Stephen King praises new TV series that’s “even better” than breakout ‘Widow’s Bay’: “It’s like Hitchcock came back”

Stephen King has offered his thoughts on TV hit Widow’s Bay, praising the comedy but promoting another series as “better”.

The Apple TV+ show stars Matthew Rhys as the mayor of an island town in New England who is trying to promote tourism in the location, in spite of unusual happenings occurring. The first season was a big hit, with Apple commissioning a second season recently.

The show is influenced by the work of Stephen King, and the celebrated horror author took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his opinion on the series, as well as mentioning one he prefers. “WIDOW’S BAY is good,” he wrote. “MAXIMUM PLEASURE GUARANTEED is even better. It’s like Hitchcock came back to do it one more time. And Tatiana Maslany is so good. The play of emotions on her face is pretty incredible. She goes from comic to terror in an instant.”

WIDOW'S BAY is good. MAXIMUM PLEASURE GUARANTEED is even better. It's like Hitchcock came back to do it one more time. And Tatiana Maslany is so good. The play of emotions on her face is pretty incredible. She goes from comic to terror in an instant.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 17, 2026

Also produced by Apple TV+, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed tells the story of Paula (Maslany), a recently-divorced woman in the midst of a custody battle who believes she witnesses a crime and is pulled into a complicated mystery. The show has been created by David J. Rosen, who previously served as the showrunner on Us & Them, the American adaptation of the hit British sitcom Gavin & Stacey.

Whatever they're paying her, it's not enough. https://t.co/Cm6X9LK1IE

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 18, 2026

The comedy-drama first aired on May 20 and has received strong reviews with a 93 per cent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and can now count King among its new fans. He followed up his praise of star Maslany with “Whatever they’re paying her, it’s not enough.”

King often shares his favourite media on social media, last year posting his 10 favourite films of all time, excluding adaptations of his own work, with two movies directed by Steven Spielberg making the cut.

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