Filmmakers Andy and Barbara Muschietti have successfully returned audiences to the cursed town of Derry, Maine, with a chilling new prequel series that explores the terrifying origins of Pennywise the Dancing Clown decades before the events of their blockbuster 2017 and 2019 films. IT: Welcome to Derry, available on HBO Max, launched on October 26, 2025, immediately establishing itself as a major streaming event by drawing impressive viewership numbers and critical acclaim within its opening week.
The nine-episode first season transported audiences back to 1962, a time when Pennywise’s 27-year cycle of horror was just beginning to unfold. By focusing on the town’s darkest historical tragedies and the malevolent entity that feeds on fear and violence, the series successfully expanded the franchise’s universe while introducing fresh perspectives on King’s complex mythology. The show’s combination of supernatural terror and historical commentary on racism and social division resonated strongly with viewers, cementing its place as one of HBO’s most significant horror offerings.
Breaking HBO’s Records with the Third-Largest Debut
The premiere performance of IT: Welcome to Derry exceeded expectations, drawing 5.7 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max during its first three days. This figure placed it as the third-largest series debut in HBO Max history, trailing only two cultural phenomena: House of the Dragon, which attracted nearly 10 million viewers on its first day in 2022, and The Last of Us, which opened with 4.7 million viewers in 2023. The overwhelming majority of viewers—approximately 94 percent—accessed the series through streaming on HBO Max and subsequent airings, with only 334,000 watching the initial HBO broadcast. This distribution pattern underscores the shift in how audiences consume premium television content in 2025.
Following the strong premiere, the series maintained impressive momentum. The third episode alone captured 5 million U.S. viewers within its first three days, demonstrating solid audience retention for a new horror series. Overall, the season is averaging an impressive 9.2 million viewers per episode in the United States and nearly 15 million viewers globally. These numbers suggest that despite the inevitable drop-off after premiere week, the show has cultivated a dedicated fan base that continues watching throughout the season. Critically, the series holds a 78 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers praising its atmospheric tension and social commentary despite noting occasional pacing issues.
The Muschiettis’ Vision: A Three-Season Mythology
Andy and Barbara Muschietti have been transparent about their ambitious plans for the franchise’s television expansion. The sibling filmmakers conceived a three-season arc designed to move progressively backward through Derry’s cursed history, with each installment exploring a different 27-year cycle of Pennywise’s murderous activity. The creators drew inspiration from Mike Hanlon’s interludes in Stephen King’s original novel—journal entries that document the town’s dark past and its connections to the shape-shifting entity known as IT.
For season one, set in 1962, the series builds toward the infamous Black Spot incident. In King’s novel, the Black Spot was a nightclub created by and for Black soldiers serving at a nearby Army Air Corps base, providing a rare safe space where they could socialize freely. The story grows even darker when members of the Maine Legion of White Decency, a white supremacist group, burned the establishment to the ground in a horrific act of racial violence, killing many patrons who became trapped inside. Within the IT mythology, the creature appeared as a monstrous bird during the chaos, snatching victims in its talons as it fed on the terror and despair. The series shifts this tragedy’s timeline to 1962—decades later than King’s original placement in the 1930s—to align with the Muschiettis’ reimagined film chronology.
Co-showrunner Brad Caleb Kane emphasized the series’ deeper thematic focus: “We realised we were telling an IT story in 1962 America. Derry is a microcosm for America—and we’re dealing with the weaponisation of fear to divide and control.” This approach transforms the horror from a purely supernatural threat into commentary on institutional racism and the real-world terror that marginalized communities faced during the Cold War era.
Teasing the Cycles to Come
The series has already begun laying groundwork for its planned future seasons. The opening credits of the show’s second episode contain animated sequences explicitly teasing historical tragedies that will likely serve as focal points for seasons two and three. One animated sequence depicts the 1935 Bradley Gang massacre, a violent confrontation in which a group of bank robbers was gunned down in the street by Derry citizens who had armed themselves in anticipation of a robbery. In Stephen King’s novel, this incident claimed the lives of the Bradley gang members, including siblings George and Albert Bradley and their wives, all shot point-blank in broad daylight by over fifty armed townspeople.
The credits also directly reference the 1908 Kitchener Ironworks explosion, a historical disaster that killed 102 people, including 88 children who were participating in an Easter egg hunt at the facility. These historical touchstones ground IT’s supernatural terror in real American tragedy and violence, suggesting the series will continue weaving actual historical events with King’s fictional mythology.
In an interview with Deadline, Andy Muschietti explained the intentional structure: “There is an intentional bigger arc that will open. My intention with this was to create a story that is a little bit like an iceberg under the water all through Seasons 1, 2, and 3. There will be an expansion in the mythology and more answers to the big questions.” He further confirmed that season two will take place in 1935, with additional time jumps to explore even earlier periods of Derry’s history.
The Cast and Creative Team Behind the Terror
Bill Skarsgård reprises his iconic role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown for the television series, while also serving as an executive producer. The actor’s portrayal of the shape-shifting entity has become definitive in the modern era, having originated the character in the 2017 and 2019 films and now extending his performance into the long-form storytelling format of television.
The ensemble cast includes Jovan Adepo and Taylour Paige in leading roles as a couple who have relocated to Derry to start a new life, only to discover the town harbors both human prejudice and supernatural horror. Adepo, who garnered Emmy recognition for HBO’s Watchmen, spoke about the authenticity of portraying Black characters facing systemic racism: “I think it’s a much easier assignment to imagine the fear of what’s outside because we experience it in real life. Walking down the street and feeling that you’re making other people feel uncomfortable because you’re Black—that’s something I’ve experienced before. So playing it on screen, that’s easy homework.”
