If you haven\u2019t visited \u201cthe next Martha\u2019s Vineyard,\u201d you\u2019re missing out.<\/p>\n
Widow\u2019s Bay has become a word of mouth sensation. For those who haven\u2019t seen the AppleTV+ series yet, chances are, a friend has mentioned it, or it\u2019s come across your social media feeds. <\/p>\n
The last time a show swooped in out of nowhere with this kind of buzz, it was Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n
On the surface, Widow\u2019s Bay is an unlikely candidate to be the show of the summer.<\/p>\n
Its biggest star is Matthew Rhys. The actor is fantastic \u2013 but he\u2019s not a household name like Nicole Kidman or Steve Martin, and he\u2019s not a trendy A-lister who makes headlines every time he sneezes, like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney or Jacob Elordi.<\/p>\n
Compared to many other shows, it has a modest cast. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s also not romantic or sexy, like Heated Rivalry, or the recent hit, Off Campus. It doesn\u2019t have huge action setpieces, like the shows in the Game of Thrones world.<\/p>\n
Despite all that, Widow\u2019s Bay has become a phenomenon, for good reason. <\/p>\n
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 \u2013 but it\u2019s original \u2013 sprinkled with Parks and Recreation (creator Katie Dippold was a writer on the latter). <\/p>\n
The town is quaint. There\u2019s a lighthouse; there\u2019s a tavern called The Salty Whale. It\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
Mayor Tom Loftis (Rhys) is desperate to ignore the danger, attract tourists and make the place, \u201cthe next Martha\u2019s Vineyard.\u201d The Jaws comparisons are strong. <\/p>\n
Other locals \u2013 like Wyck (Stephen Root) aren\u2019t keen on visitors, determined to warn everyone about the spooky supernatural happenings. As much as Tom tries to dismiss Wyck as a conspiracy-minded \u201chick,\u201d the latter is often right. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Widow\u2019s Bay perfectly threads the needle between horror and comedy. Many other shows have tried and failed to nail that balance. <\/p>\n
The American Horror Story franchise sometimes attempts it, and spirals into messy nonsense. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat We Do in the Shadows\u201d was delightful, but much more of a comedy. <\/p>\n
The Epix show From, HBO\u2019s Welcome to Derry, and Mike Flanagan\u2019s shows are somewhat similar, but they\u2019re all much heavier on horror than humour. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s rare that a show succeeds at an even split. And, as it mixes genres, Widow\u2019s Bay doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s trying to do too many things at once. Each episode has a consistency of vision. There are a lot of disparate elements, but \u201cWidow\u2019s Bay\u201d never seems like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. It\u2019s throwing darts with sharp precision, and hitting the bullseye. <\/p>\n
Despite evoking genuine chills, the show also manages to feel cozy. <\/p>\n
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!)<\/p>\n
We get to know all the quirky locals \u2013 like the prickly Patricia (Kate O\u2019Flynn), the gruff sheriff, Bechir (Kevin Carroll), or Tom\u2019s rebellious teen son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick). Hamish Linklater plays the mysterious founder, Richard Warren.<\/p>\n
The town has all the charm of Stars Hollow, mixed with a dose of Twin Peaks. Fans of Gilmore Girls wouldn\u2019t seem like they overlap much with fans of David Lynch, but Widow\u2019s Bay is able to appeal to those separate audiences. <\/p>\n
Like The X-Files, it has a \u201csupernatural spook of the week\u201d format that makes it easily digestible. <\/p>\n
It helps that episode lengths frequently clock in at 40 minutes (or less!).<\/p>\n
In this age of bloated run times (the Euphoria finale was 93 minutes long; the Stranger Things finale was over 2 hours long), each instalment feels downright brisk. <\/p>\n
Even with all those factors casting a wide net to ensnare various audiences, a show set in a small town with \u201cissue of the week\u201d plotting sounds too-small scale to captivate the public. <\/p>\n
But Widow\u2019s Bay remains surprising, unique, and artistic. <\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t a feel-good, sentimental show like the Bill Lawrence world (Rooster, Ted Lasso, Shrinking).<\/p>\n
Despite its primal frights, it\u2019s also not overly disturbing or abrasive (like Euphoria, Beef, or the new Cape Fear series), either. It finds that emotional place between those lines. <\/p>\n
The show is smart, without being a high-minded watch that demands a lot of brainpower. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not reinventing the wheel. Widow\u2019s Bay includes some plots that other shows have done before \u2013 there\u2019s a drug trip episode; there\u2019s a \u201cparty gone wrong\u201d episode\u201d \u2013 but it puts its own stamp on them. <\/p>\n
It also zags into unexpected detours, like a flashback episode to the island\u2019s history. <\/p>\n
For viewers who like to dive into theories, the mythology offers a buffet \u2013 like how people born on the island can\u2019t go to the mainland. Reddit and TikTok theory threads are booming. <\/p>\n
But, this isn\u2019t Lost. If you don\u2019t want to theory-craft, and you prefer to let a show just wash over you, it\u2019s watchable that way, too. <\/p>\n
Widow\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t need movie stars, explosions, explicit sex, or splashy spectacle. It doesn\u2019t need to be a sequel or spin-off. Whenever you tune in to a given episode, you can\u2019t predict what you\u2019ll get. But it\u2019s guaranteed to be engaging, funny, scary, and entertaining. <\/p>\n
Widow\u2019s Bay is now streaming on AppleTV+. <\/p>\n