Widow's Bay Season 2 Curse Storylines & Tone Addressed By Rosemary Actor (Exclusive)

The return to the next Martha's Vineyard will dive deeper into its eccentric residents during Widow's Bay season 2's story.

After becoming a sleeper hit throughout the spring, Apple TV officially renewed Widow's Bay season 2 ahead of its season 1 finale. The horror-comedy, which follows Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) and the residents of a cursed island as he attempts to make it a celebrated destination location, came to a close in June 2026 with substantial acclaim from critics and audiences. As Widow's Bay also gears up for an exciting awards season run, the anticipation for more of the town's mysteries to finally be solved in season 2 grows.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Tatiana Hullender discussing the star's Emmy nomination for her performance in season 1, Widow's Bay cast member Dale Dickey discussed aspects of Rosemary's character and the series' horror-comedy blend that she's excited to explore in upcoming episodes. In addition to wanting to reveal where Rosemary lives on the island, Dickey is excited to see how her dynamics with the greater ensemble, especially opposite Kate O'Flynn's Patricia, unfold as they dive deeper into the lore and aftermath of Widow's Bay's curse in season 2:

Dale Dickey: "Well, I want to know where she lives. Ideally, I'd like her to be on a houseboat somewhere, but I don't think that's going to happen.

When they presented me with the genealogy monologue, I was overwhelmed because Rosemary had been in and out with a few quips here and there. It was a challenge to learn, but it was so much fun to do. I love the fact that not only is she set up to be the busybody who knows everything and grew up on the island, but we learn this is actually something she enjoys doing. She's really delving into the history of things.

I'm excited to learn more about a lot of the smaller characters [in season 2], like what my relationship is with Patricia. I obviously have seen her grow up on the island, and I'm aware of the difficulties she's had. I hope to spend time with Jeff Hiller, who plays Dale, just exploring how they all interact together and how we deal with this unfolding of the curse."

While Dickey's monologue about the genealogy of the Warren family, ultimately revealing that Ruth was unknowingly a descendant of the town's founder Richard Warren, was a highlight of season 1, the series has yet to explore the history of Rosemary's dynamics with the others at the mayor's office. Rosemary and Patricia share some particularly memorable scenes together during the latter's Sunset Cocktails party, but season 1 didn't reveal much about Rosemary's perspective on their past and Patricia's history with the Boogeyman.

Similarly, Dickey hopes that Rosemary will share more scenes with Jeff Hiller's Dale, another employee at the mayor's office, in season 2. While the two frequently overlapped throughout the freshman outing's various storylines, the curse's return after Widow's Bay season 1's ominous ending may bring Dale and Rosemary even closer together as Tom's team face the island's sinister forces.

With Tom now accepting the curse's existence and consequences, the mayor's office is now full of characters with widely varying perspectives on approaching the hex. Dickey clarified that Widow's Bay creator Katie Dippold revealed to her early on that Rosemary knows about the curse, but has less of an emotional response or sense of responsibility to it than some of her other fellow townspeople, like Stephen Root's Wyck. Rosemary's take on the curse is more based around accepting it as an unfortunate inevitability, knowing what to avoid without obsessing over it:

Dale Dickey: "Katie Dippold told me early on, just to try to ground me, that Rosemary knows about the curse. She's not dramatic about it or worries about it like Wyck, nor does she deny it and stick her head in the sand as Loftis does. It's just going to happen. It is what it is. 'If you should spend the night in the crawl space, you'll get it, Loftis.' And he does! There's a lot more, and I'm sure I'll find out, but I look forward to doing that and seeing how Rosemary interacts with all the other characters."

Currently, Apple TV has yet to set a release date or window for Widow's Bay season 2. However, writing on the upcoming episodes has officially begun, with filming being projected to kick off in early 2027. In addition to Rhys, Dickey, Root, and O'Flynn, it's expected that season 2 will bring back season 1 cast members Kevin Carroll, Kingston Rumi Southwick, K Callan, Jeff Hiller, Nancy Lenehan, and Neil Casey.

Before then, Widow's Bay will be awaiting the results of its record-breaking 19 nominations at the 2026 Emmys – the most for any new series this year – at the ceremony in September. In addition to Dale Dickey's nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Widow's Bay received nods in major categories for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Matthew Rhys), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Stephen Root), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Kate O'Flynn), Outstanding Directing (Hiro Murai), and Outstanding Writing (Katie Dippold).