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It: Welcome to Derry is an American supernatural horror television series based on Stephen King's 1986 novel It. Serving as a prequel to the films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), the series was developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, all of whom were involved in the It films. The series stars a large ensemble cast including Bill Skarsgård, who serves as executive producer and reprises his role as Pennywise from the films.
Andy and Barbara Muschietti along with Fuchs began developing the series in March 2022. After receiving a production commitment later that November, Fuchs and Brad Kane were hired as showrunners, and the series was greenlit in February 2023, with Andy Muschietti, who had directed both films, attached to direct multiple episodes, including the pilot. Casting began later in April, with Skarsgård cast in May 2024. Filming for the series began in May 2023 but was halted in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike; it concluded in August 2024.
It: Welcome to Derry premiered on HBO on October 26, 2025. The series received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its direction, production values, title sequence, and performances (particularly from Skarsgård, Chris Chalk, and the younger cast), although the writing and visual effects received some criticism. In August 2026, the series was renewed for a second season.
Contents
Premise
In the first season, set in 1962, a couple with their son move to Derry, Maine, just as a young boy disappears. With their arrival, bad things begin to happen in the town.
In the second season, set in 1935 during the Great Depression, the Bradley Gang, a group of bank robbers, arrives in Derry to purchase ammunition, only to find themselves caught in a brutal massacre and confronted with terrifying horrors.
Cast and characters
Main
Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon, an activist, Leroy's wife and Will's mother whose family recently moved to Derry due to Leroy's new assignment.
Jovan Adepo as Leroy Hanlon, a US Air Force Major, Charlotte's husband and Will's father. An older Leroy was portrayed by Steven Williams in It (2017).
James Remar as Francis Shaw, a US Air Force Lieutenant General who is Leroy's superior officer and searches for a "weapon" in hopes of ending the Cold War
Diesel La Torraca as young Shaw in 1908
Stephen Rider as Hank Grogan, Ronnie's father and the projectionist at the local cinema
Matilda Lawler as Marge Truman, a high schooler who finds herself torn between her old friendship with the unpopular Lilly and a desire to fit in with a group of more popular girls. An older Marge was portrayed by Janet Porter in It Chapter Two (2019).
Amanda Christine as Veronica "Ronnie" Grogan, a high schooler and Hank's daughter who befriends Lilly
Clara Stack as Lilly Bainbridge, a high schooler dealing with the death of her father and a neglectful mother, and who is both frequently bullied and infamous at school for her supposed insanity
Blake Cameron James as Will Hanlon, a high schooler who is the son of Leroy and Charlotte and future father of Mike Hanlon, who finds it difficult to adapt to Derry
Arian Cartaya as Rich Santos, a Cuban American high schooler who befriends Will and has a crush on Marge
Miles Ekhardt as Matty Clements, a high schooler who disappears when Pennywise awakens
Recurring
Rudy Mancuso as Captain Pauly Russo, Leroy Hanlon's partner and best friend in the Air Force
Alixandra Fuchs as Teresa "Terri" Bainbridge, Lilly's mother
Thomas Mitchell as Colonel Fuller, a military colonel involved in General Shaw's mission
Maya McNair as Patricia "Patty" Stanton, the leader of the Pattycakes, a popular group of mean girls, who play cruel pranks to be the center of attention
Hannah Storey as Rhonda Chambers, a Pattycake and friend of Patty and Elaine
Maya Misaljevic as Elaine Morrison, a Pattycake and friend of Patty and Rhonda
Kimberly Guerrero as Rose, a Native American woman who owns a pawn shop and has a history with Shaw
Violet Sutherland as young Rose in 1908
Joshua Odjick as Taniel, Rose's nephew
Tres Garcia as young Taniel
Chad Rook as Sergeant Masters, a racist military sergeant who has tension with Leroy
Shane Marriott as Reggie Davis, a friend of Hallorann's at the military base
Dorian Grey as Loverboy Jax, a friend of Hallorann's at the military base
Richard Walters as Airman Jacobs, a friend of Hallorann's at the military base
Guest
Finley Burke as Dan Uris, Teddy's brother and future father of Stan Uris. An older Dan was portrayed by Ari Cohen in It.
