The mix of spine-chilling horror and absurdist comedy has proven to be quite the winning combination for “Widow’s Bay“ — literally. The hit Apple TV series took home a whopping 14 Emmy Awards this year, breaking the record for the most wins by a single comedy season, including well-earned trophies for series star Matthew Rhys, supporting actors Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root, and the biggie, Outstanding Comedy Series.
In case you missed it, the Katie Dippold-created mystery is set in the fictional New England town of Widow’s Bay, a scenic but unsettling spot that, according to the island’s superstitious locals, is allegedly afflicted with a centuries-old curse. Through the local mayor’s (Rhys) valiant tourism-driving efforts, press attention and weekend vacationers start visiting the isolated destination — that is, until the island’s dark, forgotten legends begin to come true.
While we wait for “Widow’s Bay” season 2 to arrive on the Apple streaming service (a release date hasn’t been announced, but we’re hearing early 2028), here are five great series that offer a similar mix of chuckles and chills.
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‘Twin Peaks’
You can’t miss the influence that “Twin Peaks” clearly had on “Widow’s Bay” —small-town spookiness, strange local residents and whatnot — so why not start out with the oddball whodunnit that inspired so many others?
From the visionary minds of Mark Frost and the late, great David Lynch, the iconic 1990s mystery follows FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLaughlan), who is tasked with investigating the untimely demise of local teen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. As the investigation progresses, however, even more mysteries and conspiracies reveal themselves, all shockingly linking back to Laura’s murder. Like “Widow’s Bay,” Lynch’s cult-classic series plays around with genre, combining a procedural investigation with surrealist horror, soap opera campiness and plenty of slice-of-life quirk.
Stream “Twin Peaks” on Paramount+ now
‘Midnight Mass’
“Widow’s Bay” and “Midnight Mass,” a Netflix horror miniseries from “The Haunting of Hill House” creator Mike Flanagan, share a lot of spooky DNA, from their settings (isolated New England island communities harboring dark pasts) to their actors.
Yes, that’s Hamish Linklater (who cameos on “Widow’s Bay” as Richard Warren, the 18th-century founding father of the town) leading the “Midnight Mass” cast as Father Paul, a charismatic priest whose arrival to Crockett Island coincides with seemingly miraculous events, revitalizes the town’s flagging faith — until that religious fervor takes a sinister turn.
Stream “Midnight Mass” on Netflix now
‘From’
Led by the great Harold Perrineau, “From” is one of the most gripping sci-fi horror series on TV, with a fifth and final season already in the works. While we wait for that no doubt psychologically twisted finale, you can catch up on the previous four seasons, which are set in a nightmarish town in middle America that traps those who enter.
Perrineau plays Boyd Stevens, the self-appointed sheriff and de facto mayor of the Township. He and the rest of the unwilling residents (played by Catalina Sandino Moreno, Eion Bailey, David Alpay and Elizabeth Saunders, among others) must fight to maintain order and a sense of normalcy, all the while plagued by the deadly nocturnal creatures that creep out from the surrounding forest every night. The survivors must try to uncover the town’s secrets and find a way out, all the while being slowly and relentlessly psychologically tormented.
Stream “From” on MGM+ now
‘Wayward Pines’
Based on the “Wayward Pines” novel trilogy by Blake Crouch and executive produced by none other than M. Night Shyamalan (who also directed the pilot), this sci-fi mystery ran for two seasons on FOX from May 2015 to July 2016. At the center of it all is Secret Service agent Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon), who travels to the small Idaho town of Wayward Pines in search of two missing federal agents, one of whom is his former mistress Kate Hewson (Carla Gugino).
What initially seems like a simple case soon turns dangerously complicated, as Ethan discovers that he’s forbidden to leave the town borders amid strict, strange rules enforced by Sheriff Arnold Pope (Terrence Howard). The “Wayward Pines” cast is stacked: Along with those high-profile leads, the series also stars Toby Jones, Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo, Shannyn Sossamon, Hope Davis, Djimon Hounsou and Jason Patric.
Stream “Wayward Pines” on Hulu now
‘Bodkin’
Though it lacks the supernatural element of “Widow’s Bay,” Netflix’s “Bodkin” similarly and delightfully mixes gripping mystery with dark comedy. The Jez Scharf-created series centers on a motley crew of podcasters — played to hilarious effect by Will Forte, Robyn Cara, and Siobhán Cullen — who set out to uncover the mysterious disappearance of three strangers in a remote coastal town in Ireland. Once the wannabe detectives start digging into the case, though, they realize it’s all way bigger and weirder than they imagined.
“‘Bodkin’s’ satire of true crime investigation could use a more compelling mystery to hang its quips on, but the series’ sheer eccentricity makes for an intriguing enough tale from the old sod,” reads the critical consensus over on Rotten Tomatoes.
Stream “Bodkin” on Netflix now
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