Screenwriter Katie Dippold has done a lot. She’s written for a hit sitcom (Parks & Recreation). She penned a slew of feature films (The Heat, Ghostbusters, Snatched, Haunted Mansion). She’s even tried her hand at acting. And for almost the entirety of her career, she’s been noodling on one project that she, most of the time, never thought would see the light of day.
Well, Widow’s Bay, the pilot script she just couldn’t put down, is now the word-of-mouth hit of the year. Her dark Apple TV comedy is about an island town full of eccentrics who’ve been besieged by a centuries-old curse. It’s courted the internet’s affection. It’s already renewed for a season. And, after spending an entire career working in Hollywood, it’s given Dippold a rare first: she’s finally a showrunner. She’s handling the exposure that comes with that the best that she can.
“In my heart, I am a comedy writer, but now I’m representing this bigger thing,” says Dippold. “I just want to do bits, but I know I have to speak in a professional way about a television show that people have put a lot of time and money into. That’s an interesting dilemma, an extroverted introvert.”
Based on a conversation during a recent episode of The Hollywood Reporter podcast, I’m Having an Episode (Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple), Dippold might be handling her dilemma better than she thinks. Ahead of the June 17 season one finale, she spoke about how the original script changed over the years, what she most wants to explore in future episodes and why, no matter how scary things get, she sees her series as comedy.
