The Derry Prequel Series Debuts Second Sooner Than Planned on the Streaming Platform

Audiences are thrilled for the Stephen King adaptation It: Welcome to Derry, already garnering praise and incorporating themes from other Stephen King works. Following the premiere, HBO has revealed that the second installment will arrive early, scheduled ideally for the spookiest night.

Premiere Shift Details

Kicking off on October 31 at midnight PT, the next part of the Derry prequel will make its debut on HBO Max, prior to its linear broadcast. Future chapters of the eight-episode season will be released on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max, culminating in the final episode on December 14th.

Show Background

Set in the Derry mythology, Welcome to Derry is inspired by the classic book while enlarging the world brought to life by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the recent movie adaptations. It Chapter One centered on adolescents confronting supernatural evils, thus it's suitable that the series follows in those footsteps. Nevertheless, the premiere episode of HBO’s Welcome to Derry shows it intended to raise the stakes, delivering even more intense scares than Muschietti’s films and creating a harsh vibe for what's to come.

Setting and Themes

Located in the early '60s, this show presents a different group of grown-ups and kids residing in a seemingly idyllic town hiding a sinister core. The town functions through a cruel, recurring cycle—defined by aggression, prejudice, and paranormal events, as a monstrous presence reappears every 27 years. While It: Welcome to Derry might sound like it leans too heavily to the films initially, what distinguishes the streaming show is its dual perspective—told from the perspectives of kids and grown-ups at the same time. Younger characters stay particularly vulnerable to the monster's horror, but grown-ups also face facing their own nightmares born from the town's ingrained prejudice and hidden paranormal elements.

The series premieres on October 31 at midnight PT.