News Widow’s Bay Apple TV Horror Comedy Widow’s Bay Started as a Parks and Recreation Script One of Apple TV’s most promising upcoming shows began as a spec script for one of TV’s greatest comedies By Matthew Byrd | Published on April 1, 2026 Image: Apple TV Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Apple TV In an interview with TV Insider, Widow’s Bay showrunner Katie Dippold finally shed a little light on the largely-mysterious Apple TV horror comedy that is set to premiere on April 29. While we know the show is set in a small New England town that is desperate to attract tourists even as locals continue to claim that the town is cursed, Apple has intentionally withheld some of the more substantial details about the series so far. According to Dippold, however, that core idea can be traced back to a Parks and Recreation spec script she wrote ages ago. “This is my version of the novel that a writer’s always trying to do,” Dippold says. “If someone read the Parks spec from back then, and they read this one, I think the heart of it is the same. Back then, it was more joke-focused. The older version could have felt more like a parody. And as a horror fan, I want the horror and the stakes and the tensions all taken very seriously.” While that spec script helped Dippold secure a position on the Parks and Recreation writing staff, she never really got the chance to explore some of its specific ideas on that show. Since then, the Widow’s Bay concept has undergone a number of revisions and refinements, some of which were inspired by Dippold’s trip to a Massachusetts diner. “It wasn’t perfect. It’s just very cozy and lived in,” Dippold recalls. “Big coffee mugs and old locals sitting at the counter in flannels, talking about their days. I didn’t want to leave. I just loved that feeling. We’re trying to capture that feeling: cozy, lived in, but there’s something lurking beneath the surface.” If that statement also reminds you of Twin Peaks, that’s not a coincidence. That revolutionary David Lynch series has often been cited as one of the show’s biggest stylistic influences, along with the works of Stephen King. As Widow’s Bay star Matthew Rhys explains, the show also draws heavily from Jaws to tell its story of a mayor desperate to keep the tourist dollars coming. “The big reference we have in the series is Jaws, which was an enormous draw and attraction for me as it is truly one of my favorite films,” Rhys says. “There are a number of horror movies that are nodded towards, referenced, and given a great ode. I’m wary to name them because I don’t want people anticipating them. I would like the viewer to experience, as I did upon reading it, the giggly glee of realizing that you are noticing these wonderful references from our past.” But from its small-town feel, comedic nature, and emphasis on the lives of those who work in a municipality, it’s indeed difficult to look at Widow’s Bay and not see its Parks and Recreation roots. And while we still know remarkably little about the upcoming show, every part of its cast, premise, and pedigree suggests it could be something special. For now, you can enjoy one of the series’ strange teasers for a taste of what is to come.[end-mark] The post Apple TV Horror Comedy <i>Widow’s Bay</i> Started as a <i>Parks and Recreation</i> Script appeared first on Reactor.