HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry has made a sensational debut, rapidly transforming into a streaming phenomenon and a major victory for the It franchise. Premiering on October 26, 2025, the series based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel It serves as a prequel to the acclaimed It films of 2017 and 2019, both directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise.

Within just three days, the premiere episode amassed 5.7 million U.S. viewers across HBO and Max, ranking among the top three global series debuts in platform history trailing only House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. This strong start even surpassed HBO’s Task, which previously held the same time slot.

A Gruesome Start and Rising Suspense

Episode 2, “The Thing in the Dark,” was released early on October 31 as a Halloween treat, continuing the blood-curdling tone of “The Pilot.” In the premiere, Pennywise — not yet in Skarsgård’s familiar form — manifests as a flying demon infant that gruesomely wipes out most of the young cast.

The second episode opens with Lilly haunted by the theater massacre, while two Derry police officers interrogate employee Hank Grogan, who becomes the prime suspect in the children’s disappearance despite his mother’s protests. Meanwhile, the Hanlon family Leroy, Charlotte, and their son Will arrive in Derry, unknowingly stepping into the town’s dark history.

As the episode unfolds, the narrative splinters across interwoven horrors: Charlotte intervenes in a violent street fight, only to encounter eerie defiance; young Will experiences cruel bullying; and Lilly begins doubting her sanity as her memories blur. The standout terror arrives when Ronnie’s room transforms into a nightmarish trap — her bed beats like a heart, her blanket morphs into living flesh, and she’s dragged into a grotesque vision of her dead mother, accusing her of murder.

A Town Drowning in Fear

Elsewhere, Dick Hallorann (a familiar name from The Shining universe) appears among a group of Black military officers being questioned by Derry police. Their storyline deepens the Cold War subplot, hinting at a secret military mission tied to the supernatural presence beneath the town.

Police Chief Clint Bowers, whose surname recalls one of Derry’s most infamous bullies, manipulates Lilly into doubting her memories, forcing her to retract her account and frame Hank. The emotional pressure drives Lilly into isolation and hallucination — including one chilling scene inside a grocery store, where the faces of her dead friends appear on cereal boxes and her father’s decayed face stares from a pickle jar.

Meanwhile, General Shaw reveals to Leroy Hanlon that he orchestrated an attack on him as a test of courage, seeking men strong enough to confront what lies beneath Derry. His revelation that the Cold War might be won not by nuclear might but by harnessing a fear-based ancient entity sets the stage for the show’s central mythology.

The episode ends with a haunting discovery: during a nighttime excavation, soldiers unearth an old 1930s car filled with human skeletons, confirming that something monstrous slumbers beneath Derry’s soil.

The Minds Behind the Madness

Developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, IT: Welcome to Derry expands King’s mythos into television’s long-form storytelling. Skarsgård returns as Pennywise and serves as executive producer, alongside Muschietti, Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane, David Coatsworth, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Shelley Meals, and Lyn Lucibello-Brancatella.

The series stars Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Clara Stack, Amanda Christine, and Mikkal Karim-Fidler.

New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry premiere every Sunday on HBO and Max, culminating in a chilling season finale on December 14, 2025.