Widow’s Bay
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, one thing we like is a good mystery. Sometimes about really big things, but most times, the little mysteries are the best.
Our lost and found is currently filled with pants. I don't know what, I've never seen this happen.
Wait, this is true?
This is true. Mysteries of every size, each week. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.
A mayor of a small island town might deal with a lot. Infrastructure, finances, superstitions about local curses, and, of course, actual local curses.
You might have heard people talking about the new Apple TV series Widow's Bay. It's funny and creepy and follows just such a mayor as he desperately tries to protect the reputation of his town. And he sticks with it, even as the evidence mounts that the island is, in fact, in the grip of something supernaturally dangerous. I'm Glenn Weldon.
And I'm Linda Holmes. And today we're talking about Widows Bay on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. Joining us is NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben. Welcome back, Danielle. I am so happy to be on this episode. Thank you so much. And we are, of course, so happy to have you. Widow's Bay focuses on Mayor Tom Loftus, played by Matthew Reese. Tom confronts the fact that his job as mayor comes with some very special challenges, from an ominous fog to an inn that the locals are afraid to stay in overnight, which causes some difficulties with tourism. And tourism is Tom's great dream for Widows Bay, especially when he persuades a New York Times travel writer to visit. Local residents include Patricia, who works for Tom.
She's played by Kate O'Flynn. There's also Wick, played by the great Stephen Root.
What is the premise of the Apple TV series Widow's Bay?
Wick is a fisherman who is certain there is a curse on the island.
It's a haunt. I didn't realize it was a haunt. I'm sorry. Could you remind me again? A haunt is worse than a spook, but not as bad as a fright. Oh, equal to a scare, right? You can mock me all you like. The island's cursed, Tom.
There's a lot going on in these 10 episodes, so let's get into it. Glenn, I'm going to start with you. I think you were the first person that I knew who was watching and enjoying this show. How'd you like it?
I really did. I know I loved it from the jump. I mean, you can't cast Matthew Rhys and Stephen Root alone. and Dale Dickey and Jeff Hiller, who has a small part. They don't do enough with him, but he's got a small part. You can't cast those folks and not be Glenn Catnip. Then later, you're going to throw in Betty Gilpin and then Hamish Linklater, who also plays Richard Warren, the guy who created the town.
The founder of the town.
Founder of the town. You're not playing fair. That is ridiculous. But then something happens in episode seven where we get the perfect joke, the best joke ever, the the platonic ideal of jokes. That's when Tom enters a room where Wick and Patricia have been questioning the corpse, the zombie or whatever, of Richard Warren. Tom picks up what we know to be Patricia's notepad, the Cato Flynn character. He flips a page and we read, Hello, I am Patricia. But that's not the joke. That's the setup. The perfect joke, the best joke happens next. He flips a page and we read, Are you mad at something I said? Question mark. Now, that is so perfect because it grows so organically, intrinsically, inevitably from these specific characters in this very specific and let's stipulate, you know, wacky situation.
Richard Warren, we've met him before in a flashback. We know kind of a grumpy Gus, right? Even back when he had a pulse, he was kind of a grumpy Gus. And so he's been a few centuries trapped in a coffin. And you'd expect him to be a bit prickly. But we, the viewers, haven't seen him in dead guy form yet. That's important. That's part of this joke. We are active in this process because we're gaining information from this notepad about this interaction that we haven't seen. But then Patricia, who is the character find of 2026, the best thing about this show, such an amazing creation.
How does Mayor Tom Loftus deal with local challenges?
She told you from the first moment we met her that she's not going to be just a stock character, that she's somebody very specific, somebody real, somebody worth –
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:47
2
What is the premise of the Apple TV series Widow's Bay?
1:47–3:59
3
How does Mayor Tom Loftus deal with local challenges?
3:59–5:13
4
Who are the main characters in Widow's Bay and their roles?
5:13–6:52
5
What makes Widow's Bay a blend of horror and comedy?
6:52–22:41