'70s-Inspired Thriller With Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Releases Massive Nostalgic Playlist
Every series has a hook episode - a specific episode in its first season that causes a viewer to stop just trying it on for size and officially becomes a fan. For some shows, it comes sooner rather than later (Dawson's Creek S1,E1), and for others, the hook episode might also be the season one finale (The Good Place S1,E13).
For Widow's Bay, every episode is a hook episode. Seriously. Each episode of this mystery-comedy hybrid, deeply rooted in 1970s and 1980shorrornostalgia, is a tautly crafted gem, flawless in its blend of belly laughs and jump scares, Stephen King-inspired dread and Parks and Recreation-style humor. It's genius, and its near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scoreproves it. But if we had to really home in on a hook episode, it would have to be Episode 4, "Beach Reads."
Allow us to set the scene: Town hall assistant Patricia, played brilliantly by Kate O'Flynn, decides to throw the "perfect" glamorous cocktail party to win over the island's resident mean girls, who detest her and doubt her traumatic past. This means inviting the perfect crowd, serving the perfect punch, and, of course, curating the perfect playlist. Without giving anything away, Patricia's night of "Sunset Cocktails" takes a turn for the demented.
With the series streaming its finale tonight, its parent platform, Apple TV, decided to have a little fun. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the streamer released a massive Apple Music playlist called "Patricia's Sunset Cocktails Playlist," named after Patricia's "perfect" party naturally. And though the post says the list is 300 tracks long, it's actually more like 811.
Such a great track. Here are 299 more. Patricia's Sunset Cocktails Playlist is now available on @AppleMusic: https://t.co/epyosHP7fAhttps://t.co/fG09lvLwGbpic.twitter.com/vxpWe6TVYY
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) June 16, 2026
From '70s and '80s throwback hits, including "Forget Me Nots" by Patrice Rushen, "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire, "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen, and "IWanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston, to '90s and '2000s pop anthems, like "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears, "Wannabe" by Spice Girls, "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean, and "Yeah!" by Usher feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris, every genre and subgenre is accounted for.
With more than 800 songs and 60 hours of music, it might just be the longest cocktail party you'll never actually attend. And in this case, that might be for the best.
Widow's Bay is available to stream on Apple TV.
Related: '70s Rock-Inspired Fantasy Series Fueled by Legends Has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 9:41 PM.