The Derry Prequel Series Premieres Episode Two Early on HBO Max
Audiences are thrilled for the Stephen King adaptation It: Welcome to Derry, already garnering praise and drawing from elements from the broader King universe. Now, the network announced that the next chapter will arrive early, scheduled ideally for October 31st.
Schedule Change Details
Beginning on October 31 at 12 a.m. Pacific Time, the next part of the Derry prequel will premiere on HBO Max, prior to its linear broadcast. The remaining installments of the series run will be released on Sunday nights on both HBO and its streaming arm, leading up to the final episode on December 14th.
Series Overview
Taking place within Stephen King’s It universe, It: Welcome to Derry is inspired by the classic book while enlarging the world brought to life by director Andy Muschietti in the recent movie adaptations. It Chapter One highlighted young characters facing supernatural evils, so it’s fitting that the prequel upholds that legacy. Nevertheless, the first installment of the HBO series demonstrates it intended to raise the stakes, offering even more intense scares than the cinematic versions and establishing a brutal tone for the upcoming episodes.
Setting and Themes
Located in the early '60s, this show presents a new generation of adults and children residing in a outwardly charming locale masking a dark secret. Derry functions through a cruel, recurring cycle—one marked by hostility, discrimination, and otherworldly forces, as a monstrous presence returns once every three decades. While It: Welcome to Derry might appear like it leans too heavily to the films on the surface, what differentiates the digital program is its two-sided viewpoint—unfolding through the eyes of both children and adults concurrently. The kids are highly exposed to It's terror, but grown-ups also face dealing with their own nightmares arising from local discrimination and covert otherworldly powers.
It: Welcome to Derry debuts on Halloween at 12 a.m. Pacific Time.