HBO's It Spinoff Debuts Next Ahead of Schedule on HBO Max
Excitement is building for the horror series the Derry series, already receiving positive feedback and drawing from references from other Stephen King works. Now, HBO announced that episode two will premiere ahead of schedule, timed perfectly for the spookiest night.
Schedule Change Information
Starting on Halloween night at 3 a.m. EST, the next part of It: Welcome to Derry will launch on HBO's online platform, ahead of its linear broadcast. Future chapters of the eight-episode season will continue to air on Sunday nights on both HBO and its streaming arm, leading up to the season finale on December 14th.
Show Background
Based in the world of King's It, the new series draws from King’s iconic novel while expanding on the universe brought to life by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the recent movie adaptations. The original It highlighted young characters facing terrifying threats, so it’s fitting that the series continues that tradition. Nevertheless, the first installment of the HBO series shows it set out to escalate the fear, delivering more frightening moments than the movies and setting a brutal tone for what's to come.
Setting and Themes
Located in the early '60s, this show presents a different group of parents and youngsters inhabiting a apparently peaceful community hiding a dark secret. This place follows a brutal, periodic loop—defined by hostility, discrimination, and otherworldly forces, as a monstrous presence resurfaces every 27 years. While Welcome to Derry might sound like it leans too heavily to the films initially, what sets apart the streaming show is its parallel storytelling—unfolding through the perspectives of kids and grown-ups at the same time. The kids stay highly exposed to It's terror, but the adults don't escape confronting their own nightmares stemming from local discrimination and lurking supernatural forces.
The series airs on Halloween at midnight PT.
