Welcome to Derry is a prequel to the events of Stephen King’s IT, set in the 1960s. For the uninitiated, IT centers around Pennywise the Dancing Clown—an ancient, shape-shifting evil entity from another dimension that feeds on fear and flesh, terrorizing the children (and sometimes adults) of Derry, Maine every 27 to 30 years.
Filmmaker Andy Muschietti continues the vision he began with IT and IT: Chapter Two in this upcoming series, planned as a three-season arc: Season 1 will be set in 1962, followed by 1935 in Season 2, and 1908 in Season 3, gradually revealing the terrifying origin of Pennywise. Bill Skarsgård is confirmed to return, once again donning the expanded cranium and razor-sharp grin that made his portrayal of Pennywise so unforgettable.
If you're unfamiliar with IT, the best place to start is the original source material: Stephen King’s 1986 novel. At over 1,100 pages, it’s an epic read—but well worth the investment. (I first tackled it as a teenager on vacation in 1993.) For those who prefer listening, the audiobook—narrated by Steven Weber (who played Jack Torrance in the 1997 TV adaptation of The Shining)—runs about 45 hours, or closer to 30 if you speed it up like I do.
Prefer to Watch? Start with These Screen Adaptations
If reading isn’t your thing, or you simply want a quicker introduction before the series premieres, there are two screen adaptations to consider. The original 1990 two-part miniseries stars the legendary Tim Curry as Pennywise and closely follows the novel’s structure: seven children battle the evil clown, and return as adults 30 years later to finish what they started.
Alternatively, there’s the 2017 and 2019 film duology (IT and IT: Chapter Two), created by the same team behind Welcome to Derry. These films offer a darker, more modern take, but due to time constraints, they necessarily trim subplots, character development, and much of Pennywise’s deeper, cosmic mythology. Faithful King fans will especially note changes to characters like Henry Bowers, who’s reduced from a truly psychotic menace to a more generic bully.
For those who want to go deeper into the King multiverse, consider some “extra credit”: the Hulu series Castle Rock. Though not directly connected to IT, it’s set in a nearby fictional town in Maine and functions as a kind of King collage—drawing from Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, Cujo, Needful Things, The Dead Zone, and The Body, among others. While not required viewing, Castle Rock enriches the larger King universe and offers plenty of Easter eggs that will likely echo in Welcome to Derry.
Both the 1990 miniseries and the Muschietti-directed IT films (IT and IT: Chapter Two) are streaming on Max, while both seasons of Castle Rock are available on Hulu. Welcome to Derry is set to premiere in October 2025, streaming exclusively on MAX.