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‘Widow’s Bay’ Has Already Entered the Awards Race

The Apple TV horror comedy hasn't even finished airing its first season, but it's one of the most-nominated shows at the 2026 Television Critics Association Awards.
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With just one episode left to go in its first season, Widow’s Bay has earned a dedicated fan base and racked up lots of critical love. That latter achievement has translated into the Apple TV+ show’s first awards-season recognition, thanks to the just-announced nominations for the 2026 Television Critics Association Awards.

Widow’s Bay notched five nominations, the Hollywood Reporter notes, the same as the other two most-nominated series: Heated Rivalry and Industry. However, both of those shows have been around long enough to settle into their acclaim. Also, neither had a witchcraft-fueled cocktail party as a pivotal story point—just saying.

The categories Widow’s Bay was nominated in include Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, Outstanding New Program, and Individual Achievement in Comedy (with both Matthew Rhys, who plays Mayor Tom Loftis, and Kate O’Flynn, who plays Patricia, making the list).

Here’s the full list of TCA Awards nominees; the winners will be announced over the summer.

Program of the Year

The Comeback (HBO)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO Max)
Industry (HBO)
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS)
The Pitt (HBO Max)
Pluribus (Apple TV)
Shrinking (Apple TV)
Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy

Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Comeback
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC)
Hacks
The Lowdown (FX)
Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)
Shrinking
Widow’s Bay

Outstanding Achievement in Drama

The Gilded Age (HBO)
Heated Rivalry
Industry
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO)
Paradise (Hulu)
The Pitt
Pluribus
Task (HBO)

Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, or Specials

All Her Fault (Peacock)
The Beast in Me (Netflix)
Beef (Netflix)
Death by Lightning (Netflix)
DTF St. Louis (HBO)
Half Man (HBO)
Lord of the Flies (Netflix)
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette (FX)

Outstanding New Program

Alien: Earth (FX)
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
Heated Rivalry
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
The Lowdown
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Pluribus
Widow’s Bay

Individual Achievement in Comedy

Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Jean Smart, Hacks
Tim Robinson, The Chair Company (HBO)

Individual Achievement in Drama

Marisa Abela, Industry
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Ken Leung, Industry
Myha’la, Industry
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Connor Storrie, Heated Rivalry
Hudson Williams, Heated Rivalry
Noah Wyle, The Pitt

Outstanding Achievement in News and Information

60 Minutes (CBS)
The American Revolution (PBS)
CBS This Morning 
(CBS)
Disneyland Handcrafted 
(Disney+)
Frontline
 (PBS)
Have I Got News for You (CNN)
Marty, Life Is Short 
(Netflix)
Mr. Scorsese
 (Apple TV)

Outstanding Achievement in Talk, Variety or Sketch

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! 
(ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 
(HBO)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Muppet Show: Sabrina Carpenter 
(ABC/Disney+)
Saturday Night Live
 (NBC)

Outstanding Achievement in Reality

Couples Therapy (Paramount+)
Finding Mr. Christmas (Hallmark)
The Great British Baking Show 
(Netflix)
Love on the Spectrum 
(Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race
 (MTV)
Survivor (CBS)
Top Chef 
(Bravo)
The Traitors
 (Peacock)

Outstanding Achievement in Family Programming

Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation (Disney+)
Electric Bloom (Disney+/Disney Channel)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Disney+/Hulu)
Phineas and Ferb (Disney+/Disney Channel)
Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 (Netflix)
Vampirina: Teenage Vampire (Disney+/Disney Channel)
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (Disney+/Disney Channel)
WondLa (Apple TV)

Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programming

Carl the Collector (PBS Kids)
The First Snow of Fraggle Rock (Apple TV)
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ (Disney+/Disney Jr.)
Phoebe & Jay (PBS Kids)
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical (Apple TV)
Sofia the First: Royal Magic (Disney+/Disney Jr.)
Weather Hunters (PBS Kids)
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball (Hulu)

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Haunted Hotel (Netflix)
Invincible (Prime Video)
King of the Hill (Hulu)
Long Story Short (Netflix)
The Simpsons (Fox)
South Park (Comedy Central)
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord (Disney+)
Women Wearing Shoulder Pads (Adult Swim)

Outstanding International Series

The Boyfriend (Netflix)
Crime Scene Zero (Netflix)
Drops of God (Apple TV)
The House of the Spirits (Prime Video)
Last Samurai Standing (Netflix)
Squid Game (Netflix)

 

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