Widow’s Bay promotes Jeff Hiller to series regular for season 2

Widow’s Bay Jeff Hiller season 2 news is in: Hiller will become a series regular after appearing as a guest star in the Apple TV horror-comedy’s first season, according to Deadline.

Hiller plays Dale, a Town Hall employee working for Mayor Tom Loftis, the character played by Matthew Rhys. Deadline reported the casting change on August 19. Apple TV and the show’s studio had not separately announced the promotion in the material reviewed.

Who does Jeff Hiller play in Widow’s Bay?

Dale is one of the staffers at Town Hall under Loftis, whose push to bring visitors to the island puts him face to face with its curse. In season 1, Dale was initially conceived as a character who would die, Hiller told Deadline, before creator Katie Dippold changed course as the script developed.

The revised plan kept Dale in the story, and Hiller’s status for the next season now appears to be growing with it. Dippold previously told TV Insider that she wanted to spend more time with Dale’s point of view, though she did not disclose a specific storyline.

What is happening with Widow’s Bay season 2?

Season 2 is being written. Deadline reported that Dippold was in the writers’ room, while TV Insider separately reported on August 18 that the room was underway.

That leaves the show in its development stage, with no premiere date or filming start date established by the available reporting. Details of Dale’s arc, and the wider season’s plot, have also not been confirmed.

Widow’s Bay is an Apple TV horror-comedy set on a cursed island, where Rhys’ mayor Tom Loftis tries to revive the community by attracting tourists. Season 1 is available to stream on Apple TV, Deadline reported.

Hiller’s promotion moves a familiar Town Hall presence into the show’s regular ensemble as the series begins building its next chapter.

This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.