Stephen King meets Schitt’s Creek? This wild dramedy is the most original TV show this year

Widow’s Bay ★★★★★

In many ways, this new series is oddly familiar. It’s a horror pastiche that will at times deliberately remind you of IT, The Shining, Halloween, Jaws and Carrie. It’s also a sharp comedy about an isolated small town in the style of Schitt’s Creek. And much like Parks and Recreation (which creator Katie Dippold also worked on), it’s a workplace sitcom centred on the daggy world of local government. So why on earth does it feel so fresh?

Against all odds, Widow’s Bay is one of the innovative and thoroughly entertaining shows I’ve watched this year. Scary enough for actual horror fans and consistently layered with clever comedy throughout, this 10-part series transcends its influences to create something delightful and ambitious that will have you laughing and screaming in equal measure.

Matthew Rhys (The Americans, The Beast in Me) is the glue that holds so much of this together. With bulging eyes and sweaty smiles, he (literally) shines as Tom Loftis, the harried mayor of the titular island community who is trying to revive his town through tourism. His main obstacle? Every other person in Widow’s Bay who very casually insists the place is cursed.

You’ll actually have the best viewing experience if you stop reading and go watch for yourself. The first few episodes of the series – two of which have already been released – are rich with tension and ambiguity about what we might expect and who we should believe. Local fisherman and alleged “dumb hick” Wyck (Stephen Root, Barry) emerges as an early antagonist for Tom, drunkenly warning that the island has “awoken” after a rare earthquake.

And considering the ghouls and supernatural forces revealed in the trailer, it’s not exactly a spoiler to reveal he might have a point.

Though the later episodes inevitably revolve around the question of why this is happening and what can be done to stop it, there’s no dense mythology to unpack or predict on Reddit. The “curse” that seems to afflict this place is just a larger umbrella to unveil random monsters-of-the-week for Tom, Wyck and co to fight.

Some critics have interpreted that lack of specificity as a flaw, arguing Widow’s Bay should have aspired towards the more clearly signposted symbolism and metaphor that defines our favourite horror stories. There’s a good case to mount against that: what’s more relevant today than a story about the slippery nature of truth and the power of the stories we choose to believe? But getting too deep into it would frankly undersell the comedy.

The real joy of Widow’s Bay isn’t in how it depicts our anxieties, but how it undercuts them. Dippold has crafted a surprisingly effective horror story almost entirely occupied by surreal sitcom characters – small-town folk who barely blink an eye after being demonically possessed or conversing with an animated corpse. The funniest moments don’t come from outright satire (although one slasher-inspired episode would absolutely qualify), but the bizarre situations these people are thrown into and the baffling ways they react.

It’s an extraordinary tonal balance to maintain, and the show is well-steered by directors who are at home in the absurd. Hiro Murai (Atlanta) serves as executive producer and also directs five episodes, with the other half helmed by Andrew DeYoung (The Chair Company, Friendship), Ti West (X, Pearl, Maxxine) and Sam Donovan (Severance).

As that talent attests, this is not a show to watch while double-screening. The funniest moments are often found in the set details and the awkward silences. But if you’re a sook like me, it’s OK to cover your eyes occasionally and hide from the odd jump scare.

Widow’s Bay is now streaming on Apple TV.

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