Is 'Widow's Bay' A Real Town? The Apple TV Show's Setting, Explained
Widow's Bay (2026) is shaping up to be Apple TV's next big hit, and for good reason. The titular town feels lived in. The small-town politics complicated by a supernatural curse are all the more compelling with weathered houses and sprawling oceanside views. If you're already a horror fan, the similarities to Stephen King's signature brand of New England horror are hard to ignore. While the series isn't a Stephen King adaptation, that inspiration pinpoints the island's general New England setting.
However, that doesn't mean that Widow's Bay is real—something we should all probably be grateful for. The town itself is purely fictional, but showrunner Katie Dippold gives us a vague location to imagine the island in.
Where Is Widow's Bay?
Widow's Bay isn't just supposed to feel like New England; it's supposed to be a fictional town in New England. As Katie Dippold told The Boston Globe, "It's a long ferry ride, you don't know exactly if the ferry comes from Massachusetts or Maine, but I purposely wanted to keep that a little vague."
With Tom (Matthew Rhys) making constant remarks about Martha's Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, and later, a nod to the Boston Red Sox, my personal headcanon is that the island exists closer to Mass (which I say with authority as a Boston native). That said, New England provides excellent fodder for horror. The main reason: It's old!
With New England harboring four of the United States' original 13 colonies, the region has history. Massachusetts, specifically, had everything from the Founding Fathers and the Pilgrim settlements to the infamous witch trials and unsolved axe murders. The coastal setting (which you'll also get a dose of in New England states like Maine and Rhode Island) also does wonders to evoke isolation.
Look to movies like The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019) to see why Robert Eggers loves the region for his period-set horror films. And, of course, Stephen King's hometown of Maine has hosted no shortage of small-town horror stories.
Where Is 'Widow's Bay' Filmed?
Another reason Widow's Bay feels so much like Massachusetts is that Dippold filmed there. As reported by Decider, Rockport and Gloucester provided the primary locations for the island's village and harbor. Other towns, like Essex, Sudbury, Worcester, and Maynard, served as locations for various scenes. Likewise, Berlin's town hall acted as the interior of Widow's Bay Town Hall, which the series spends a lot of time in.
The Fictional Towns That Inspired 'Widow's Bay'
Stephen King's work wasn't the only source of inspiration for Dippold. Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) also served as a major influence. While that essence is felt more in narrative—a mayor reluctant to slow tourism despite safety concerns—it also bleeds into location. Jaws is set in the fictional town of Amity Island, but shot in Martha's Vineyard, the real Massachusetts's tourism hot spot that Tom desperately wants Widow's Bay to become. In that sense, the similarities between the two fictional islands feel uncanny.
In the other corner is the Apple TV series' unusual connection to Parks and Recreation (2009). While the sitcom feels like a far cry from Widow's Bay with its Indiana setting, the connective tissue is Dippold, who worked as a Parks and Rec writer and credits the show with inspiring the quirky edges of Widow's Bay.
What To Watch If You Love 'Widow's Bay'
Obviously, if you love Widow's Bay and want more of that supernatural-infused New England horror vibe, just look to Stephen King. Although it lacks Widow's Bay's nautical elements, Pet Sematary (1989) feels particularly small-town New England horror. However, if you're craving that isolated seaside landscape, King stories like Dolores Claiborne (1995) and Storm of the Century (1999) hit on that. The Mist (2007) and its 2017 TV adaptation also feel reminiscent of Widow's Bay, just prepare yourself for sci-fi instead of supernatural ghosts and curses.
Outside of King, John Carpenter's The Fog (1980) is a great companion watch to Widow's Bay, particularly after the first episode. However, if you're really here to immerse yourself in the Massachusetts vibe, check out Wayne (2019), a hidden gem that perfectly captures what it's like to grow up in the greater Boston area.
