TSJ Reviews WIDOW’S BAY and Announces Important News

TSJ Reviews Widow’s Bay and Announces Important News — No Spoilers

This show from Apple TV was, frankly, a breath of fresh air. My review is just below, and then the news follows, along with a video announcement.

The Premise of Widow’s Bay

Imagine the mayor from Jaws (“The beach is safe!”) leading a small island that also happens to be suffering from an ancient curse. The mayor wants to increase tourism. The locals, who suspect a curse since the island settlement’s founding, know better. It’s a hilarious setup, but there is so much more than what I’ve stated here. There’s fascinating backstory, some incredible history, a great setting filmed in real places in the US North East (Gloucester, Worcester, Rockport, Essex — all real Massachusetts locations on the Atlantic coast), quirky and eccentric characters, humour, and some real chills. It’s a horror/comedy that hits on all levels. The episodes hover around thirty to forty minutes, and each is unique and necessary to the story.

The show focuses on Mayor Tom Loftis and his plans to increase tourism to the island. He has to battle his own staff, the locals, and especially legendary fisherman Wyck (Stephen Root), who claims to be an expert on the island’s curse. Wyck is a particularly enjoyable character; I smiled each time he appeared on screen.

The creators are Katie Dippold and Hiro Murai.

Here’s the disheveled mayor Matthew Rhys (Tom Loftis) with Stephen Root (Wyck):

Spoiler-Free Review

Listen — I’m going to confess this to you now. I have grown weary with so many streaming shows that other people rave about. Often they are eight to ten episodes long, but really should only be three. They contain massive amounts of filler, episodes crammed with useless bits that don’t move the story forward and have nothing to do with the overall plot. Widow’s Bay is not that. It’s tight, it’s constrained, and it’s fast moving. It’s bingeworthy and you’re left wanting more each time you watch.

And each episode is told in a different way, or focuses on a different character, which I appreciated.

One of the best things about the series was the John Carpenter influence. Within the first three minutes, it’s obvious. It’s clear what film they’re riffing on. But then in the next episode, it’s another Carpenter influence, but it’s not the same as in the first film. And in another episode, there’s yet more Carpenter! It’s obviously an homage to horror in general, but JC’s presence is felt everywhere. To make this tale even better, the quirky cast of characters add so much humour.

In describing the island’s witch trial history:

“… great source of pride. We found ’em. We burned ’em.”

The story was exceptional, the twists and turns are interesting, and the show’s finale was unexpected and interesting. I can’t praise Widow’s Bay enough. Kudos to the writers and showrunners.

Pros

Tight, short eps of only thirty to forty minutes
An interesting backstory, revealed over the entire season
Quirky/eccentric characters
It’s scary but also funny; the dialogue and characters will keep you laughing
Moody and atmospheric (watch at night)
There are lots of threads to keep things moving
The cast is fantastic
The history/backstory is wonderful … I want to learn more, particularly about Wyck’s father, who apparently was a whaler

Cons

The show is so clearly influenced by Carpenter that I’d like to hear some distinctive dark synth music. The score was somewhat understated or subtle in Widow’s Bay. Others might think this is a positive though.
I found the final episode to be a bit slow, to be honest. Slightly anticlimactic, even though there were huge revelations.

The News

And now the news (with a video announcement, below):

Season 2 is coming.

Yes, Apple recently announced that Season 2 is on the way. The writers’ room is currently hard at work with scripts due in December 2026, with filming to begin shortly after.

And creator/showrunner Katie Dippold says this about the season:

“Season two is about how everything is great on the island and there’s nothing to worry about.”

Very, very good, Katie. (Clearly she understands what we love about the show.)

The returning cast includes (so far):

Matthew Rhys (Mayor Tom Loftis), Kate O’Flynn (Patricia), Stephen Root (Wyck), and Kevin Carroll (Bechir)

Here’s the video announcement. As more news about Widow’s Bay Season 2 arrives, I’ll post it here at Life After Gateway. Watch this space!

Sources: Empire Online, Forbes, People

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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 3 August 2026

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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

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“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007