Audrey Wellington as Arlene, a teenage girl who is in the car that picks up Matty
Lochlan Ray Miller as Ray, a child who is in the car that picks up Matty
Robert Clarke as Dunleavy, Derry's High School principal
BJ Harrison as Louella Grogan, Ronnie's grandmother and Hank's mother
Ryan J. O'Callaghan as Mr. Keene, a young pharmacist. An older Keene was portrayed by Joe Bostick in It and It Chapter Two.
Andrew Moodie as Andy Hallorann, the deceased abusive grandfather of Hallorann
Moni Ogunsuyi as Noreen, Loverboy Jax's date
Madeleine Cox as Mabel, a Juniper Hill patient who encounters Pennywise in 1935
Andoni Gracia as Mr. Santos, Rich's father
Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh, a teenage girl and future member of the Losers' Club, reprising her role from It and It Chapter Two.
Production
Development
The idea of making a prequel series about Bob Gray's origin story and how he became Pennywise came to their mind during the filming of It Chapter Two (2019), which Andy Muschietti called "one of the big enigmas" that serves to generate tension in the book. In March 2022, Variety reported that Andy, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs were developing and serving as executive producers of a prequel television series of the film It (2017) for HBO Max, titled Welcome to Derry. It was to take place in the 1960s before the events of the film. It received a production commitment in November 2022, and Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane were hired as co-showrunners. The series was given a greenlight in February 2023, with Andy Muschietti directing multiple episodes, including the pilot written by Fuchs. Bill Skarsgård serves as an executive producer. John Bear Mitchell of the Penobscot Nation served as a consultant during development. This included advising producers on effective depiction of Wabanaki culture and history and actors on appropriate accents as well as other appropriate historic depictions. According to Mitchell, "I wanted the native people in there to be active protectors, for people to know they were managing the evil with ancestral knowledge."
In January 2026, it was announced that a second season is in the works, pending to be greenlit. Following speculation about the delay in the second season renewal, HBO head Casey Bloys mentioned that it was due to the time it takes to find the right story, since there's no "book that you're basing it on", but that it is not in limbo and will be made with the right story. In March 2026, Barbara confirmed that the season would happen and explained that the greenlight would only be given once the right story is ready. She added that it hasn't been officially announced yet because studios usually make advance announcements to "declare their confidence" in a show, which isn't necessary for this series. In August 2026, the series was renewed for a second season, with Kane serving as its sole showrunner.
Writing
In a January 2025 interview with Radio TU, Andy Muschietti revealed details about the source material and longer-term plans. He said that the series is based on interlude chapters from the It novel, noting that "there's a reason why the story is told backwards." Muschietti mentioned that with the first season they are only "opening a window" of the story and that it will really "manifest" in the second and third seasons. The series will also focus on why Pennywise stays in Derry when he could go "somewhere else" and how he takes advantage of children because adults do not understand what happens to them. Executive producer Jason Fuchs said that the plan, apart from revealing the origin of Pennywise, is also the origin of the "cursed town". For Fuchs, Derry is also the entity "in many ways" because Pennywise "actually predates Derry". If given the opportunity, the planned seasons would leave a "different understanding of the creature, the town's rules, and what motivates It".
Andy stated that the second season will be set in 1935 and will focus on the Bradley Gang massacre and the Great Depression in Derry, introducing new characters and younger versions of characters from the first season. Andy mentioned that there would be a lot of Depression-era themes, with children smoking or missing teeth due to the hardships of the time. He later described Derry as almost a graveyard, "a carcass of something" with its population depleted, poor, tired, jobless and homeless. The new protagonists are children who lack a suburban, comforting life, instead being runaways or orphans in a bleak environment, while hope keeps them going; a family tree will also connect the timeline to the previous season.
