Katie Dippold Waited 18 Years for 'Widow's Bay' — Now It Has 19 Emmy Nominations and a Second Season
Katie Dippold first started writing the idea that became "Widow's Bay" while she was working on "Parks & Recreation" in 2009. Eighteen years later, the show has 19 Emmy nominations, a second season in the writers' room, and a new multi-year overall deal with Apple TV+ keeping Dippold at the streamer. (Deadline)
Apple TV+ ordered the 10-episode horror-comedy in September 2024 from Dippold and director Hiro Murai, a straight-to-series order — meaning no pilot was shot first. The show is set on a quaint island town 40 miles off the coast of New England and is led by Emmy Award winner Matthew Rhys, with Stephen Root in a supporting role that earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. (Apple TV+; Television Academy)
The 2026 Emmy nominations, announced on July 8, placed "Widow's Bay" as the third-most nominated show of the year. It trailed only "The Pitt," which led with 25 nominations, and "Hacks." "Widow's Bay" landed nods for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Music Supervision, among 17 others. (New York Times; Vulture; Television Academy)
Dippold told Deadline's "Behind The Lens" video series that "Widow's Bay" mixes horror and comedy in ways she says haven't been done before. She also organises group trips to Universal Studios as part of the show's creative concept — a hands-on approach to building the world her writers and actors inhabit. (Deadline)
Dippold's path to television was anything but straight. She was a key member of the improv group Upright Citizens Brigade before writing for "Mad TV" in its 12th season and the MTV prank series "Boiling Points." She wrote and produced on "Parks & Recreation" from 2009 to 2013. Her film credits include "The Heat" starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock, the all-female "Ghostbusters" reboot, "Snatched" with Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer, and Disney's 2023 "Haunted Mansion" remake. (Deadline)
Apple renewed "Widow's Bay" for a second season on June 11, 2026, describing it as a "global hit and broadly acclaimed genre-bending series." The writers' room is now open on season two. (Apple TV+; Deadline)
The show has also drawn praise from two names who know their way around the uncanny: Guillermo del Toro and Stephen King. (Deadline)
For Dippold, the 18-year journey from first draft to premiere means the renewal is more than a scheduling decision. It is confirmation that a story she carried through multiple film assignments and a changing television landscape found its slot. Season two is now in the hands of the writers' room, and the 78th Emmy Awards ceremony will reveal whether those 19 nominations turn into trophies. (Television Academy)
