The Derry Prequel Series Debuts Second Early on HBO's Digital Service
Audiences are thrilled for the horror series It: Welcome to Derry, which is receiving positive feedback and drawing from themes from the broader King universe. Now, HBO has revealed that the next chapter will debut sooner than expected, released fittingly for the spookiest night.
Schedule Change Particulars
Beginning on the last day of October at midnight PT, the second episode of Welcome to Derry will make its debut on HBO Max, ahead of its traditional TV airing. Subsequent episodes of the show's first season will continue to air on the weekend on the network and streaming service, building toward the season finale on the 14th of December.
Show Background
Set in the world of King's It, Welcome to Derry borrows elements from King’s iconic novel while building upon the world established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the two It films. The first It movie focused on adolescents facing supernatural evils, so it’s fitting that this show continues that tradition. Yet, the first installment of the streaming show shows it aimed to raise the stakes, delivering even more intense scares than the cinematic versions and establishing a brutal tone for what's to come.
Setting and Themes
Set in 1962, this show introduces a fresh cast of grown-ups and kids living in a apparently peaceful community hiding a dark secret. The town operates on a cruel, recurring cycle—characterized by violence, bigotry, and the supernatural, as a evil entity returns once every three decades. While Welcome to Derry might appear like it strays too near to the movies initially, what sets apart the streaming show is its two-sided viewpoint—narrated via the eyes of both children and adults concurrently. Children are particularly vulnerable to It's terror, but older characters aren’t spared dealing with their own nightmares born from the town's ingrained prejudice and hidden paranormal elements.
The series debuts on Halloween at 3 a.m. EST.
