Apple's Widow's Bay is slaying on streaming charts thanks to Stephen King fans

2 weeks ago 22

Published May 28, 2026, 11:41 AM EDT

It's not too late to catch up

Apple TV has carved out a niche for itself with high-quality TV shows stacked with A-list actors. Aside from a few breakout hits like Severance and Ted Lasso, though, few of those shows ever break into the mainstream. (Yes, Apple is also home to some of the best sci-fi television in recent memory, but good luck convincing your parents to watch For All Mankind.) Now, with its latest original series, Apple may just have another big hit on its hands.

From creator Katie Dippold (previously best-known for co-writing the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot), Widow's Bay is a horror-comedy with heavy Stephen King vibes. The series takes place on a sleepy New England island town that's suddenly overrun with tourists thanks to the efforts of its squeamish new mayor, Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys). The King-esque twist, however, is that the charming town of Widow's Bay is haunted thanks to a 400-year-old curse, which forces Loftis and the rest of the cast to contend with a variety of classic horror tropes in a monster-of-the-week format.

When I interviewed Dippold in April, she explained how King's work influenced the general style of Widow's Bay:

"He's just such a master storyteller. It's a sense of nostalgia, and the atmosphere, and just trying to be as specific as possible. You do the best you can to learn from him, and hope you can catch any of it. I try to touch on any of that feeling."

Combine that sense of nostalgia, which Widow's Bay channels flawlessly, with the stylish, surreal aesthetic of director/executive producer Hiro Murai (Atlanta) and the result is something truly unique.

Widow's Bay was already gaining steady momentum since its April 29 premiere, but the series got a boost this week thanks to the release of an excellent two-part episode that flashes back to the origins of the town and introduces an delightful new character. (No spoilers here, but you can read more about those two episodes in our behind-the-scenes feature.) Perhaps as a result, Widow's Bay has now skyrocketed to the top of Apple's own streaming charts, making it the most-watched show on the platform as of May 29.

With three episodes left to go, there's still time to catch up on Widow's Bay before the series ends on June 17. And with the last two episodes directed by Murai, they're sure to be something special.

Widow's Bay is streaming on Apple TV.

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