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Audiences are thrilled for the Stephen King adaptation the Derry series, which is garnering praise and weaving in references from the broader King universe. Following the premiere, the broadcaster declared that the second installment will arrive early, timed perfectly for October 31st.

Schedule Change Details

Starting on the last day of October at 12 a.m. Pacific Time, the next part of It: Welcome to Derry will make its debut on HBO Max, before its Sunday HBO premiere. Future chapters of the show's first season will be released on the weekend on HBO and HBO Max, leading up to the concluding chapter on December 14th.

Show Background

Taking place within the world of King's It, It: Welcome to Derry is inspired by the classic book while enlarging the universe realized by director Andy Muschietti in the two It films. The original It centered on young characters battling unimaginable horrors, so it’s fitting that the prequel continues that tradition. However, the premiere episode of HBO’s Welcome to Derry shows it set out to escalate the fear, offering more frightening moments than the cinematic versions and establishing a harsh vibe for the upcoming episodes.

Setting and Themes

Located in the early '60s, this show introduces a new generation of parents and youngsters residing in a outwardly charming locale hiding a sinister core. Derry follows a vicious, repeating pattern—characterized by violence, bigotry, and the supernatural, as a terrifying being resurfaces every 27 years. While the series might sound like it skews too close to the cinematic adaptations on the surface, what sets apart the HBO Max series is its two-sided viewpoint—narrated via the eyes of both children and adults at the same time. Children are highly exposed to the monster's horror, but older characters aren’t spared confronting their own nightmares stemming from the town's ingrained prejudice and covert otherworldly powers.

It: Welcome to Derry debuts on the 31st of October at 12 a.m. Pacific Time.