Apple TV's "Widow's Bay" has been renewed for a second season, with star Matthew Rhys, creator Katie Dippold and other cast members offering early details about what's next for the superstitious New England island. The show was officially greenlit on June 11, and weeks later picked up 19 nominations for the 2026 Emmys, airing Sept. 14 on NBC and hosted by Mariska Hargitay.
Rhys, who plays Widow's Bay Mayor Tom Loftis, told E! News he felt "genuine shock" and relief at the nominations. "There was concern about what the tone would be and whether an audience would get it, embrace it, like it," he said. "I think the reaction has been such a relief that there is an audience out there desperate for original programming, and I hope it encourages greater risk within the industry."
Season 2 Premiere Date and Filming
No premiere date has been announced for season two, but Dippold, who also serves as showrunner, confirmed filming will begin in early 2027. Speaking at Collider's Showrunners on Showrunning panel at Comic-Con 2026 in July, she said, "The writers' room just started this week, and it's a great room. Then we're going to be writing for the next 20 weeks."
Rhys said the cast has been kept in the dark about the new season's direction. In an August interview with E! News, he recalled pressing the writers for details four days into their process. "We ran at them shouting, 'Tell us about us!' And they said, 'We don't know. We genuinely don't know,'" he said. "They've only been in the writers' room about two weeks, and they call it the blue sky period, where they all throw in their ideas," he continued. "And they were like, 'Blue sky's done. We're going to go back to the whiteboard, and then we're going to start shaving out what the ideas are.' And we're like, 'What are the ideas?' And they wouldn't tell us. And I'm usually the last to know because I do have a kind of a loudmouth."
How Season One Ended
Season two picks up after a finale that resolved one mystery while opening another. In the closing episode, the storm plaguing the island finally stopped after custodian Kenny, played by Michael Malvesti, was accidentally sacrificed to the entity haunting the town. But the curse persists because the Warren family still has a living descendant.
Tom's assistant Ruth, played by K Callan, was initially believed to be that descendant. The finale revealed instead that Ruth had a baby with a married man decades earlier, a baby who grew up to be Tom's late wife, making their son Evan, played by Kingston Rumi Southwick, the true last descendant of Richard Warren, played by Hamish Linklater.
Dippold told the Television Academy in June that the twist was central to her original pitch. "In my pitch to Apple, I knew that would be [Tom's] final dilemma," she said. "That after a whole season of Loftis proving that he's going to do these terrifying things to save this town and try to make right what he's done by bringing tourists here, I knew I wanted him to have a truly impossible dilemma."
Southwick said he's ready for whatever comes next for Evan. "I'm just excited," he told E! News. "I'm excited for him and it's going to be a great season."
Widow's Bay's Emmy Nominations
"Widow's Bay" earned 19 nominations for the 2026 Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Rhys, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Stephen Root, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for both Dale Dickey and Kate O'Flynn.
Ahead of the Primetime Emmys, the show also picked up eight awards at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys, including Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour), Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Betty Gilpin, Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, Outstanding Music Supervision, Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour), and Outstanding Sound Editing and Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series and Animation.
Rhys was doubly recognized this year, also earning a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for "The Beast in Me." "Thank you to the TV Academy for nominations for both WIDOW'S BAY and THE BEAST IN ME," he said in a statement. "I spent the year as a psychopath and a politician, and the Television Academy has generously chosen not to hold either against me... I am so happy that both series were so warmly received this year, and I'm especially thrilled to be nominated alongside so many extraordinary members of our WIDOW'S BAY team, including our showrunner, creator and warped minded Katie Dippold, our savant director, Hiro Murai, so many of my fellow actors, and our incredible department heads, who all did incredible work. I am also joyous to be nominated for THE BEAST IN ME along with the amazing Claire Danes and all the other wonderfully creative minds that made this show happen. Thank you so much to Apple and Netflix."
Rhys's wife, Keri Russell, was also nominated this year, for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for "The Diplomat." "What an exciting day for our household!!!" she said. "And beyond thrilled for Rufus, Debora, Janney and Bradley."
The 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards air Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and stream on Peacock.
