For generations, Pennywise the Clown has served as a horror icon on the big and small screen alike. Stephen King’s original It book from 1986 was a hit in its own right, but the story carved out an even bigger spot in pop culture when the miniseries hit the airwaves in 1990. Then, Warner Brothers released two movies, directed by Andy Muschietti, adapting the novel in 2017 and 2019. The story will continue in It: Welcome to Derry, a new prequel series coming to HBO this fall.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the series premiere:
When does It: Welcome to Derry come out?
Episode 1 of season 1 of It: Welcome to Derry will be released on HBO and the HBO Max streaming service on Sunday, October 26 at 9 p.m. ET. The show is set to run weekly through December 14, even though spooky season will be long over. It is worth noting that It: Welcome to Derry is rated TV-MA, which falls in line with the movies’ R-ratings.
Here is a schedule for the entire first season, complete with episode titles and runtimes where available:
October 26: “The Pilot” (1 hour)
November 2: “The Thing in the Dark” (1 hour, 10 minutes)
November 9: “Starting to Like Rainbows” (58 minutes)
November 16: “29 Neibolt Street” (1 hour, 2 minutes)
November 23: “In the Name of the Father” (55 minutes)
November 30: “The Black Spot”
December 7: “Winter Fire”
December 14: “The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet’s Function”
(Warning: Spoilers for It and It: Chapter Two ahead).
Who will show up this season?
Beyond all the monsters and cosmic entities hanging around town, there are plenty of regular people who will figure into It: Welcome to Derry. Here is the unofficial main cast list for season 1:
- Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown
- Jovan Adepo as Leroy Hanlon
- Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon
- Blake Cameron James as Will Hanlon
- Mikkal Karim-Fidler as Teddy
- Jack Molloy Legault as Phil
- Clara Stack as Lilly
- Amanda Christine as Ronnie
- James Remar as General Shaw
- Stephen Rider as Hank
- Rudy Mancuso as Captain Pauly Russo
- Kimberly Norris Guerrero as Rose
- Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann
Other than Skarsgård returning as Pennywise, it remains to be seen if any actors or characters from the two theatrical It movies will make appearances of their own.
What is It: Welcome to Derry about?
Derry, a small town in Maine, is a hotbed for missing child cases and frightening paranormal activity. There is an additional eerie feeling around, though, as the adults typically don’t do much when a kid disappears. This time, a group of kids decides to find out what exactly is going on.
It: Welcome to Derry is based off the Derry Interlude chapters of King’s original novel, so there are potential spoilers for viewers to dig through if they want to. Here is the official synopsis for season 1, episode 1:
“Four months after their classmate’s sudden disappearance, Teddy, Phil, Lilly and Ronnie vow to figure out why so many kids have gone missing in Derry…and why they’ve each been experiencing strange phenomena. Meanwhile, Major Leroy Hanlon arrives at Derry Air Force Base, where he navigates a chilly reception from some of his fellow airmen.”
How does It: Welcome to Derry connect to the movies?
The first It – in this continuity – took place in 1989. It: Chapter Two followed the same collection of characters 27 years later. In universe, It tends to return every 27 years, so it checks out that It: Welcome to Derry takes place 27 years earlier in 1962. Leroy, who is one of the show’s main characters, is the grandfather of Mike from the original It story.
That setting is only for season 1, though, since producers Andy and Barbara Muschietti have repeatedly mentioned that they have other plans should the show get renewed. Season 2 would take place in 1935, while season 3 would be set in 1908.
There are additional connections to the greater Stephen King universe in It: Welcome to Derry, as well. Dick Hallorann, the chef at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, will be showing up at some point this season. A bus from Shawshank State prison is visible in the trailer, too, alluding to the main setting of King’s The Shawshank Redemption.
