Apple’s global hit and broadly acclaimed, genre-bending series “Widow’s Bay” lands season two renewal

Mayor Tom Loftis declares Widow’s Bay remains totally safe and open to visitors as the season finale of “Widow’s Bay” premieres June 17 on Apple TV

Apple TV sets overall deal with creator, showrunner and executive producer Katie Dippold

Recently hailed as “better than Martha’s Vineyard,” Widow’s Bay is open for another season. Today, Apple TV announced a season two renewal for the acclaimed, fan-favorite series led by Emmy Award-winning star and executive producer Matthew Rhys, and hailing from creator and executive producer Katie Dippold and Emmy Award-winning executive producer and director Hiro Murai. Additionally, Apple TV announced a new, multiyear overall deal with Dippold.

The news arrives ahead of the highly anticipated season one finale, premiering Wednesday, June 17 on Apple TV.

Since its global debut, “Widow’s Bay” quickly rose to Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has earned praise as “the year’s best new show,” “the show of the summer,” “one of the brightest surprises on streaming right now,” “unlike anything on TV” and a “perfectly executed,” “absolute gem of a TV show.”

The limited series The Terror: The Devil in Silver, follows Pepper (Dan Stevens), a moving man from Queens who is arrested after losing his temper and assaulting his girlfriend’s ex, but is wrongfully committed to New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital by the arresting officers. Pepper must navigate the hellscape of the underfunded hospital where there is an evil presence lurking and nothing is as it seems.

Chinaza Uche plays the role of Coffee, one of the patients at New Hyde who becomes friends with Pepper, but ultimately ends up being killed in the fourth episode.

Uche recently spoke with SciFi Vision on the experience of filming his character’s last scenes. “Victor [LaValle] was really lovely, because we had lots of conversations about it, because it's super intense,” the actor explained to the site. “And we did discuss why it happens, what it means to each of us, how to portray it on the camera.” He added that he knew it would be upsetting for people. “I didn't want it to hurt the audience too much. I don't know, I loved Coffee, and I was like, ‘Wow, I think if it works, this is going to really hurt,’ but I think that's the point.”

The actor also spoke about the physically chaotic “blood room” sequence, what drew him to the role, how he prepared to play Coffee, the care he took in grounding the character’s mental health experience, and more.

On the latest episode of FROM, Victor (Scott McCord) and his father, Henry (Robert Joy) are told by Boyd (Harold Perrineau) that Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is the reincarnation of Miranda (Sarah Booth), Victor’s mother and Henry’s wife. The news causes Henry to continue to spiral, and with Sophia (Julia Doyle)’s interference, Henry is now seeings flashes of another reality where the town is just his dream during a coma, and he has a whole different life with Victor. Playing this “other” version of Victor was both exciting and terrifying, for McCord, who spoke with SciFi Vision last week. “I love the challenge,” he told the site, adding that the focus was to make it as real as possible. “Who is this guy? Everything about him. How does his heart beat? What's his life?...What is the story there? So, there was a lot of detailed work that helped get there.”

Joy, who was also part of the interview, talked about Henry’s mental state from what he’s seeing and how that life is attractive to Henry, because it gives him what he’s after. “What makes him really vulnerable here is that he, in From Town, wants to be the father, wants to be the caregiver, the protector, and then what he really needs is to be protected.” the actor explained, also saying that the question for him is whether there will be permanent damage to Henry after this.

***The following is a detailed recap of episode 407 of FROM, “Best Laid Plans,” and it contains spoilers for the episode.***

Randall has been trying the door in Colony House basement but hasn’t had luck opening it. Jade tells him if it’s sealed, it’s probably for the best and then hangs a talisman on it “just in case.”

Boyd and Kenny are looking for Henry in Colony House when he stumbles in. Kenny questions it’s the best time to tell him since he’s drunk, but Boyd says he doesn’t have a choice. Boyd takes Henry upstairs so he can talk to him. He tells him Victor is fine, but there is something he needs to tell everyone but he and Victor needs to hear it first. Henry stumbles but won’t accept help.

