Widow's Bay: Apple TV's Near-Perfect Series Deserves A Weekend Binge After 8 Emmy Wins

Published Sep 11, 2026, 3:05 PM EDT Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 3000 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions. Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston. Apple TV's breakout hit series with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score deserves a binge this weekend ahead of the 2026 Emmys after already winning 8 awards. As one of the best new series of 2026, this genre-blending 10-part horror/comedy has become one of Apple TV's latest streaming hits, still ranking #8 on its worldwide viewership charts more than four months after its 2-part premiere in late April. The series earned a total of 19 nominations at the 2026 Emmys, leading the pack of Apple TV's nominated shows. Widow's Bay cleaned up at the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, already walking home with an impressive 8 wins and looking to have another big night at the Emmys on September 14. Even though it already earned a near-perfect 98% Rotten Tomatoes score, these recent Emmy wins definitively prove that the series is one of the best on any streaming platform and is a must-binge, even more than other top contenders, before Emmys night on Monday. With its relatively short average episode length, Widow's Bay is one of the easiest shows in contention to binge by the end of the weekend. Widow’s Bay Already Earned 8 Emmy Wins Before The Main Ceremony If there's only one show to watch before the 2026 Emmys on Monday, it has to be Widow's Bay. Not only is it the biggest breakout series of the year on Apple TV, but it was also the biggest winner at last weekend's Creative Arts Emmy Awards, taking home 8 awards, including Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Betty Gilpin, who plays Sarah in the flashback episode in the series, and Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series. Other top winners after last weekend's ceremony – which will air on FXX this Saturday, September 12 at 8 pm EST and be available to stream on Hulu the next day – include HBO's DTF St. Louis with six wins and the recently cancelled Spider-Noir on Prime Video with five wins. Competing in even more comedy categories at Monday's ceremony, Widow's Bay will hope to take home even more top prizes such as Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Matthew Rhys, who is also nominated for his lead role in Netflix's The Beast in Me, Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Stephen Root, and Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Kate O'Flynn. Widow's Bay is also up for Outstanding Comedy Series in its first eligible year, which will be particularly interesting as HBO's beloved series Hacks will look to reclaim the honor in its final eligible year. Widow's Bay will also have to beat out other Apple TV hits like Margo's Got Money Problems and Shrinking, but based on its success last weekend, it looks to be one of the clear favorites already. Apple TV’s Near-Perfect Series Is An Ideal Weekend Binge Before The Awards Because Widow's Bay has firmly established itself as one of the top Emmy contenders after already winning 8 awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, it has to be one of the must-watch nominated shows worth a binge this weekend. Most of its ten episodes are between 31 and 42 minutes each, except for its 48-minute finale, forming a total runtime of just six hours and 21 minutes. Whether you choose to binge-watch the entire series in one night or split it up between Friday and Sunday, it truly is the one show worth checking out before the 2026 Emmys, as it's poised to have another big night. With its 8 Emmys wins at the time of writing, Widow's Bay has the opportunity to actually make Emmy history on Monday by winning the most awards for a single season of a comedy series of all time. The current record is held by another acclaimed Apple TV series, The Studio (13 wins), which set the record last year by defeating the previous record holder, The Bear (11 wins). Since Widow's Bay is already more than halfway there and Rhys is a favorite in the Lead Actor in A Comedy Series category, Widow's Bay may become more than just a binge-worthy show this weekend, but also a monumental record-breaking series. Widow's Bay Release Date April 28, 2026 Network Apple TV Cast Matthew Rhys Mayor Tom Loftis