It: Welcome to Derry Releases Second Early on HBO Max
Audiences are thrilled for the chilling show the Derry series, which is earning acclaim and drawing from themes from other Stephen King works. Just one day after launch, the broadcaster has revealed that the next chapter will arrive early, released fittingly for the spookiest night.
Early Release Particulars
Kicking off on October 31 at 12 a.m. Pacific Time, the next part of Welcome to Derry will launch on the streaming service, before its linear broadcast. Subsequent episodes of the eight-episode season will continue to air on Sundays on the network and streaming service, building toward the season finale on December 14th.
Show Background
Taking place within Stephen King’s It universe, the new series borrows elements from King’s iconic novel while building upon the setting established by director Andy Muschietti in the two It films. The first It movie centered on adolescents facing supernatural evils, so it’s fitting that this show follows in those footsteps. However, the premiere episode of HBO’s Welcome to Derry proves it set out to escalate the fear, delivering even more intense scares than the movies and establishing a harsh vibe for the rest of the season.
Setting and Themes
Located in the early '60s, this show introduces a fresh cast of parents and youngsters living in a apparently peaceful community hiding a dark secret. Derry operates on a brutal, periodic loop—characterized by hostility, discrimination, and otherworldly forces, as a terrifying being resurfaces every 27 years. While the series might seem like it strays too near to the cinematic adaptations on the surface, what differentiates the streaming show is its two-sided viewpoint—narrated via the perspectives of kids and grown-ups at the same time. Children are particularly vulnerable to It's terror, but older characters aren’t spared facing their own nightmares born from Derry’s deep-seated bigotry and hidden paranormal elements.
Episode 2 airs on Halloween at 12 a.m. Pacific Time.
