One of the most talked-about shows at Comic-Con was Widow’s Bay. So many of my Con friends wanted to talk about their favorite parts, Easter eggs, and theories about season two. (Credit to CB for my go-to Easter egg about the Marissa/MRSA joke; it’s always a hit.) The panels with series creator Katie Dippold, a former staff writer on Parks and Rec, were also popular. I attended one of her two panels, Collider’s “Showrunners on Showrunning.” Her fellow panelists were Damon Lindelof and her former boss, Greg Daniels, both of whom praised the show while mentoring her on stage.
Dippold’s second panel was part of Apple TV’s showcase. This time, she was joined by several cast members, including Dale Dickey (Rosemary), Stephen Root (Wyck), and K Callan (Ruth). Matthew Rhys joined via Zoom. They shared anecdotes from filming, including Rhys’ inspiration for the mushroom episode and behind-the-scenes hijinks around Rosemary’s genealogy discovery. Root also talked about Wyck’s importance to the story. On that note, Dippold revealed that in the original version of the script, which started as a spec script for P&R, the Wyck character didn’t exist. From Nerdist:
Widow’s Bay is perhaps the biggest runaway hit TV series of 2026. Apple TV’s 10-episode supernatural dramedy brought lots of chuckles and chills to audiences as they dove into the mysteries behind a cursed and bloodthirsty island. Widow’s Bay is packed full of memorable characters, from (Matthew Rhys) to the cranky local doomsayer Wyck ([Stephen] Root), who is initially a pain in Tom’s behind. Speaking of the latter, Widow’s Bay showrunner and creator Kate Dippold revealed at SDCC that the original script did not have Wyck in it.
I know, I know. It is incredibly hard to imagine the island without Wyck, who eventually forms a team with Tom and his eccentric assistant Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) to uncover what’s really happening with Widow’s Bay. From his chaotic outbursts to his sharp senses on what’s unfolding around them, Wyck is a key player in this story. Dippold spoke about what the first script for Widow’s Bay looked like, reminding attendees that it was initially a Parks and Rec spec.
“So the first version was a spec for Parks and Rec, but it started off that everyone knew it was a haunted town. There was no Wyck in that version,” Dippold said before joking that every copy of that version should be [burned].
Honestly, everyone knowing what’s up is a lot less fun. A lot of what makes isolated places and small towns scary is the rumors, stories, and differing opinions about them. The friction between initial non-believer Tom and Wyck’s interference made their eventual team up all the better.
As fans know, season one ends with more bell tolls requesting more souls. Wyck and Patricia don’t know the plot twist about Richard Warren’s last descendant, but we get the feeling that they are going to dig until they find out in Widow’s Bay season 2. No matter what happens, the W in Widow’s Bay stands for Wyck, and we can’t wait to see him again.
I am so glad that Dippold changed course to add the Wyck character! He’s one of the best parts of Widow’s Bay. Wyck is the perfect foil-turned-guru, and Root is perfectly cast. It’s hard to imagine the show without him. I also think it was the right call to change the plot so that not everyone knows the town is haunted. The original idea would have turned a mystery into a comedy and removed the tension.
During the Showrunners panel, Dippold revealed that she’s holding a season two writing retreat and hopes to start filming it next year. She asked Lindelof and Daniels so many questions about what makes a successful show. You could tell how much she cares about creating a good second season. After seeing the mutual respect that Dippold, Lindelof, and Daniels had on stage, I’m fully on board with a future collaboration in which The Office meets Lost meets Widow’s Bay. A buddy comedy with Patricia, April, and Kelly Kapoor would be so much fun.
Photos credit: Marion Curtis/StarPix for Apple TV/INSTARimages, Getty, Apple TV Press, Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images
Okay so I saw the posts on here about the show but didn’t actually read them since I hadn’t seen it (I glanced at a few but nothing seriously lol). So my husband and I decided to watch it a week or two ago. You guys, I thought it was like a White Lotus, like rich people behaving badly. i had no clue it was this horror-comedy show. I hate horror, lol.
And yet somehow we still binged it over a few days and I ended up loving it, so i’m excited about the second season.
can I ask a spoiler-y question about the ending? Or a vague spoiler-y question? I’m just not sure I understood it lol.
ask away! i’m dying to talk more about it. i binged it this weekend, and i’m not really a bingey person. i don’t know if i have any answers, but i’d love to guess ! 🙂
So was the curse related to the bloodline at all, or related to whatever is in that basement/storm center? Because that was when the storms stopped – when it seemed like whatever it was had gotten a victim.
the Carrie episode with Patricia was the scariest in my opinion. Wonder if those women believe her now about the boogeyman.
Well it is in a way. Unless the whole bloodline dies, they have to sacrifice people. That one guy got eaten by something which stopped the storm. And then the bells tolled at the end of the episode letting you know how many more people will need to be sacrificed.
the theories i’ve read that make the most sense to me describe the curse as kind of being two-pronged. one part of which is the bloodline element through the warren line. the other part of which is the covenant, which the mayor (protector of the town) keeps by arranging the sacrifices. it’s just in this particular case they are both in the same family (as it originally was with warren). so the covenant would theoretically be broken by eradicating the warren bloodline. there was that little piece of paper that we couldn’t read that tom found in warren’s vial thing, which i think would explain it more. the church tolled 9 times in episode 2, and in episode 10 they killed kenny (oh my god!), so the storm stopped because a sacrifice was made. but the next morning the bell tolled 8 more times indicating that they still need 8 sacrifices. i think the basement is just where the sacrifices have to occur? you can just kill people on the island anywhere and have it count. my question is can the bloodline part of the curse be passed to someone else. i loved patricia! my favorite episodes were the party episode (rosemary was so supportive!) and the halloween riff.
okay the two pronged theory makes sense to me. I think I need to go back and rewatch it for things like the bells tolling etc.
Stephen Root makes everything better.
I have adored Stephen Root since his Newsradio days. I loved him on Barry. I’m so happy he has had such a fabulous career. Did you know he started as a theatre actor? I agree, LIGHTPURPLE, he makes everything better.
Yes!!! Root has done an amazing job in so many things. I didn’t know anything about Widows Bay, I just started watching it because he was in it and Matthew Rhys.
I also just binged the newest season of King of the Hill.