IT: Welcome to Derry's perfect replacement may have just emerged. The spin-off series based on Stephen King's seminal horror novel debuted its first season on HBO Max in 2025, but fans are still waiting for an update on when Season 2 might arrive. In the meantime, Apple TV+ has come out with a new thrilling horror series that will fill the void in Welcome to Derry fans' lives.
Apple TV+'s new show, Widow's Bay, premiered on April 29, and it quickly gained rave reviews, with a 97% approval rate with critics and 92% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The series is a quirky horror starring Matthew Rhys as the mayor of a small town on an island off the coast of New England, who is trying to revamp the town's image, which has been overshadowed by residents' belief that it is cursed.
Since its premiere a few weeks ago, Widow's Bay has only gotten better each week, with each episode scoring higher than the last on IMDb. The most recent release, Episode 4, has been rated the highest of the season so far with 8.6/10 on IMDb. The series is barely halfway through its 10-episode run.
Widow's Bay's review score actually eclipses those of Welcome to Derry Season 1, which scored 81% with critics and 82% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. On top of that, the two series share more than a few similarities, making them great companion pieces.
Why Widow’s Bay Is the Perfect Alternative To Welcome to Derry
Similar to Welcome to Derry, Widow's Bay is set in a remote small-town community haunted by an ancient evil. The exact nature of the "curse" on the town is slowly unfolding throughout the series, but trailers have hinted at a terrifying force stalking the streets.
The supernatural mystery at the heart of Widow's Bay unfolds via several firsthand accounts from the residents. At one point, Rhys' character, Tom Loftis, asks Stephen Root's Wyck if he's ever heard of "a hag," to which the resident responds, "Every sailor knows the story of the hag." Another townsperson tells Loftis the story of a "boogeyman" who would persistently call them and hang up, and was known for murdering teenage girls.
This may feel familiar to IT and Welcome to Derry viewers, as Pennywise's hauntings are often revealed through individual experiences of town locals.
Widow's Bay features a town with a chequered past, and the key to its tragedies lies in a decades-long evil. This is the case in Welcome to Derry as well, as the series focuses on the evil entity that takes the form of the clown, Pennywise, who has been tied to the town of Derry for hundreds of years.
Widow's Bay definitely has more of a comedic edge to it than Welcome to Derry, but both shows lean into the horror of something mysterious haunting a small town, which makes the Apple TV+ show a perfect alternative while fans wait for Season 2 of the Stephen King show.
HBO has yet to officially renew Welcome to Derry for a second season, but all signs point to it happening. Creator and producer Andy Muschietti has said publicly they're "now working on [Season 2]" which is set in Derry during a different time period in which Pennywise becomes active once more.
Widow's Bay's season finale is due to air on June 24, meaning horror fans still have a few more weeks of Apple TV+'s Welcome to Derry-like to enjoy in the meantime.