Casting
In April 2023, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, and James Remar joined the cast in starring roles. Stephen Rider joined as a series regular and Madeleine Stowe as a recurring guest. In May 2024, Bill Skarsgård was cast to reprise his starring role as Pennywise. The following month, Alixandra Fuchs, Kimberly Norris Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Thomas Mitchell, BJ Harrison, Peter Outerbridge, Shane Marriott, Chad Rook, Joshua Odjick, and Morningstar Angeline were cast in recurring capacities. In July, Rudy Mancuso was cast in a recurring role.
Filming
Principal photography began in Toronto, Hamilton and Port Hope in May 2023, with the working title Greetings from Fairview, and was expected to continue through December. Scenes were shot at the Delta Secondary School. In mid-July 2023, production was suspended due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. In August 2024, it was reported that production on the series had concluded, and the series title, It: Welcome to Derry, was announced. Barbara Muschietti revealed the difficulty of returning to film the series with the child cast after the 2023 Hollywood strikes because they were "in a state of spontaneous growth". She estimated that "90% of three episodes" were filmed before production shut down and they had to come back to work in a different season and climate. "This is a summer show", she noted, "but suddenly it wasn't a summer show any more. We had to create a different finale with a different climate". The main visual effects company used was Rodeo FX.
Music
In May 2025, it was reported that Benjamin Wallfisch, the composer of the films, would score the series. Four volumes of the soundtrack were released to streaming platforms from November to December 2025: The first volume, consisting of music from the first two episodes, on November 2; the second volume of music from the third and fourth episodes on November 17; The third volume of music from the fifth and sixth episodes on December 1; and the fourth volume on December 15, containing the music from the final two episodes. The series' intro used the 1956 song "A Smile and a Ribbon" by Patience and Prudence.
Release
It: Welcome to Derry premiered on HBO on October 26, 2025, with subsequent episodes airing weekly. It was previously slated to stream exclusively on HBO Max in 2024.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 166 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "While scattered plotting occasionally drains the fear from its chilling premise, It: Welcome to Derry compellingly deepens the myth of Pennywise through sharp social commentary, a dreadful atmosphere, and committed performances." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 61 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Chris Hayner for Polygon called the series an "excellent prequel" and said that he was more interested in the lore of Derry and the influence of Pennywise on it than in the films. He mentioned how the violence was "plenty graphic" and how Pennywise terrorizes and controls the town "through other methods".
Chris Evangelista for /Film criticized the show's attempt to answer every mystery that is presented, even those that "no one was asking" and that it is not necessary to reveal Pennywise's origin since "things like that should defy a reasonable explanation", but praised that "it is consistently bloody" and that Bill Skarsgård does not appear in every episode, with Pennywise seen more as a "shape-shifting creature" that "enhances the show" with a higher variety of scares. He stated that the series would "satisfy hungry horror fans".
Jack Hamilton for Slate dubbed the series "a baffling, half-baked mess", complimenting the acting performances of the adult cast and highlighting some standout horror sequences, but criticized the "one-dimensional" writing for the child characters, overly complex plotting, "dated" representation of Native Americans in the United States, weak fanservice and "ham-fisted forays into socio-historical commentary".
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian awarded the series three out of five stars, calling the "demonic, liver-eating baby... horrifying", and concluding that "horror fans and fans of King's themes would likely enjoy the series [but] its visceral elements [may] push viewers' tolerance".
Audience viewership
It: Welcome to Derry garnered 5.7 million viewers in its first 3 days, becoming the third most-watched debut on the platform, behind only House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. The premiere of the penultimate episode was seen by 5.8 million viewers, with the average audience of the episodes was 10.7 million viewers per episode, with a 60% increase in audience with each episode. The season finale was the most-watched episode with 6.5 million viewers, a 12% increase over the previous record holder. It officially remained in the top three series debuts, and the season was considered a success.
