‘Widow’s Bay’ Finale, A ‘Maximum’ Shocker, A New ‘Simpsons,’ More ‘Minds’ Games

Widow’s Bay

The storm continues to howl, and so does the fan base, as the acclaimed horror-comedy (which just earned five Television Critics Association Awards nominations) ends its first season with a harrowing yet somehow amusing finale that evokes the macabre spirit of Shirley Jackson amid the mayhem on a haunted New England island. “Life is a house of horrors,” chirps a longtime resident who may be the key to ending Widow’s Bay curse. “You just have to accept it.” Try convincing Mayor Tom (a wonderfully hangdog Matthew Rhys), who reluctantly takes matters into his own hands while the rest of the town takes shelter. More surprises, scares, and revelations lurk in a most excellent finale that will have fans counting the months until the show returns for Season 2.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

The thrills continue as this suspense dramedy passes the halfway mark in its tense and twisty sixth episode, with divorced mom Paula (Tatiana Maslany) courting danger while facing a challenge that almost makes the killer who’s stalking her seem benign: hosting a pizza party for a gaggle of girls attended by their wine-swilling soccer moms. Like Widow’s Bay, this series masterfully juggles humor and menace, offering the night’s most shocking cliffhanger.

The Simpsons

Will Marge never learn? After some 800 episodes, the matriarch of Matt Groening‘s animated family still finds a way of being disappointed by her hapless soulmate, Homer. In the first of three new episodes streaming exclusively on Disney+ this summer, the double-length “Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition” installment finds Marge drunkenly daydreaming of the Homers that might have been after a couples’ date night hits the rocks when she learns her hubby left the kids at home with only a doorbell cam watching them. Her fantasies form a what-if trilogy, with guest stars including GLOW alum Betty Gilpin and music from Laufey and Tegan and Sara.

Brilliant Minds

After the trauma that landed him in a mental hospital, Dr. Wolf (Zachary Quinto) is finally ready to go back to work at Bronx General — and it’s about time, with only two episodes left before the medical drama closes shop for good after two seasons. Ugly Betty‘s Ana Ortiz guest-stars as his latest patient, an ex-con who experiences an extreme breakdown with literary precedent while holding people hostage during an ill-fated bank robbery. The staff is happy to welcome Wolf back, especially his conflicted ex, Chief Medical Officer Josh Nichols (Teddy Sears), though they may have trouble recognizing this chipper doc bearing homemade muffins.

The Other Bennet Sister

In the penultimate episode of the charming alt-version of Pride and Prejudice, bookish Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) decides to seize the day when she embarks on a climb with two men in close pursuit, the earnest Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn) and the unpredictable William Ryder (Laurie Davidson), along with the meddlesome Caroline Bingley (Tanya Reynolds). Mary knows what she wants, but Mother Nature and the type of plot complications familiar to many a gentle reader threaten to postpone her happy ending.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• FIFA World Cup: Play continues in Houston (Portugal vs. Congo DR, 1 pm/ET, Fox), Dallas (England vs. Croatia, 4 pm/ET, Fox), Toronto (Ghana vs. Panama, 7 pm/ET, FS1), and Mexico City (Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, 10 pm/ET, FS1).
• Million Dollar Nannies (8:30/7:30c, Freeform): A reality series, launching with back-to-back episodes (with the full season streaming Thursday on Hulu), follows a group of elite influencer nannies and mannies who launch a new agency in Ibiza.
• Las Culturistas Culture Awards (9/8c, Bravo; streaming on Peacock): Matt Rogers and Saturday Night Live alum Bowen Yang host the fifth edition of the campy pop-culture awards show, the second to be broadcast on Bravo. How many will Heated Rivalry win this year? And for what?
• Alone: World Championship (9/8c, History Channel): Reflecting this year’s World Cup, the survival series’ 13th season welcomes a global cast of adventurers to brave Canada’s frigid Arctic Circle. Countries represented include the U.S., Canada, Wales, Australia, Slovenia, Portugal, and New Zealand.
• The Kimberley: Australia’s Wild West (10/9c, PBS): A three-part nature series explores the rugged terrain of the nation’s remote northwest region, following wildlife over the course of a year of extremes.
• Late Night with Seth Meyers (12:35 am/11:35c, NBC): The Knicks’ takeover of NBC’s after-hours entertainment continues with OG Anunoby making his Late Night debut. Other scheduled guests include Kerry Washington and recent Tony winner Alden Ehrenreich.

ON THE STREAM:

• Never Change! (streaming on Hulu): John Reynolds (Search Party) is the writer and star of an unorthodox high-school comedy about graduates of the class of 2008 who return in their 30s to complete the senior year that was cut short nearly two decades ago by a tornado.
• Outside Tonight with Julian Shapiro-Barnum (8 pm/ET, streaming on YouTube): The YouTube star/creator (Recess Therapy, Celebrity Substitute) takes the late-night variety format into the streets, parks, and landmarks of New York City with music, comedy, and interviews with celebrities and everyday passersby.
• The Season (streaming on Hulu): A high-gloss melodrama unfolds amid Hong Kong’s high society during boating season.