Tabitha is on the floor in the bedroom with Jim’s clothes when Ethan comes in. He tells her that sometimes he likes to look at his stuff too and adds that Julie is home. She tells them they will go talk.

Tabitha and Ethan tell Julie about the dolls and the totem. Julie asks how she knew the totem would work. Tabitha says that she remembered. She needs to tell them something that has been hard for her to understand and believe: that she has been there before many times all the way back to the beginning. The last time she was there she was Miranda, Victor’s mother.

In the quaint coastal town of Widow’s Bay, Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), determined to create a better future for his teenage son, is desperate to help put the town on the map by making it into an attractive tourist attraction, but he must contend with the superstitious locals who believe the island is cursed. Somehow, it works, but he soon finds out that the locals are right and the island is awake and no longer safe.

Recently, production designer Steve Arnold spoke with SciFi Vision about shaping the visual world of Widow’s Bay, including its deliberately remote, out-of-time look to the older technology, creepy welcome videos, and horror homages layered throughout the town. Arnold also discusses designing the sets such as the Salty Whale and Breakwater Inn, changing the town to 1702, and creating detailed props like the unsettling board games in episode two and the grimoire Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) uses in episode four.

New episodes air Tuesdays on Apple TV.

***The following is a detailed recap of episode 406 of FROM, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” and it contains spoilers for the episode.***

Boyd questions that Jade wants to go down into the tunnels where the monsters live because he thinks it will get everyone killed, all because he thinks the bones of the children are buried there. Jade tells him that they knew this was going to be an “out of the box swing” but asks why he had him even do it if he’s going to reject everything he found because it was during the trip. Boyd questions that, even if they put that aside and the bones are down there, how it’s going to get them home. Jade isn’t sure yet, but he tells him that there are examples of cultures and religions in history that hold the remains of the deceased in great reverence. The nightmare they are stuck in was built on a sacrifice. He suggests that the bones could be what anchors the spirits of the children there and asks if he’s ever wondered why the creatures never come out of the tunnels during the day. They could be protecting the very thing that makes the town possible. Boyd still is worried they will get everyone killed, but Jade says they won’t if they do it right, however, he expected Boyd to come up with the actual plan. Boyd says that he knows what is in Jade’s head may end up important, but that from his perspective, he wants him to help plan a suicide mission because of things he found on a mushroom trip. Jade questions what he has to do to prove it’s real and then mentions the door. He was never in the basement of Colony House and would have no way of knowing what is down there. He asks if if he is able to find the door if he would at least consider what he is telling him about the bones is true. Boyd says it would be a good start.

Acosta is looking at the Viewmaster. She asks Boyd when he comes down with Jade why it was fun for his generation, and he tells her they didn’t have phones. She says it’s like social media from the Stone Age. Jade says that it is the same basement he saw but more organized. Boyd tells him they are trying to build a narrative for the people who came before them to see if they missed anything. Acosta tells Jade that Boyd is just trying to keep her busy because he knows she wants to kill herself.

You’re Killing Me is a six-episode murder mystery series created by Robin Bernheim that recently premiered on Acorn TV. The series takes place in a small New England town and follows best-selling novelist Allie Chandler (Brooke Shields) and aspiring writer and true crime podcast host Andi Walker (Amalia Williamson) who reluctantly come together to solve a murder when Allie’s close friend is killed. The series also stars Tom Cavanagh as Jack Kerrigan, the new detective working at the local police department.

Star Williamson recently spoke with SciFi Vision about her love of true crime, what it was like working with Brooke Shields, the pressure of playing the lead in a series, and more.

New episodes air every Monday on Acorn TV.

***The following is a detailed recap of episode 405 of FROM, “Whaat a Long Strange Trip It's Been,” and it contains spoilers for the episode.***

At the settlement, everyone stands around staring at what has risen from the lake. Donna suggests they pull whatever it is in. Roger is skeptical and says they all should get a say. Donna responds that they need to sleep there. Even if they left now, they’d never make it back before dark. She’d feel a whole lot better knowing who or what floated to the surface. The others agree with her so they pull it in. Whatever it is, is covered in seaweed.

