While platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max often dominate the streaming spotlight, Apple TV has been quietly making waves with some of the finest television content currently available. Among its standout offerings is the 2026 comedy series “Widow’s Bay.” This show delivers a unique blend of humor and suspense, unraveling the tale of a peculiar island that might be haunted, and a mayor’s ambitious attempt to transform it into a popular holiday spot.
In the role of Tom Loftis, the mayor of Widow’s Bay, Matthew Rhys, known for his work on “The Americans,” masterfully balances humor with a touch of darkness. His character is on a mission to persuade skeptics, including Stephen Root’s historically-minded Wick, that Widow’s Bay is completely free of curses or ghosts. This becomes crucial when Arthur Lloyd, portrayed by Bashir Salahuddin, arrives from The New York Times to write a feature on the town. With a pressing need to boost tourism, Tom goes to great lengths to assure Arthur that there’s nothing unusual about Widow’s Bay.
“Widow’s Bay” offers a delightful yet occasionally eerie journey, so if you’re captivated by Katie Dippold’s inventive and witty series, you might be wondering what else to add to your viewing list. Here are five recommendations for fans of “Widow’s Bay” that you won’t want to miss.
While Apple TV’s gems often fly under the radar, there’s one exception: “Severance” has become a sensation. Created by Dan Erickson and supported by director and executive producer Ben Stiller, “Severance” presents a dystopian world where employees at the enigmatic Lumon Industries can undergo a unique procedure. This process, aptly named “severance,” splits their consciousness into two separate existences: the work-focused “innie” and the outside-world “outie,” each unaware of the other’s life. This intriguing concept fuels the show’s tension and intrigue.
Leading an exceptional ensemble cast, Adam Scott plays Mark Scout, a man devastated by his wife’s death, who turns to the severance procedure to cope. As he works at Lumon alongside colleagues Helly R. (Britt Lower), Dylan G. (Zach Cherry), and Irving B. (John Turturro), both versions of Mark start to unravel the true purpose of their work. The show features other notable talents like Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette, with Tramell Tillman earning an Emmy for his role as manager Seth Milchick in 2025. “Severance” is a captivating watch, blending humor with its mysterious narrative, much like “Widow’s Bay.”
Severance
When discussing mystery series set on enigmatic islands, “Lost” often comes to mind as a benchmark. Created by J.J. Abrams and later guided by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, “Lost” aired from 2004 to 2010, starting with a groundbreaking pilot that introduced viewers to the survivors of Oceanic flight 815. The flight crashes on a mysterious island en route from Sydney to Los Angeles, leaving survivors like Dr. Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), Sawyer Ford (Josh Holloway), and others to navigate strange occurrences, such as polar bears in the jungle and a hidden hatch, as they struggle for survival.
Adam Scott leads a wildly talented ensemble cast as Mark Scout, a man so devastated by the death of his wife Gemma (Dichen Lachman) that he undergoes the severance procedure and picks up a project refining macrodata for Lumon alongside his colleages Helly R. (Britt Lower), Dylan G. (Zach Cherry), and Irving B. (John Turturro). Throughout the show’s first two seasons, Mark S., Mark Scout’s innie, grapples with what exactly they’re doing on the severed floor, both versions of Mark make major discoveries about their lives, and these employees start to uncover the endgame of Lumon. With other luminaries like Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette in supporting roles — not to mention the astounding Tramell Tillman, who took home an Emmy for his role as manager Seth Milchick in 2025 — “Severance” is must-see TV, without question. Plus, just like “Widow’s Bay,” it’s surprisingly funny.
Lost
When it comes to mystery box shows set on weird islands, “Lost” is — in some ways — the gold standard. (At least, that’s true of its early seasons.) Created by J.J. Abrams and helmed by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse after Abrams exited the series in Season 1 (though he served as an executive producer and returned briefly for the Season 3 premiere), “Lost” ran from 2004 to 2010 and left audiences stunned after its audacious, bold pilot introduced us to the survivors of Oceanic flight 815. After that plane crashes on a strange island in the middle of nowhere partway through a flight from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, those survivors — including surgeon Dr. Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), convict Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), conman Sawyer Ford (Josh Holloway), spiritual thinker John Locke (Terry O’Quinn), Iraqi soldier Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews), pregnant single mother Claire Littleton (Emile de Ravin), and fading rockstar Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan), just to name a few — have to learn to live together. They also have to figure out what the heck is going on with this island, where polar bears roam in the jungle and there’s a mysterious hatch hidden away.
