What I've Been Into...
"Widow's Bay" I'm on board, but I'm not sure I like where we're going.
The first season of this fun, supernaturally steeped show on Apple has a great cast playing fun characters. Matthew Rhys is Tom Loftis, mayor of the titular town (located on a New England island), who wants to turn the place into the next Martha's Vineyard. Trouble is, unlike Martha's Vineyard, Widow's Bay is plagued by unexplained, spooky occurrences.
The town's main hotel, for example, is haunted by ghosts, including a terrifying "It"-like clown in the cellar. And people born on the island, it seems, can't leave without bad stuff happening to them.
A thick fog that arrives during the show's first episode ratchets up the weird occurrences just as a New York Times travel writer arrives to check things out.
Along with Rhys, who is wonderful as the mayor trying his best to keep a lid on things, the cast includes the great Stephen Root (stapler guy from "Office Space") as Wyck, a crusty local convinced that the island is cursed; Kate O'Flynn, as the mayor's uptight, quirky lead aide; Kevin Carroll as the town's no-nonsense sheriff.
This group, along with a few other talented actors playing smaller roles in the mayor's office, works extremely well together, with each cast member bouncing well off the others and keeping things funny, even as the island's curse results in some truly frightening moments here and there.
The comedy-horror approach balances well, although the threats the writers dish out aren't terribly original or perilous. We get not just the scary clown, but also a masked, Jason-like serial killer, and a Black Lagoon-ish Sea Hag, along with lots of spooky fog.
All together, the show references and plays like a combination of "Parks and Rec," "Twin Peaks," "Lost," "Jaws" and any number of Stephen King stories. But I question how long the show runners can run with it, without the suspense and humor growing stale.
The first season was fun and diverting, but the series will need to step things up if they want to retain long-term interest.
Quick Links:
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