Matthew Rhys is delighted by Widow's Bay's checkered past in first teaser for Apple TV series

Though he may try to deny it, it sure looks like there were some cannibals on this island.

By Drew Gillis  |  April 2, 2026 | 11:26am
Image courtesy of Apple TV
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Matthew Rhys is delighted by Widow's Bay's checkered past in first teaser for Apple TV series

Even the tamest coastal New England towns can be kind of creepy when winter comes. The boats get docked, the vacationers go home, and the sun sets at 4 pm. Add in a “checkered past” that sure seems like it includes a smattering of cannibalism, and you’ve got Widow’s Bay, the new series on Apple TV named for the fictional island of which Matthew Rhys’ Tom Loftis is the mayor. 


An official synopsis for the series reads: 

In Widow’s Bay, something lurks beneath the surface. Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) is desperate to revive his struggling community.  There’s no wifi, spotty cellular reception, and he must contend with superstitious locals who believe their island is cursed.  He wants these people to respect him.  They don’t.  They think he is soft and cowardly.  And he is. But Loftis is determined to build a better future for his teenage son and turn the island into a tourist destination.  Miraculously, he succeeds: tourists are finally coming. Unfortunately, the locals were right.  After decades of calm, the old stories that seemed too ludicrous to be true start happening again.

Based on this first teaser, those old stories look pretty paranormal in nature. We’ll find out for sure when the first two episodes of Widow’s Bay debut on Apple TV on May 27. 

 
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