Published Jun 6, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Rohan Naahar is a News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he’ll watch anything once. He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.
When the topic of Apple TV’s best new series of the year comes up, it’s legitimately acceptable to name at least four and still be considered correct. Not too long ago, the streamer debuted the comedy-drama show Margo’s Got Money Troubles, starring Elle Fanning as a young mother who turns to OnlyFans to support her family. The series received widespread acclaim and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. More recently, Apple unveiled its mysterious follow-up to For All Mankind, an alt-history sci-fi thriller titled Star City, which appears to have settled at a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes a few weeks into its run. Just this week, the streamer debuted the biggest show on its summer lineup, a limited series remake of Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear, which holds a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, one title ranks head and shoulders above the rest.
This is saying something, given how well these other series have been received. However, easily the most acclaimed Apple TV show of recent times is a horror-comedy-thriller from Katie Dippold, who remains best known for her work on Parks and Recreation. But it’s only a matter of time before the industry recognizes her as the creative genius behind Widow’s Bay. Starring **Matthew Rhys **as the mayor of a small town whose citizens believe it’s a hotbed for supernatural activity, the series premiered on April 19, but it wasn’t exactly a breakout hit immediately. However, with growing word of mouth, Widow’s Bay recently claimed the number one spot on the Apple TV viewership charts, according to FlixPatrol.
Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.
Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.
Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it’s too late for anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention.
Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.
Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.
Chucky’s greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it’s already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.
It’s still among the top three, and will likely spike again when it airs its final two episodes of the season. Widow’s Bay is poised to conclude its debut 10-episode season on June 17, and is currently sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator website’s consensus reads, “Katie Dippold successfully continues to invest in eccentricity with this outlandish horror-comedy that stokes the genre’s well-worn tropes to winning effect, bringing scares, laughs, and a game cast.” In her review, Collider’s Emily Bernard hailed it as “Apple’s weirdest, boldest show yet.” You can catch up with the show ahead of its finale this month and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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