diff --git a/packages/python/plotly/plotly/basewidget.py b/packages/python/plotly/plotly/basewidget.py
index f97f4ed612b..42fa8cdb899 100644
--- a/packages/python/plotly/plotly/basewidget.py
+++ b/packages/python/plotly/plotly/basewidget.py
@@ -142,6 +142,9 @@ def __init__(
         # views of this widget
         self._view_count = 0
 
+    def show(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        return self
+
     # Python -> JavaScript Messages
     # -----------------------------
     def _send_relayout_msg(self, layout_data, source_view_id=None):