Widow’s Bay, on Apple TV+

Islanders are supposed to be tight-knit and stick together, but the locals on this island off the New England coast must take it to ridiculous extremes. Those who were born on the island must never leave the island—ever. Yet, Widow’s Bay also has a macabre history of serial killers and mysteriously deadly accidents. It seems like their doomed either way in creator Katie Dippold’s ten-episode horror-comedy Widow’s Bay, which premieres today on Apple TV+.

Tom Loftis was elected mayor, even though he is considered an outsider. He was born on the mainland, but visited his father on Widow’s Bay for the summers. (His mother once spent a very fateful vacation there herself.) Loftis has heard all about the curse business, but he refuses to believe it, except maybe deep down he does. After all, he has never let his obnoxious son Evan visit the outside world. Nevertheless, he is determined to save the local economy by turning Widow’s Bay into the next Martha’s Vineyard.

Wyck is a local fisherman who has lived in Widow’s Bay long enough to know Lofttis’s plan is a terrible idea and he is onery enough to challenge the mayor, loudly and often. Wyck oobviously understands Loftis’s weaknesses, but he shows more respect than Sheriff Bechir, a contemptuous mainlander nearing the end of his contract. City Hall staff, like the mousy, poorly-socialized Patricia, generally humor Loftis, but deep down they mostly agree with Wyck.

Like it or not, Loftis will have to admit the truth after a series of supernatural incidents, including encounters with the ghost of a Gacy-like serial killer and a spectral “Sea Hag.” Despite its comedy-hybrid classification, Dippold manages to incorporate all kinds of horror staples, even including a masked Michael Meyers-inspired slasher, who seems to impossible to kill. The series initially borrows heavily from The Fog and Stephen King’s Storm of the Century, but it adds plenty distinctive nightmares of its own.

In fact, the horror elements work better than a lot of the comedy, which is highly reliant on public humiliation and the cringe factor. Frankly, the best comedic bits are those that embrace the surreal. Regardless, series directors Hiro Murai, Ti West, Andrw DeYoung, and Samuel Donovan achieve a consistently eerie atmosphere, while Dippold creates some seriously creepy lore.

Frankly, Mathew Rhys is a little too incessantly manic as Loftis, whereas Kate O’Flynn is relentlessly sad and depressing as miserable Patricia. However, Stephen Root navigates a safe passage between them as old caustically crusty but down-to-earth Wyck. Dale Dickey is also hilarious as the town’s acid-tongued genealogist, Rosemary.

The lobster rolls in Widow’s Bay had better be amazing, to compensate for all the town’s anxiety and dysfunction. If the clearly anticipated second season makes a few tonal tweaks, it could become a new cult favorite. Season one is still a good deal of fun, even though some folks are a bit much. Recommended for the weirdness, Widow’s Bay starts streaming today (4/29) on Apple TV+.