There’s no question that “Lost” lost its luster as the show continued and Lindelof and Cuse struggled to keep control of the constantly expanding, labyrinthine narrative. Still, if “Widow’s Bay” is your kind of show and you haven’t watched “Lost,” you absolutely have to check this one out.
Midnight Mass
“Midnight Mass” is the scariest and most serious entry on this list, but it’s still absolutely worth watching alongside “Widow’s Bay” — because it also takes place on a seemingly sinister island. A Netflix miniseries from horror master Mike Flanagan, “Midnight Mass” begins with Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), a disgraced venture capitalist, returning to his isolated hometown of Crockett Island after concluding a prison sentence (for driving drunk and killing a woman in the process). When he goes back to Crockett Island, Riley meets a newcomer, a priest named Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater), who seems to have the entire island under some sort of strange spell.
With several Flanagan regulars on hand like Kate Siegel (his real-life wife), Samantha Sloyan, and Rahul Kohli — who play Riley’s childhood sweetheart Erin Greene, religious zealot Bev Keane, and the town’s law enforcement leader Sheriff Hassan, respectively — “Midnight Mass” isn’t as openly frightening as, say, “The Haunting of Hill House.” Still, “Midnight Mass” flew a bit under the radar, and it deserves the spotlight, especially if you love “Widow’s Bay.”
What We Do in the Shadows
Based on Taika Waititi’s 2014 film of the same name, the FX series “What We Do in the Shadows” is, like “Widow’s Bay,” a horror comedy that takes place on an island that ran from 2019 to 2024. What island, you might ask? That would be the New York borough of Staten Island, which is the home to a house full of vampires and their familiar Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén). Those vampires — Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou), and Laszlo Cravensworth (the unimpeachably perfect Matt Berry), and “energy vampire” Colin Robinson (Mark Prosch) — aren’t particularly cool or edgy, despite their best attempts. In fact, said attempts tend to backfire spectacularly, like the time that the gang tries to impress ancient vampire Baron Afanas (Doug Jones), only to accidentally kill him by exposing him to sunlight.
Basically every episode of “What We Do in the Shadows” is perfect in its own way, but we heartily recommend standouts like “On the Run” (which introduces Laszlo’s alter ego Jackie Daytona), “The Trial” (which features some unbelievable cameos from actors who have famously played vampires), “Brain Scramblies” (which explains what these vampires think the Super Bowl is), and “Go Flip Yourself,” which might be the funniest HGTV spoof ever made. You should honestly just binge all six seasons, though, in between episodes of “Widow’s Bay.”
Twin Peaks
ABC
The grandaddy of mystery box TV shows and a series about a weird little town with some nasty supernatural stuff happening just under the surface, “Twin Peaks” is, without question, a major influence on shows like “Widow’s Bay.” David Lynch’s seminal ABC series, which originally ran from 1990 to 1991 and got a 1992 movie (“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me”) and a 2017 revival on Showtime (“Twin Peaks: The Return”), opens as FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) descends upon the titular town of Twin Peaks, determined to figure out who killed beautiful young teenager Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). Unfortunately for Dale, this mystery is going to be a bit harder to crack than he anticipates, largely because Twin Peaks is home to some strange supernatural happenings.
The lore of “Twin Peaks” is deeply twisted, sometimes confusing, and a whole lot of fun — who could forget bizarre and wonderful characters like Catherine Coulson’s Log Lady?! — and it’s necessary viewing if you’ve never sat down and binged the original two seasons. After Lynch passed away in early 2025, the show surged in popularity once again … but truthfully, “Twin Peaks” will always be a momentous small-screen achievement.
“Widow’s Bay” is streaming on Apple TV now.
