Apple TV's New Stephen King-Like Horror Series Has A Secret Connection To 7-Part Classic Sitcom
By & Published Apr 29, 2026, 3:04 PM EDT Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Apple TV has a new horror series, but its creator brought it from her time with a classic sitcom.
hails from Katie Dippold, her first series in the creator's chair, and revolves around the eponymous small town whose dark history finds itself unearthed when the new mayor, Tom Loftis, ignores their superstitious tales and aims to turn it into a tourist attraction. Emmy-winning leads the show's star-studded roster, which also includes My Lady Jane's Kate O'Flynn, Barry's Stephen Root and Snowfall's Kevin Carroll, among others.
Ahead of the show's premiere, ScreenRant's Ash Crossan interviewed Katie Dippold to discuss Widow's Bay. The creator reflected on the horror series having actually originated as a writing sample to get hired as a writer on the beloved sitcom Parks and Recreation, acknowledging that the idea "changed drastically" from her original sample to the final draft of the pilot's script.
She did, however, confirm that there is "one scene that remains" from her original draft, in which Loftis gives Bashir Salahuddin's Arthur Lloyd, a New York Times travel writer, a tour of the town's historical society, albeit it is "still different." For starters, the original script saw Loftis "showing a family" the history exhibit, with part of the change coming from "many years of working on it and thinking about what his motives are and his goals":
Katie Dippold: Then it changed to he's trying to bring tours here, and he's trying to bring — he got this prestigious reporter to come. And so that's probably the closest thing from the original, but the original was a lot more joke-heavy. And I think that it gave a good understanding of my sense of humor, and Mike Schur hired me off of that.
Though it ultimately helped land her the job, Dippold recalled feeling that "I don't know that I would watch this show as a horror fan" had she gone with her original version of Widow's Bay, admitting that it "could have easily felt more like a parody" than a genuine fright fest. Having "not really love[d] that feeling," she dove back into the script with the drive to "be immersed in the world" and to find a way to "really be scared and really be tense," then pull the rug out and surprise audiences with a laugh.
After starting in the world of sketch comedy as a performer, Dippold notably began her writing in the genre with MADtv, while in more traditional writing as she wrote seven episodes and was part of the creative team for four years. She swiftly followed this up with frequent collaborations with director Paul Feig, as he directed her debut script, the buddy action comedy The Heat, as well as his Ghostbusters reboot.
Interestingly, the all-female supernatural comedy served as something of a bridge for her in the horror genre before fully making the leap with Widow's Bay. Prior to the Apple TV series, Dippold penned the for Disney, with the director and a variety of other names, including original director Guillermo del Toro, receiving credits for having additional material used for the film.
Dippold certainly isn't the first writer who found success in the world of comedy to transition toward more horror-driven material. after his Oscar-winning success with Get Out, while Zach Cregger similarly found back-to-back success with Barbarian and Weapons, and David Gordon Green got off to a strong start with 2018's Halloween legacy sequel. Fellow sitcom vet, John Krasinski, similarly broke out with the Quiet Place films.
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The two-episode premiere of Apple TV's Widow's Bay effectively introduces the Stephen King-like haunts of the titular New England island.
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Though her plans may have "changed drastically," Dippold didn't fully eschew her comedy roots with Widow's Bay, and early reviews have been in awe at her mix of horror and comedy in the series. Also scoring praise for its cast and , the series has secured a rare 100% "Certified Fresh" approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, giving it a strong start going into subsequent weeks and potential future seasons.
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New episodes of Widow's Bay air Wednesdays on Apple TV.
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Matthew Rhys Mayor Tom Loftis -
Kate O'Flynn Patricia
A single father and pragmatic mayor of a New England island town contends with superstitious residents convinced that it is cursed.
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