Much like the island’s deadly Boogeyman, Widow’s Bay has snuck up on the Emmy race and is poised to deliver a fateful blow.
Part Stephen King, part Parks and Recreation, Apple TV’s quirky retro-vibing comedy-horror series didn’t figure to be a serious contender upon its April arrival. Widow’s Bay debuted so late in the season that only seven of its 10 episodes qualified for this Emmy cycle. The streamer pronounced it a comedy for awards purposes, yet Widow’s Bay seemed like a long-shot pitted against a murderer’s row of established favorites like Hacks, Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building, and The Comeback, along with Apple TV’s own Shrinking and Margot’s Got Money Trouble.
But once people discovered the show, it was hard to shake. Starring Matthew Rhys as the beleaguered mayor of a cursed New England island, Widow’s Bay debuted with an impressive 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. (It has since dipped ever so slightly to 97%.) As Gold Derby traveled to various FYC events around Los Angeles in recent weeks, Widow’s Bay was the one program everyone wanted to talk about.
Now, the late timing appears to be fortuitous when it comes to the Emmys. The Season 1 finale dropped Tuesday, in the middle of Phase 1 balloting, assuring that Widow’s Bay will be top of mind as Television Academy winnow down the contenders. And, based on Gold Derby tracking data, Widow’s Bay is a force to be reckoned with in several key categories, up double-digit percentage points across the board.
Best Comedy Series
The decision to position Widow’s Bay as a comedy might seem curious but it was strategic. Created by Katie Dippold (Parks and Recreation, The Heat, Ghostbusters), the show plays as both dark comedy and suspenseful drama. But with last year’s big Emmy winner, The Studio, absent this time around, the comedy category is seemingly more wide open than drama, where The Pitt is primed to dominate again.
Over the past week, Widow’s Bay has shot up 10% in the Best Comedy Series race, leapfrogging The Bear, Nobody Wants This, and Rooster to rank seventh, with a 77% chance of a nod in what will be a field of eight when nominations are announced July 8.
Comedy Series
1.
2.
3.
Only Murders in the Building
4.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Best Comedy Actor
Rhys — an Emmy winner for The Americans and also a contender this year for Netflix’s limited series The Beast in Me — has officially climbed into contention here for his role as Mayor Tom Loftis. His odds now stand at 79% for a nomination, tying him with Steve Carell (Rooster), in what will be a five-person slate.
Comedy Actor
1.
Martin Short
Only Murders in the Building
2.
3.
4.
5.
Jeremy Allen White
The Bear
Best Comedy Supporting Actress/Actor
Two standouts from the town’s population of oddballs are shooting up the leaderboards. Kate O’Flynn, who plays Tom’s occasionally possessed deputy, has seen her odds skyrocket 24% this week, allowing the British actress to leap over the likes of Palm Royale‘s Carol Burnett, SNL‘s Ashley Padilla, and The Bear‘s Liza Colon-Zayas. O’Flynn has a 37% chance of netting her first Emmy nomination in what will be a seven-person field.
Comedy Supporting Actress
1.
Janelle James
Abbott Elementary
2.
3.
Michelle Pfeiffer
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
4.
Jessica Williams
Shrinking
5.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Abbott Elementary
6.
7.
Ashley Padilla
Saturday Night Live
8.
Kate O’Flynn
Widow’s Bay
9.
Carol Burnett
Palm Royale
10.
Liza Colon-Zayas
The Bear
Meanwhile, co-star Stephen Root, who plays town crackpot Wyck, is sitting just outside of contention at No. 8 in supporting actor.
Comedy Supporting Actor
1.
2.
3.
4.
Nick Offerman
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
5.
Bowen Yang
Saturday Night Live
6.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
The Bear
7.
Tyler James Williams
Abbott Elementary
8.
Colman Domingo
The Four Seasons
9.
10.
Daniel Radcliffe
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
Best Comedy Guest Actress
Betty Gilpin’s surprise role as Sara Warren, the intrepid wife of the town’s founder (Hamish Linklater) in the stellar flashback episodes, has her within reach of a nomination. Her odds have shot up 11 percent in recent days to put her in ninth place in what will be a six-person field.
Comedy Guest Actress
1.
2.
3.
4.
Jamie Lee Curtis
The Bear
5.
6.
7.
Amy Poehler
Saturday Night Live
8.
9.
10.
Craft Categories
Aside from the marquee categories that we’re currently predicting, expect Widow’s Bay to be competitive in several below-the-line races. Katie Dippold should be in the running for Best Comedy Series Writing for the pilot, while Emmy winner Hiro Murai (The Bear, Atlanta, Mr. and Mrs. Smith) will receive consideration for directing that episode.
Allison Jones deserves attention for casting a town full of delightful weirdos that, in addition to the actors mentioned above, includes Kevin Carroll (Bechir, the town’s sheriff), Kingston Rumi Southwick (Evan, Tom’s son), Jeff Hiller (town hall employee Dale), Dale Dickey (Rosemary, the cantankerous town clerk), K Callan (Tom’s secretary with a secret), and Hamish Linklater as the town’s founder who makes a deal with the devil.
Finally, production designer Steve Arnold should be in the mix for designing Episode 2’s haunted inn and composer David Fleming could crack the list for Best Series Music Composition (Original Dramatic Score) for “Our History,” the Episode 6 flashback.
