Widow’s Bay Wyck was missing from the original script
Katie Dippold told Comic-Con that Stephen Root’s Wyck was absent from the earliest Widow’s Bay draft, which began as a Parks and Rec spec.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
Katie Dippold says the Widow’s Bay Wyck original script story has a wild little twist: Stephen Root’s character was not there at all.
The creator revealed the behind-the-scenes detail Saturday during Apple TV’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, according to Deadline. Dippold said the earliest version of the show began as a spec script for Parks and Recreation, dating back to her time in that NBC comedy’s writers room from 2009 to 2012.
In that first version, Dippold said, the town’s haunted reputation was already known to its residents. Wyck, the role now played by Root, had not yet entered the picture.
Dippold joked that every copy of that draft should be burned, Deadline reported. Root, sitting alongside her, responded with a warm, “I love you.”
Was Wyck in the original Widow’s Bay script?
No. Dippold said at Comic-Con that Wyck was absent from the first version, which she described as a Parks and Recreation spec script rather than the Apple TV series viewers now know.
The reveal lands differently because Root has become one of the show’s biggest pieces. Deadline reported that Widow’s Bay earned seven Emmy nominations after its first season, including an Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for Root.
Dippold also spoke about how unexpected the Comic-Con moment felt. She said she had once been unsure whether the show would even sell when it was being taken out, and that she had not predicted the series would end up in Hall H.
What is Widow’s Bay about?
Widow’s Bay follows a New England mayor, played by Matthew Rhys, as he tries to bring more tourists to a small island. The plan runs into trouble as odd events start to unfold and a curse from centuries earlier is unleashed.
The Apple TV series also stars Kate O’Flynn, who appeared in the Comic-Con imagery with Rhys and Root, according to Deadline.
The show is already set to continue. Deadline reported in June that Apple TV renewed Widow’s Bay for Season 2 before the Season 1 finale arrived, and that Dippold signed an overall deal with the streamer.
The first season finale is now available to stream on Apple TV, Deadline reported. For a show that began life as a sitcom spec without one of its breakout characters, Widow’s Bay has moved fast from old draft to Emmy conversation.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.