It: Welcome to Derry Premieres Second Early on HBO Max
Fans are eagerly awaiting for the horror series It: Welcome to Derry, already garnering praise and incorporating themes from other Stephen King works. Just one day after launch, HBO declared that episode two will arrive early, released fittingly for October 31st.
Premiere Shift Particulars
Kicking off on the last day of October at midnight PT, the next part of Welcome to Derry will make its debut on HBO's online platform, ahead of its traditional TV airing. Future chapters of the series run will be released on Sunday nights on HBO and HBO Max, culminating in the final episode on December 14th.
Show Background
Taking place within Stephen King’s It universe, the new series borrows elements from the original story while expanding on the universe realized by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the two It films. The original It focused on adolescents facing unimaginable horrors, thus it's suitable that this show follows in those footsteps. Nevertheless, the first installment of the streaming show proves it set out to escalate the fear, offering even more intense scares than the movies and establishing a brutal tone for the upcoming episodes.
Setting and Themes
Set in 1962, this show introduces a fresh cast of adults and children residing in a apparently peaceful community concealing a dark secret. This place operates on a cruel, recurring cycle—defined by violence, bigotry, and the supernatural, as a terrifying being reappears once every three decades. Although Welcome to Derry might appear like it skews too close to the cinematic adaptations on the surface, what differentiates the streaming show is its dual perspective—unfolding through the perspectives of kids and grown-ups simultaneously. Younger characters are especially susceptible to the monster's horror, but older characters don't escape dealing with their own nightmares born from Derry’s deep-seated bigotry and covert otherworldly powers.
It: Welcome to Derry premieres on October 31 at midnight PT.
