The Derry Prequel Series Releases Next Ahead of Schedule on HBO Max

Excitement is building for the Stephen King adaptation It: Welcome to Derry, which is garnering praise and drawing from references from the broader King universe. Just one day after launch, the broadcaster announced that episode two will premiere ahead of schedule, timed perfectly for October 31st.

Schedule Change Information

Beginning on October 31 at 3 a.m. EST, episode two of It: Welcome to Derry will launch on the streaming service, ahead of its Sunday HBO premiere. Future chapters of the show's first season will continue to air on Sunday nights on both HBO and its streaming arm, leading up to the concluding chapter on Sunday, December 14.

Series Overview

Set in the world of King's It, It: Welcome to Derry is inspired by King’s iconic novel while enlarging the universe established by the It movie director in the two It films. The original It highlighted adolescents battling terrifying threats, making it appropriate that the prequel continues that tradition. However, the first installment of the HBO series shows it set out to escalate the fear, offering even more intense scares than the cinematic versions and establishing a dark atmosphere for what's to come.

Story World and Concepts

Located in the early '60s, the program features a fresh cast of grown-ups and kids residing in a seemingly idyllic town concealing a evil heart. Derry follows a brutal, periodic loop—defined by hostility, discrimination, and otherworldly forces, as a evil entity reappears each 27-year cycle. Although the series might seem like it skews too close to the cinematic adaptations at first, what distinguishes the streaming show is its two-sided viewpoint—narrated via the eyes of both children and adults concurrently. The kids remain highly exposed to It's terror, but the adults don't escape confronting their personal demons born from the town's ingrained prejudice and covert otherworldly powers.

It: Welcome to Derry premieres on Halloween at 3 a.m. EST.