Widow’s Bay Star Stephen Root Reveals His No. 1 Request for Season 2

Widow's Bay Star Kate O'Flynn Reveals Advice From BFF Jonathan Bailey

Widow’s Bay season two promises to be both worse than a spook and as bad as a fright.

And while newly Emmy-awarded star Stephen Root—who plays the town’s superstitious eccentric Wyck—can’t give away any specific plot points for the Apple TV show’s next installment, he did reveal what he’s hoping will happen next for the show’s ensemble. 

“I asked for more backstory,” he told E! News backstage at the Emmys on Sept. 14 “I love having more information about the characters. Mine included, but everybody's.”

After all, the series created by Katie Dippold is full of rich characters. Take Root’s character: While Wyck’s foreboding rants about the cursed island could have been written off as drunk ravings, it turns out he was actually right. About pretty much all of it. 

“It's like, how do we get to the place where the town drunk says, ‘That's enough, I'm gonna help people,’” Root noted. “So, I want to know how that came about earlier on.”

After all, Wyck doesn’t seem like the most reliable narrator at the series’ open. 

“I've had people come up and say exactly the same thing,” the Barry alum explained, “‘What kind of guy is this? I don't know if I want—oh, he actually is trying to do good for the people of the island. He means well. He does listen.’”

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

As for what classic horror movies the series—which also stars Emmy award winners Matthew Rhys and Kate O’Flynn—should pay homage to next, Root has one suggestion. 

“I did a little film called Get Out, heard of it?” the 74-year-old quipped. “Maybe something like that.”

In the meantime, he’s just basking in the series’ laurels. Not only did he, Matthew and Kate—plus guest star Betty Gilpin—win for their performances in the series, but Dippold won for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in addition to the series winning best overall comedy. 

“The show has been recognized amazingly, last week and this week and right now,” Root said. “When I got up on stage, it was an out of body experience. So, I forgot everything I was going to say,”

Thankfully, “it's okay,” he added, “because I get to hug all those people and enjoy them tonight.”

For more from the 2026 Emmys, read on for the full list of winners. 

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