The supporting cast features James Remar, Chris Chalk, Stephen Rider, and Madeleine Stowe, each bringing depth to Derry’s interconnected community. The series was developed for television by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, who served as a co-producer on IT: Chapter Two. Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serve as co-showrunners, with Andy Muschietti directing the pilot and multiple subsequent episodes. The production comes from HBO and Warner Bros. Television, part of the larger Warner Bros. Discovery media conglomerate.
Path Forward: Renewal Prospects and Production Timeline
Although HBO has not yet made an official renewal announcement for season two, the strong viewership performance and positive critical reception make a second-season greenlight highly probable. Muschietti has already indicated that season two would maintain the show’s Sunday evening premiere schedule, with the potential second season arriving on October 25, 2026, if greenlit.
Stephen King himself played an active role in the creative process, reading every draft and approving casting decisions, providing institutional support for the adaptation. This level of author involvement ensures the series maintains fidelity to King’s vision while allowing the filmmakers creative latitude to evolve the mythology for television audiences.
The Appeal of Derry’s Dark History
The success of IT: Welcome to Derry reflects audiences’ sustained fascination with Stephen King’s mythology and their appetite for horror storytelling that combines supernatural scares with historical tragedy and social commentary. By grounding Pennywise’s terror in real American racism, violence, and institutional failure, the series offers more than jump scares and grotesque imagery. It explores how fear becomes a tool of division and control, how trauma reverberates through generations, and how communities can forget or suppress horrific truths.
New episodes continue premiering on HBO Max every Sunday through the season finale on December 14, 2025. For viewers new to the IT universe and longtime fans alike, the series provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand the town of Derry at the foundation of its curse—before Bill Denbrough and the Losers Club faced Pennywise, before the adult Losers returned to finish what they started. Instead, audiences encounter Derry during the reign of terror that defined an entire generation, when fear became currency and evil wore many faces.
Where to Watch IT: Welcome to Derry Worldwide: Complete Regional Guide
The global reach of IT: Welcome to Derry spans major streaming platforms across continents, making the prequel series accessible to international audiences. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of streaming availability by region:
North America
United States: IT: Welcome to Derry airs on HBO every Sunday at 9:00 PM ET/PT and streams on HBO Max. Max subscription plans start at $10.99 per month with ads, $18.49 for ad-free streaming, and $22.99 for the premium 4K tier with multiple device access. The series is also available through Hulu if you add the Max add-on to your subscription. For cable television viewers, HBO can be added to services like Sling Blue for bundled savings.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can stream IT: Welcome to Derry exclusively on Crave. The platform offers three subscription tiers starting at $9.99 per month for the Basic plan (720p with ads), up to $22 per month for Premium (ad-free, 4K, downloadable episodes). Episodes release every Sunday at the same time as the U.S. broadcast.
United Kingdom and Ireland
In the UK, IT: Welcome to Derry premiered on Sky Atlantic on October 27, 2025, at 2:00 AM GMT, with repeat broadcasts at 9:00 PM. Sky subscribers can also access the series through the Sky Go app on smartphones, computers, gaming consoles, and streaming devices. For non-subscribers, NOW TV (formerly NOW Entertainment) provides on-demand access to the series starting at £4.99 per month for a yearly commitment or £9.99 per month on a rolling basis. Sky Atlantic packages begin at £15 per month as part of their bundle offerings.
Australia and New Zealand
Australian viewers can stream IT: Welcome to Derry on HBO Max (Australia), which launched the series on October 27, 2025. Plans start at AU$10.99 per month for the Basic tier and go up to AU$21.99 for premium options. New Zealand audiences also access the series through HBO Max following its regional launch, with weekly episode releases available on-demand.
India
Viewers in India can watch IT: Welcome to Derry exclusively on JioHotstar, which offers both English and regional language options with episodes releasing every Sunday night at 9:00 PM IST. The service provides competitive pricing for Indian audiences and integrates with Jio’s broader entertainment ecosystem.
Southern Africa
In South Africa and other Southern African countries, IT: Welcome to Derry streams on Showmax, a streaming service offering regional content alongside HBO’s catalog. Episodes are available on-demand following their international premiere schedule.
European Markets
France, Germany, and Italy: The series is available on HBO Max in these countries, with availability expanding as part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s ongoing European rollout. Episodes released across France, Germany, and Italy beginning October 27, 2025, with weekly releases on Sundays. Germany particularly embraced the series, with IT: Welcome to Derry ranking as the #1 show shortly after launch.
Asia-Pacific Expansion
Warner Bros. Discovery has announced HBO Max’s expansion into 14 new Asia-Pacific markets as of October 2025, including Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The company plans to make HBO Max available in over 100 markets globally by the end of 2025, with significant launches planned for additional European territories in 2026.
Additional US Streaming Options
Beyond HBO Max and Hulu, IT: Welcome to Derry is available through the HBO Max Amazon Channel for Prime Video subscribers, as well as through Spectrum On Demand for cable subscribers. YouTube TV also provides access to the series as part of its cable-like streaming bundle.
Watching from Abroad: VPN Considerations
For travelers or expats wanting to access their home streaming services while abroad, services like NordVPN can enable secure access to geographic-restricted content. Users should note that streaming services implement geo-blocking to protect regional content licensing agreements, and a VPN allows individuals to maintain access to their existing subscriptions while outside their home country.
Download and Offline Viewing
HBO Max subscribers with ad-free plans can download full episodes in HD or 4K quality directly from the app on mobile and tablet devices, allowing offline viewing at convenient times. This feature is particularly valuable for international travelers or those with variable internet connectivity.
Release Schedule Consistency
Across all regions, IT: Welcome to Derry maintains a consistent weekly Sunday release schedule through the season finale on December 14, 2025. This synchronized global rollout ensures fans worldwide experience the series together while respecting local broadcast times and regional platform preferences.
