‘Widow’s Bay’ Season 2 Gets Release Window From Matthew Rhys Himself

Few shows have had a run quite like ‘Widow’s Bay.’ The cursed-island comedy-horror arrived quietly on Apple TV and ended up dominating awards season, which made the question of its return impossible to ignore. Now the lead actor has answered it, and fans looking for the next ‘Widow’s Bay’ release window will need patience.

Created by Katie Dippold, the series premiered on April 29 and follows Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), who is desperate to revive his struggling island town while dismissing a supernatural curse. Apple TV renewed it on June 11, just days before the finale aired on June 17. The first season ended with a twist, revealing Tom’s son Evan as the true last living descendant of Richard Warren.

The show then had a historic night at the Emmys. ‘Widow’s Bay’ won a record 14 awards, the most ever for a comedy series in a single year, surpassing the 13 won by ‘The Studio’ last year. It took Outstanding Comedy Series, with wins for Rhys, Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, Dippold and director Hiro Murai.

Speaking exclusively with The Direct while promoting his new Paramount+ animated series ‘Golden Axe,’ Rhys addressed when fans can expect the return. His answer was blunt. “It’ll be 2028, because we don’t start shooting ’til April of next year,” he told The Direct.

Rhys added that the cast has been told filming begins at the end of April 2027. He also joked that the writers, who had only recently gone back into the room, probably don’t know yet what happens next, and said they had better get a move on. It’s a candid update from someone who is both the show’s star and an executive producer.

A 2028 target fits the show’s own history. Filming on the first season took place in Massachusetts between May and August 2025, and the series didn’t premiere until April 29, 2026. If the next batch of episodes follows a similar schedule, with production wrapping around August 2027, a spring 2028 premiere looks realistic.

That would mean roughly a two-year gap between seasons. Earlier updates pointed the same way, with Rhys sharing on ‘Today’ that filming would start in April 2027, while co-star Kate O’Flynn suggested a more optimistic March 2027. Dippold also confirmed in August that the writers’ room had assembled and was three weeks in.

Rhys didn’t dodge the frustration fans feel about gaps between seasons. He acknowledged that streaming services spend heavily and want to see how a show performs before committing, which tends to mean a very long wait between the first and second seasons. It’s an issue Apple TV is known for.

‘Severance’ premiered in 2022 and didn’t return until 2025, and ‘Dark Matter’ also took two years between seasons. For a series that just swept the Emmys, the wait may feel even longer.

The delay comes after a historic year for the actor. Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘Widow’s Bay’ and also took Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for ‘The Beast in Me.’ He became the first person to win lead acting Emmys across limited, comedy and drama series, having previously won for ‘The Americans.’

Root also picked up his first Emmy, with the supporting actor win for playing the craggy fisherman Wyck, while O’Flynn won for Patricia. With so much acclaim, there is plenty of pressure on the follow-up. No plot details have been revealed yet, though the finale left plenty of mysteries for the writers to explore.

Widow’s Bay — Official Teaser Trailer | Apple TV #WidowsBay #AppleTV https://t.co/IhowC2vvxf

— Entertainment News (@images_tv) April 3, 2026

For now, the best bet is to rewatch the first season and wait for production news. If Rhys’ timeline holds, filming will begin next spring and new episodes should arrive sometime in 2028. Until then, Mayor Tom Loftis remains in limbo.

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