullseye. 

Despite evoking genuine chills, the show also manages to feel cozy. 

It makes you want to go have a drink at The Salty Whale on a brisk fall night (just ignore the creepy old fashioned torture chair in the basement!)

We get to know all the quirky locals – like the prickly Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), the gruff sheriff, Bechir (Kevin Carroll), or Tom’s rebellious teen son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick). Hamish Linklater plays the mysterious founder, Richard Warren.

The town has all the charm of Stars Hollow, mixed with a dose of “Twin Peaks.” Fans of “Gilmore Girls” wouldn’t seem like they overlap much with fans of David Lynch, but “Widow’s Bay” is able to appeal to those separate audiences. 

Like “The X-Files,” it has a “supernatural spook of the week” format that makes it easily digestible. 

It helps that episode lengths frequently clock in at 40 minutes (or less!) 

In this age of bloated run times (the “Euphoria” finale was 93 minutes long; the “Stranger Things” finale was over 2 hours long), each installment feels downright brisk. 

Even with all those factors casting a wide net to ensnare various audiences, a show set in a small town with “issue of the week” plotting sounds too-small scale to captivate the public. 

But “Widow’s Bay” remains surprising, unique, and artistic. 

It isn’t a feel-good, sentimental show like the Bill Lawrence world (“Rooster,” “Ted Lasso,” “Shrinking”).

Despite its primal frights, it’s also not overly disturbing or abrasive (like “Euphoria,” “Beef,” or the new “Cape Fear” series), either. It finds that emotional place between those lines. 

The show is smart, without being a high-minded watch that demands a lot of brainpower. 

It’s not reinventing the wheel. “Widow’s Bay” includes some plots that other shows have done before  – there’s a drug trip episode; there’s a “party gone wrong” episode” – but it puts its own stamp on them. 

It also zags into unexpected detours, like a flashback episode to the island’s history.  

For viewers who like to dive into theories, the mythology offers a buffet  – like how people born on the island can’t go to the mainland. Reddit and TikTok theory threads are booming. 

But, this isn’t “Lost.” If you don’t want to theory-craft, and you prefer to let a show just wash over you, it’s watchable that way, too. 

“Widow’s Bay” reminds us that a show can be engaging on a small scale, without much razzle-dazzle, if the writing and performances are strong, the setting is specific, and its vision is clear. 

It doesn’t need movie stars, explosions, explicit sex, or splashy spectacle. It doesn’t need to be a sequel or spinoff. Whenever you tune in to a given episode, you can’t predict what you’ll get. But it’s guaranteed to be engaging, funny, scary, and entertaining.  

“Widow’s Bay” is now streaming on AppleTV+.