Apple TV's record-breaking Widow's Bay gets important update as fans wait for season 2
Warning: Widow's Bay season 1 spoilers ahead
The spooky season is well and truly upon us, with October 2026 resurrecting the long-dead Friday the 13th with Peacock's Crystal Lake. All your favorite streaming services are full of plenty of shows and movies that go bump in the night, and in case you haven't seen it, we implore you to go and watch Widow's Bay on Apple TV
Reminding us of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Midnight Mass, chuck in a healthy dose of Stephen King homages and a bit of Jaws, meaning Widow's Bay is that sweet spot TV series that lands between frightening and funny.
Even though some might not have heard of Katie Dippold's series, the Parks and Recreation writer won big at September's Emmy Awards as Widow's Bay broke the all-time record for the most wins by a comedy series in a single season.
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Season 1 bowed out back in June 2026, but with square-eyed streaming fans clamoring for more, lead actor Matthew Rhys has given us a much-needed update on season 2.
What do we know about the Widow's Bay season 2 release date?
We know that Apple isn't exactly known for churning out seasons of its best shows, with Severance giving us an agonizing wait between season 1 and season 2. We're also warned to settle in for a long wait until Rhea Seehorn's Carol Sturka returns for Pluribus season 2.
Speaking to The Direct, Rhys explained where things are up to with season 2 and when you can realistically expect him to reprise his role as the deadpan Mayor Tom Loftis.
When the outlet asked Rhys whether the rumors of filming picking up before the end of 2026 and a potential 2027 release date were true, he delivered a deadly blow as he admitted: "Ah, sadly, it'll be... it'll be 2028, because we don't start shooting 'til April of next year."
Saying the writers have taken a well-deserved break and are only just heading back into the writers' room, Rhys continued: "I don't think they know what happens yet, which must be terrifying. But yeah, we've been told we start shooting at the end of April [2027], so they better get a move on."
The Direct somewhat unfairly sounded the alarm about the fact that writers are still working out the story, shooting won't start until April 2027, and a season 2 premiere date is still two years away.
Apple has taught us that patience is a virtue with the likes of Severance, while other shows ranging from Silo to Slow Horses have been able to churn out episodes at a much quicker rate.
Rhys also addressed fan frustration on the wait between seasons, concluding that it's a wider issue with the industry: "Take your time properly. There's a slight problem with streaming. I understand the amount of money they spend.
“They do want to wait to see if it works before they're committing to a next season, a second season. But inevitably, it always tends to mean a very long wait between one and two."
The wait might be annoying, but by all accounts, Widow's Bay season 2 is right on track for where it's supposed to be.
What happened at the end of Widow's Bay season 1?
There are plenty of ways to take season 2’s arc, with things not exactly looking good for Mayor Loftis.
After a whole season of ignoring warnings from Stephen Root's Wyck, Tom learned he could break the island's centuries-old demonic curse by killing the last living descendant of founder Richard Warren (Hamish Linklater). It looked like it was curtains for poor Ruth Livingston (K Callan), and in a shocking twist, Sheriff Clemmons (Kevin Carroll) shot her to save his pregnant wife.
Alongside Ruth's miraculous survival, the island remains cursed thanks to the reveal that Ruth had an affair and that her love child was Tom's late wife.
This means Tom's teenage son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), is the last Warren descendant.
If that wasn't enough, Dale (Jeff Hiller) found old reels hidden in a bunker, revealing how cult-like members of Widow's Bay have been feeding sacrifices to a subterranean entity to keep some of the island's evil at bay. The final scene has the clock tolling eight times, suggesting we'll need eight new victims this time around.
Tom decides to hide this secret of Evan's lineage, meaning that all the usual ghouls and goblins will be haunting the doomed township as we head into season 2.
Even if the writers weren’t just sketching things out for what comes next, expect Rhys and the rest to remain tight-lipped as we twiddle our thumbs for Widow’s Bay’s return.