Netflix’s Experimental New Show Could Be The Next ‘Widow’s Bay’

Netflix‘s New Roald Dahl Project Could Be The Next Widow’s Bay

Beware the landlady.

In 2021, Netflix made a risky business decision: it acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company, giving the streamer rights to adapt all of the Welsh writers’ works. So far, that has resulted in an Oscar-winning short film from Wes Anderson, a filmed version of Matilda: The Musical that sparked a TikTok dance, and an animated film based on Dahl’s book The Twits.

There’s even more to come. Also in production is Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, a reality competition show “narrated” by an AI replica of Gene Wilder’s voice, and Charlie vs. The Chocolate Factory, an animated film from Taika Waititi.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Dahl’s oeuvre. Netflix just recently announced an adaptation of his most underrated stories, and the format sounds awfully like the biggest thriller surprise of 2026: Widow’s Bay.

Netflix recently announced a still-untitled series based on Roald Dahl’s short stories for adults. While he may be best known for his children’s stories, he had a prolific career writing twisting and thrilling short stories for magazines including The New Yorker and Playboy. Some of these stories were adapted by Wes Anderson in his collection of short films in 2023, but there are plenty more left to be adapted.

This series, showrun by Fool Me Once’s Danny Brocklehurst, is now beginning production. “A young couple, marooned in a faded seaside town, must face con men, adulterers, murderous mothers, and snake charmers as they attempt to escape before their own fate is sealed,” the official synopsis reads. We also know the cast of the series, including Naomi Scott, Josh Finan, Imelda Staunton, Nicola Coughlan, Toby Jones, Carmen Ejogo, Dominic West, Christine Tremarco, Michael Socha, and Clarke Peters.

So while this series will adapt a number of Dahl’s stories, it will all be tied under a framing device of this young couple. If that sounds familiar, that’s because it’s basically the structure of Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay, which focuses on a new part of a strange town each episode. So while one episode may be based on the Sea Hag, another is focused on an occult grimoire that gives party tips. That’s probably what we should expect from this Dahl series as well.

But just what Dahl stories will be featured in this series? We actually already have our first clue. “His enthralling, macabre and always unexpected tales gave life to vibrant, larger-than-life characters like The Landlady, Mister Boggis and the mysterious Fingersmith,” Brocklehurst said of Dahl in a press release. “To be given the chance to bring these characters to life in a contemporary setting is a dream come true.”

The Landlady is the main character of the short story of the same name, which follows a young man as he lodges with a woman with a devious talent for taxidermy. Mister Boggis is the name of a villain in The Fantastic Mr. Fox, but it’s also the name of a character in “Parson’s Pleasure,” a story about a man who tries to con a farmer out of a priceless Chippendale commode. The Fingersmith is a character in “The Hitch-Hiker,” a story of a pickpocket with impressive skills.

This won’t be the first time these stories have been adapted for television. In 1979, British TV channel ITV aired Tales of the Unexpected, a Twilight-Zone-esque anthology series hosted by Dahl that adapted a number of his short stories. “The Landlady” was adapted in Season 1, Episode 5, “The Hitch-Hiker” was adapted in Season 2, Episode 4, and “Parson’s Pleasure” was adapted in Season 3, Episode 6.

But Dahl wrote more than 60 short stories, so there’s no way these are the extent of the influences on this show — and some are tailor-made for a show like this. “Royal Jelly,” for instance, follows a bee-obsessed father as his unique cure for his sick child has unforeseen consequences. “William and Mary” is a twisted sci-fi tale that could be right out of Black Mirror. There’s even a story about a cat who is the reincarnation of Franz Liszt. From the humorous to the tragic to the terrifying, Dahl has written it all — and together, it’s the perfect recipe for an episodic, semi-anthological streaming series.

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