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Fans are eagerly awaiting for the chilling show Welcome to Derry, that's been earning acclaim and drawing from references from other Stephen King works. Just one day after launch, the network declared that episode two will debut sooner than expected, scheduled ideally for Halloween.

Premiere Shift Details

Kicking off on October 31 at 12 a.m. Pacific Time, episode two of the Derry prequel will make its debut on the streaming service, before its Sunday HBO premiere. Subsequent episodes of the series run will premiere on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max, leading up to the concluding chapter on Sunday, December 14.

Storyline Summary

Taking place within the world of King's It, It: Welcome to Derry borrows elements from the original story while expanding on the universe established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in It and It Chapter Two. The first It movie focused on young characters battling supernatural evils, so it’s fitting that the prequel follows in those footsteps. Yet, the first installment of HBO’s Welcome to Derry proves it set out to increase the tension, offering more frightening moments than the cinematic versions and setting a brutal tone for the upcoming episodes.

Premise and Ideas

Set in 1962, this show introduces a different group of grown-ups and kids residing in a apparently peaceful community hiding a sinister core. The town operates on a vicious, repeating pattern—characterized by hostility, discrimination, and otherworldly forces, as a terrifying being returns each 27-year cycle. While Welcome to Derry might sound like it skews too close to the movies at first, what differentiates the HBO Max series is its dual perspective—unfolding through the eyes of both children and adults at the same time. Younger characters stay especially susceptible to the monster's horror, but older characters don't escape facing their own nightmares born from Derry’s deep-seated bigotry and covert otherworldly powers.

It: Welcome to Derry debuts on the 31st of October at 3 a.m. EST.