Published May 6, 2026, 11:15 PM EDT
Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies.
After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.
Apple TV is the streaming home of a new horror comedy series that is undeniably its best addition to the genre since M. Night Shyamalan's Servant. Servant premiered on Apple TV in 2019 when the streaming service was still in its early years. The show remained relatively obscure throughout its four-season runtime, but consistently earned positive reviews from viewers and critics.
Since Servant, Apple TV has not exactly doubled down on its efforts to grow its horror catalog. Instead, the streaming service is better known for its sci-fi outings that somehow keep getting better with time. However, after all these years, it looks like Apple TV is finally starting to take the horror genre seriously all over again.
Widow's Bay is a new original addition to Apple TV's streaming catalog, and the show boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%. In its first three episodes, so far, the Apple TV horror show has only gotten better with each episode, proving that it is the streaming service's best horror outing since M. Night Shyamalan's Servant.
Widow’s Bay Is Apple TV’s Best Horror Outing Since M. Night Shyamalan’s The Servant
Apple TVApple TV's Servant masterfully immersed viewers in its claustrophobic storytelling and explored the uncanny and the deeply unsettling nature of grief and blind faith. Although Shyamalan did not helm all the episodes of the show, some of the key tenets of his horror direction and storytelling can be seen throughout the series.
Like many of his horror creations, Servant, too, thrives on absurdity and is even weirdly funny when it backs some of its bleakest moments with unexpected black comedy. In terms of balancing comedy with horror, Apple TV's new horror series, Widow's Bay, is no different. From a thematic and storytelling standpoint, Widow's Bay is significantly different from Servant.
The new original Apple TV show unfolds in a small titular island town that is struggling financially. This prompts the town's mayor to encourage more tourism in the location. He attempts to dismiss all the supernatural legends that surround the town to ensure its tourism is not affected. However, the more dismissive he becomes, the more he starts experiencing the hidden horrors of his town.
Widow's Bay's primary appeal comes from its mystery-box approach towards storytelling. The show keeps introducing one supernatural element after another in each episode while maintaining an air of mystery around each development. However, what truly elevates Widow's Bay above most other horror shows is how brilliantly it combines horror and comedy.
As a viewer, you find yourself laughing and feeling scared at the same time during some of its more terrifying moments. The horror and comedy in Widow's Bay are not treated as separate components. Instead, the show somehow finds a way to blur the line between absurdity and dread, making even its funniest scenes feel deeply unnerving.
Widow’s Bay Deserves To Last As Long As The Servant (If Not Longer)
After watching just three episodes of Widow's Bay on Apple TV, it is hard not to foresee the horror comedy show's immense potential. Given how it thrives on absurdity, it is not the kind of horror series that will fit everyone's taste. Widow's Bay even boasts a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%, but it is yet to garner more mainstream attention.
In an era where shows often get canceled regardless of how well they perform critically, a show like Widow's Bay always faces the risk of cancellation after just one season. However, considering Apple TV's history of giving some of its better shows enough creative freedom and time to grow an audience, Widow's Bay still has a strong chance of evolving into a long-running original.
Hopefully, like M. Night Shyamalan's Servant, Apple TV's Widow's Bay, too, will get to last for at least three more seasons after its opening installment. From its early story developments, the show already seems to have enough room to expand its bizarre mythology and become as influential as shows like Lost and From.
Servant
Release Date 2019 - 2023-00-00
English (US) ·