Beware: Light spoilers for the Widow's Bay finale ahead.
When it comes to horror, no modern television show is doing it like Widow’s Bay.
This Apple TV series is the epitome of camp; it follows the beleaguered Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) and his gang of government workers as they try to revitalize their small island, the titular Widow’s Bay. The series’ first few episodes see Tom working hard to enhance the tourism appeal of the stagnant town, focusing on sprucing up the old inn, updating archaic coffee shops — and, of course, trying to hide the many supernatural horrors that haunt the island’s residents.
Created by Katie Dippold (Parks and Recreation, The Heat), Widow’s Bay thrives as one of the few shows to seamlessly blend dry comedy with a legitimately unnerving sense of terror. The program has been met with massive acclaim — just look at its five TCA nominations! — with LGBTQ+ viewers especially loving the campy earnestness of its nonstop scares. These fans adore basically every part of the program, but there’s one character that they just can’t seem to get enough of: nosy office clerk Dale, played by Jeff Hiller.
The Somebody, Somewhere star and 2025 Out100 honoree has been open about the struggles of finding work in this industry and how difficult it can be to land a role (even after winning an Emmy!). It’s why he was so honored to be on this show. Though its outside his trademark brand of comedy, Hiller knew exactly why he was cast: “[Katie Dippold] really likes my blood-curdling screams.”
“She loves to watch horror movies, and she loves to watch horror movies with me — because she loves that I get scared!” Hiller laughs, speaking about how he first joined Widow’s Bay. “When we did improv back in the day together, I used to always play these characters who would freak out, and she used to love [that]! And so, she wrote me screaming.” Jeff spoke about how much he loved the series both as a cast member and a horror fan, describing how excited he was to learn that the audience enjoyed it just as much as he did. “People are stopping me on the street, being like, ‘I love Widow’s Bay! It feels very exciting to be a part of something that [so many] people are watching.”
Dale DJs a doomed party on 'Widow's Bay.'Apple TV
The actor spoke about his favorite moments from season 1 — especially a particularly shocking reveal with his character in the finale — but stressed how much he adored the episode that LGBTQ+ viewers can’t stop discussing, "Beach Reads." A 36-minute focus on the eternally awkward municipal worker Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) as she struggles to throw a party, viewers see her character spiral, trying to ignore high school bullies while finally making the friends she’s always wanted — right before a jaw-dropping supernatural twist. “I really do identify with Patricia,” Hiller says wistfully. “I also want to bring people together and enjoy things, but I also am just so afraid of being judged.”
“Being somehow in control of fear is [a unique want] to queer people, because I think a lot of times in this world where we are not in charge…and there is something about watching horror that we can kind of feel like we're in control,” Jeff continues, speaking about how Widow’s Bay fans are drawn to the series not just for its scares, but its discussions around anxiety and building community.
The actor also got to put his screaming skills to the test during the jaw-dropping reveal in the finale, which led to Dale spending most of the episode howling in terror. “The moment we got episode 10 in our email, I was like, ‘I got to figure out what happened!’” he laughs, remembering the scene where his character discovers an old videotape that the government showed to people before they met a grisly fate. The reveal allows Hiller to spend the finale screeching, “This place is a death trap!" which the horror-loving actor saw as a true highlight. “I think episode 10 was like a real gift from [Katie], my friend,” he explains. “[She knows] you can't cast me as just a background person. I need the sunlight, honey!” Between laughs, Hiller asks that readers be made aware that he is being very sarcastic.
Hiller hopes that fans resonate with these themes and encourages them to learn from the the struggles of the characters as they battle demonic forces. “I think, historically, queer people have been divided, and [the world] is trying to do that to us now…and what we really need to learn [is] that if the most marginalized among us are marginalized, then we are all marginalized! We need to stick together and unite — and so do all those people on the island!” he says.
Jeff Hiller and Kate O’Flynn in 'Widow's Bay.'Apple TV
With Widow’s Bay’s recent renewal for season 2, Jeff Hiller ends the interview excited about the series’ future…though he hilariously stresses that people shouldn’t press him for spoilers, because even he doesn’t know what’s to come for the cursed island town.
On what he hoped for Dale, though, knows knew exactly how he wanted this queer clerk’s story to continue, raving, “I hope that Dale gets to do a little bit more in season 2 and gets to have his own horror movie genre…I really think it'd be fun if he went home and had someone in his house that he’d trapped! A very What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? situation.” (That cult 1962 horror film sees Bette Davis turning her wheelchair-bound sister, played by Joan Crawford, into a house prisoner.)
A hilarious, if not slightly terrifying future for this fan-favorite character. But, luckily for Hiller, in a series as delightfully twisted as Widow’s Bay, his character going full Crawford is definitely the least of this island’s worries.
Season 1 of Widow’s Bay is now streaming on Apple TV.
