What Year Does 'Widows Bay' Take Place? Here's What We Know About the Comedy-Horror Series

*** Warning: This article contains spoilers for Widow's Bay ***

Fans of the new series Widow's Bay on Apple TV want to know what year the show takes place. The comedy-horror series is set in a fictional town in New England, and Mayor Tom Loftis (who is played by Matthew Rhys) has plans to make Widow's Bay the "next Martha’s Vineyard" after moving to the island with his late wife and son Evan (who is played by Kingston Rumi Southwick).

However, eerie occurrences threaten his plans to bring in tourists, as well as a rumor that the island is cursed. The superstitious town believes that a serial killer who murdered teenage girls in the 1990s is haunting the island, and the residents believe anyone born on the island who goes to the mainland will die.

The show was filmed in several cities in Massachusetts, including Denver, Gloucester, and Rockport, per Deadline. So, what year does Widows Bay take place in?

Widow's Bay was created by Katie Dippold and directed by executive producer Hiro Murai, and it has an old-time vibe, which led many fans to wonder what year the show's events take place. Katie was inspired to create the show from a visit to a haunted house as a kid, as well as to a “very lived-in, cozy, nostalgic" diner in Marblehead, Mass.

Despite the old look of the show, it takes place in current times, 2026.

"I kept wondering about what a place like this could hide," said the show's creator. "And what could happen if stirred."

Widow's Bay premiered on Apple TV on April 29, 2026, with two episodes, four of which have streamed so far.

New episodes will be available to stream on Apple TV every Wednesday. The show has audiences obsessed due to the mixture of terror, along with witty dialogue delivered effortlessly by former Perry Mason star Matthew Rhys. The fourth episode delivers a scary scene involving his character, Tom, a bathtub, and a one scary-ass-lookin' lady, or Sea Hag, rather.

However, Tom is rather humorous, and some of his lines may result in a chuckle or two. Tom doesn't believe the town's superstitious beliefs at first, according to TheWrap, but he does after several run-ins with the Sea Hag.

“Something supernatural is happening," Katie explained. "This place is cursed. He cannot fight that anymore. The complication is, now, the tourists are here, and now, Tom has to contend with that."

Matthew said during an appearance on Good Morning America that he was afraid while reading the script for Widow's Bay, but he also laughed.

"I, I had real moments of going, 'Oh my god, that's terrifying,'" he recalled. "And then other moments of, of laughing out, genuinely laughing out loud. So I was slightly concerned. It's a tough tone to crack, but I, I think, I think we did. Dare I say I think we did it."

Widow's Bay is currently available on Apple TV.