Apple TV’s Severance is easily one of the best shows on television right now, but the streaming platform officially created its own rival. Severance is a sci-fi psychological thriller comedy, so it obviously has a whole lot going on. This is part of why the show has been so successful, since there is a little something for everyone. The plot is cerebral and mind-bending, the thrills are genuinely chilling, and the comedy is fantastically unique. Overall, Severance possesses a sort of balance that few TV shows can come anywhere near.
While everything about Severance contributes to the series’ success, it’s the psychological elements that really hold everything together. It’s important that viewers feel entirely unsettled while watching, ultimately heightening the suspense and making the comedic breaks (most of which are downright strange) hit that much harder. As it turns out, twisting up audiences’ minds and inducing anxiety is a great way to keep them engaged and entertained.
Now, Apple TV has replicated its winning psychological thriller formula in its new series Widow’s Bay. This show is more of a traditional horror comedy, but its most recent episodes really lean into the psychological thrills. This marks the official moment that Widow’s Bay became a true rival for Severance.
Widow’s Bay’s Psychological Thrills Are On Par With Severance
The story of Widow’s Bay revolves around Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), the mayor of a New England island town. He hopes to turn the place into a tourist attraction, but the quirky residents of the titular Widow’s Bay warn against it. They claim the island is cursed. Tom reacts only with exasperation, which is unfortunate for him as he quickly discovers they were completely right.
The nature of this curse means that Widow’s Bay leans heavily into the supernatural horror subgenre, so there are a lot of differences from Severance. However, this Apple TV series doesn’t limit its horrors to any one thing. The island suffers from soul-stealing fogs, monsterous serial killers, ghost clowns, demon-possessed books, and plagues, among many others. This means Widow’s Bay can stretch itself across virtually any thriller subgenre, with more recent episodes leaning into those same sorts of psychological thrills that have made Severance so phenomenal.
Widow’s Bay Has A Lot That Severance Doesn’t Have
Severance is a cultural phenomenon, so it would be no easy task for Widow’s Bay to surpass its Apple TV predecessor in viewership and popularity. Only time will tell if it can ever stand out as a better series. Still, Widow’s Bay is off to a pretty excellent start, since it has several unique, intriguing, and thrilling qualities that Severance doesn’t have.
As previously stated, Widow’s Bay covers several big horror tropes. The series essentially plays around with the genre, loading the story up with every archetype and cliche in the book. While this certainly adds to the comedy of the series, this isn’t to say these elements limit the thrills. Widow’s Bay is a genuine horror series that elicits fear in its audience just as any movie or TV show in the genre should. It’s something Severance can’t quite brag.
Widow’s Bay also doesn’t demand as much of its audience as Severance does. Psychological thrillers often require a lot of cognitive work, and while Widow’s Bay captures elements from this horror subgenre, it presents far less of a cognitive mystery. The show isn’t exactly an easy watch, since it uses its own tension and awkwardness to drive up viewers’ anxiety. Still, it generally requires less mental acrobatics.
Overall, Severance and Widow’s Bay bring audiences two different viewing experiences, though someone who enjoys the psychological thrills of one is bound to like the other. True horror fans or those turned off by Severance‘s cognitive challenges are more likely to enjoy Widow’s Bay. Regardless, these are two excellent shows from Apple TV. If they continue to rival one another, it will still be a win for everyone involved.