Elsewhere, Ethan wraps and buries the dead bird telling it he’s sorry they couldn’t save it. He really wanted it to be the Lake of Tears. He asks his mother if they will be okay, and she says she hopes so.

Meanwhile, Jade stares out the window at the motel sign which has changed and is lit up saying “this way.” He calls Boyd, telling him the mushrooms kicked in. Then he sees spiders crawling on the window glass and then over him, but Boyd snaps him out of it, as nothing is there. Boyd tells him that maybe they should go see Kristi, but he says he has to do it, but he needs Boyd to be his anchor, his guide, to tell him what is real and what isn’t. He says they need a safe word that will bring him back if things go off the rails and he chooses Capricorn then says, “Let’s go get weird.” He goes outside and walks in the direction the sign points and Boyd follows.

Sophia pretends to be scared as Kristi and Marielle set her arm. Marielle goes to the ambulance to get the brace. Julie and Randall are on the way into the clinic and Marielle comments she likes Julie’s haircut and Randall tells her it’s a long story.

In this week’s episode of FROM, Julie (Hannah Cheramy) gains some new insight when she and Randall (A.J. Simmons) read some of Ethan (Simon Webster)’s books on time travel, learning a new way to potentially control where she ends up. However, when Julie arrives at the massacre in 1978, things don’t go as expected. Cheramy, who spoke with SciFi Vision last week, talked about the experience of filming that scene. “That was an insane day,” said the actress. “It was a big mix of like, prop bodies, but then we had actual people laying in the streets just soaked in blood.” Cheramy also really liked how they dressed the set. “I loved how much they changed the town, all of the little details…They changed a lot to make to show that it's the past.”

The actress also talked about Julie’s drive this season to help her father “Her faith is really questioned this season,” she explained. “…[S]he starts with this place [of] being so determined, but a lot of that comes from just like, she's in so much denial about the loss of her father that, to her, it's almost like he's not even dead.” The actress added that Julie doesn’t know how but thinks she will figure it out, even when everyone around her doesn’t think it’s possible.

One of those characters of course is Randall, who’s been helping Julie out with the storywalking and has become almost like a big brother to Julie. “I love acting with AJ. It’s super cool working with him,” said Cheramy of Simmons.

***The following is a detailed recap of episode 404 of FROM, “Of Myths and Monsters,” and it contains spoilers for the episode.***

Boyd, Donna, Tabitha, Jade, Ellis, and Henry are at the sheriff’s station standing around the Man in Yellow’s suit. Henry says Miranda painted what she saw, including a man in a yellow suit and questions it could be the same person. They talk about Victor recognizing it. Ellis asks that if the suit is there, where is the person who wears it? Boyd says he could be long gone for all they know. The suit could have been there for years, or maybe the monsters left it to mess with their heads, but they don’t know. Boyd says they need to talk to Victor, but Henry wants to talk to him alone. Henry says the Boy in White said they're running out of time.

After Henry leaves, Donna asks if Henry knows about Miranda and Tabitha. Tabitha says they don’t even know if it’s real, which Jade clearly disagrees with. Boyd says Tabitha is right; they need to be sure. Boyd says that for now they need to keep all of this just between the people in the room. Jade tells Tabitha that if Miranda was able to paint him there may be be something in her mind about who he is.

Donna questions Boyd is okay with Jade taking the magic mushrooms he found in a haunted forrest to find out answers. He tells her he’s not, but he’s also okay with waking up every morning and counting how many bodies are out there. They are losing. He won’t say that to everyone, but they are losing, and they still don’t know the rules. If there are answers they need to find them out. He’ll be with Jade if anything goes wrong. Donna tells Ellis there are people waiting to go to the settlement for the food run and the two of them leave.