It Prequel: Welcome to Derry Explained

The It prequel is IT: Welcome to Derry, an HBO series set before the events of It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019). Its first season is primarily set in 1962, while the Losers Club encounters It in 1989 in the films' chronology. The series premiered on October 26, 2025, after both films reached audiences, even though its story takes place earlier. That distinction gives you a starting point for understanding where the television series fits. For the broader franchise, see the It page.

IT: Welcome to Derry has eight episodes in its first season, and HBO has renewed it for a second season. The continuation will move to 1935 and center on the Bradley Gang massacre, giving it an earlier setting than the first season. The two seasons therefore have distinct announced periods, while both sit before the Losers Club encounter established in the films.

The series also draws on five interlude chapters from Stephen King's 1986 novel It, while following the films' chronology. Bill Skarsgård reprises Pennywise, providing a casting connection to the films. If you are looking for the It prequel series, its title, earlier setting and eight episode first season are the useful facts to check.

IT: Welcome to Derry is a prequel to It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019) and follows the films' chronology. In that chronology, the Losers Club encounters It in 1989, while the first television season is primarily set in 1962. Bill Skarsgård also reprises Pennywise in the series, providing a direct casting connection to the films. Those details place the television story before the films' encounter without requiring a full chronology of the franchise.

The gap between the first season's primary setting and the Losers Club encounter is 27 years. That comparison describes the years in which the stories are set, rather than the order in which the productions premiered. IT: Welcome to Derry premiered in 2025, following the releases of the 2017 and 2019 films. Readers looking for the films themselves can use the It franchise page, while this guide focuses on the prequel series and its announced continuation.

The renewed second season has an even earlier announced setting: 1935. It will center on the Bradley Gang massacre, placing its stated subject before both the first season's primary setting and the Losers Club encounter. For the relationship to the movies, the key points are the shared chronology, Skarsgård's return and the earlier television settings.

The first season of IT: Welcome to Derry is primarily set in 1962 and opens with a disappearance four months before April 1962. That opening establishes an earlier point in the story before the season's primary setting. The series follows the films' chronology, in which the Losers Club encounters It in 1989, so the television season takes place before that encounter. The timing gives viewers a way to place the premise without needing an account of later developments.

The first season contains eight episodes, beginning with a pilot directed by Andy Muschietti. Muschietti also directed several subsequent episodes, though that credit does not establish that he directed every episode in the season. The series draws on five interlude chapters from Stephen King's 1986 novel It, connecting its earlier story to material in the book.

Bill Skarsgård reprises Pennywise, linking the cast of the television prequel to the 2017 and 2019 films. The show's 2025 premiere came after those films, even though the first season's primary setting comes earlier in their chronology. If you want an introduction before watching, the opening disappearance, primary setting and episode count provide a starting point without revealing how individual encounters unfold.

Bill Skarsgård reprises Pennywise in IT: Welcome to Derry, the prequel to the 2017 and 2019 It films. His return gives the series a casting connection to those films as it follows their chronology into an earlier period. The first season is primarily set in 1962, before the Losers Club encounters It in 1989. Viewers who recognize Skarsgård from the films can therefore expect the same performer in the television series.

The confirmed casting identifies who plays Pennywise without specifying the character's appearances in individual episodes. IT: Welcome to Derry has eight episodes in its first season, and the opening involves a disappearance four months before April 1962. Those details establish the season's structure and starting point without describing how particular encounters unfold.

The series draws on five interlude chapters from Stephen King's 1986 novel It, and its screen chronology follows the films. Those are separate connections: the novel supplies material for the series, while Skarsgård's casting connects it to the film versions. For a spoiler conscious introduction, his return is the relevant casting answer to take into the series, alongside the distinction between its earlier setting and its 2025 premiere.

Andy Muschietti directed the pilot of IT: Welcome to Derry, and Bill Skarsgård reprises Pennywise in the series. Muschietti also directed several subsequent episodes, according to the Television Academy. His credit covers more than the opening episode, though the available detail does not identify him as the director of every installment. Skarsgård's role connects the television prequel to the 2017 and 2019 films.

The announced leadership for the continuation names Brad Caleb Kane as the sole showrunner for season two. That credit applies to the second season, which will take place in 1935 and center on the Bradley Gang massacre. The first season, by contrast, is primarily set in 1962 and contains eight episodes.

The credits answer different questions about the series. Skarsgård's is a performance credit, Muschietti's identifies confirmed directing work on the pilot and several later episodes, and Kane's is the announced showrunner role for the continuation. The first season premiered on October 26, 2025; the supplied renewal information does not establish a season two premiere date. When checking credits, keep the confirmed directing work and the announced showrunner role attached to their respective parts of the series.

IT: Welcome to Derry draws on five interlude chapters from Stephen King's 1986 novel It. Those chapters provide source material for a series that also follows the chronology of the 2017 and 2019 films. In the films' chronology, the Losers Club encounters It in 1989, while the television series begins an earlier story. The connection to the novel helps explain where material for that prequel story comes from.

The source material and the screen setting answer separate questions about IT: Welcome to Derry. The five interlude chapters identify material drawn from King's novel, while 1962 is the primary setting of the first television season. Its opening disappearance occurs four months before April 1962, so the opening should not be described as beginning in that year.

The series premiered on October 26, 2025, with eight episodes in its first season. Its later production date does not change its place before the films' 1989 encounter in the shared screen chronology. HBO has also renewed the series for a second season set in 1935. For a basic understanding of the adaptation, keep the novel's interludes and the series chronology in view together.

The first season of IT: Welcome to Derry has eight episodes, and Roku lists the series through HBO Max on The Roku Channel with a subscription required. That listing was checked on November 9, 2026, for readers in the United States. TheWrap previously reported that the first eight episodes were available on HBO Max as of August 17, 2026. The two dates distinguish the earlier availability report from the checked Roku listing.

The first season finale reached 6.5 million US viewers across HBO and HBO Max, according to Warner Bros. Discovery's live plus three day viewership data reported by TheWrap. That figure refers to the finale and its specified measurement, rather than an audience count for every episode.

The eight episode count applies to the first season, which premiered on October 26, 2025. HBO has renewed the series for a second season, but the supplied renewal information does not establish its release date. For someone choosing where to watch, the episode count establishes the size of the first season, while the Roku listing identifies a subscription option checked on November 9, 2026. The earlier HBO Max report has its own date and should be read accordingly.

HBO has renewed IT: Welcome to Derry for a second season set in 1935 and centered on the Bradley Gang massacre. TheWrap reported the renewal on August 17, 2026, and identified Brad Caleb Kane as the season's sole showrunner. The announced setting places the continuation 27 years before the first season's primary setting of 1962. That date describes when the story takes place, rather than when the season will premiere.

The second season's announced subject gives viewers a specific point of reference for the continuation without describing its treatment of the massacre. IT: Welcome to Derry follows the films' chronology, in which the Losers Club encounters It in 1989, so both announced television settings precede that encounter. The supplied renewal information does not establish a release date for season two.

The first season premiered on October 26, 2025, and contains eight episodes. Its primary setting and the continuation's announced setting are 27 years apart, just as the first season's primary setting and the films' Losers Club encounter are 27 years apart. Kane's announced sole showrunner credit applies to season two. If you are planning when to watch, look for a separate announcement that gives its premiere date.