Coming as no surprise, Apple TV has given a second season renewal to its supernatural dramedy Widow’s Bay just ahead of the arrival of its season finale. Viewership has been decent for the show with it pulling in 2.1 million viewers across its first ten days according to Luminate, putting it at about the middle of the pack for Apple TV originals in the 2025-26 season. And the show has been getting quite a lot of good buzz,with industry figures like Guillermo Del Toro (HellBoy), Ben Stiller (Severance), Jonathan Bailey (Wicked) giving it praise. In addition, the show currently holds a 97% Tomatometer Score (based on critic’s reviews) and 93% Popconmeter Score (based on audience feedback) at Rotten Tomatoes. (You can read my review of the series at this link.)
Apple TV head of programming Matt Cherniss had the following to say about the renewal:
From the moment audiences arrived in Widow’s Bay, they’ve been hooked on every eerie mystery, unexpected laughs, and cursed secret that Katie, Hiro, Matthew, and the entire team have created. It’s become one of those shows everyone’s talking about, and we’re thrilled to see audiences continue to embrace it. We can’t wait to return for another season.
In addition to the renewal, series creator Katie Dippold (Haunted Mansion) has signed a multi-year deal with Apple, so she will be working on more originals for the streaming service. She had the following, rather sarcastic comment, on the upcoming season of Widow’s Bay: “Season two is about how everything is great on the island and there’s nothing to worry about”. The Season 1 finale arrives today and the second year will probably be targeting a late 2027 release.
This announcement brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the 2025-26 season to 34 renewed sci fi and fantay entries (61% of shows tracked) vs. 13 cancelled and ending (23%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons on our Cancellation Watch Page.
Widow’s Bay is set in a small town located on a supposedly cursed island off the coast of New England. It follows Mayor Tom Loftis, who is trying to revive the struggling community by turning it into a tourist destination despite the locals’ deep belief that the island is haunted and doomed by dark supernatural forces. As new visitors arrive, strange events begin escalating across the town, including ghostly sightings, bizarre creatures, ancient legends, and increasingly dangerous supernatural occurrences. It stars atthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll, Dale Dickey, Kingston Rumi Southwick, and Stephen Root.
We are coming to the end of the current season, and there are still quite a few shows waiting for word on their fates. Be be sure to stay tuned to CancelledSciFi.com and our social media sites for the latest updates on all the current sci fi and fantasy shows.
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