'It: Welcome to Derry' Release Schedule – Everything You Need to Know About the Stephen King Prequel

It: Welcome to Derry is one of the most anticipated new shows of the Halloween season, raising questions about when and where to stream it. Stephen King fans and prestige TV lovers can overlap this Fall, as filmmaker Andy Muschietti and other creators of the 2017 It movie and its sequel have come together for a prequel series, centered around the town of Derry and the decades of horror leading up to Georgie Denbrough’s disappearance. Excitingly, Bill Skarsgård will return as Pennywise the Clown.

HBO, the cable network responsible for all-time classic shows like The Sopranos and The Wire, has been hard at work in recent years looking to balance out its library with franchise titles. It: Welcome to Derry is the latest in a line of IP-based prestige titles that also includes House of the Dragon, Peacemaker, and will include the network’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot.

How Many Episodes Are There in ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Season 1?

HBO Max

As is often the case with HBO shows, It: Welcome to Derry will be released weekly, starting on October 26. Audiences should anticipate each release at 9 PM ET, consistent with other HBO titles. There are eight episodes planned for season 1, meaning the show will run from the end of October until the middle of December, providing horror entertainment through the holiday season. These episodes will, on average, be about one hour long. The full release schedule and revealed episode titles can be viewed below:

As of now, there’s no confirmation about It: Welcome to Derry continuing beyond season 1. Creator Andy Muschietti wants Welcome to Derry to run for three seasons, beginning in 1962, then heading back to 1935 and 1908 in subsequent seasons, creating an anthology that progresses backward through time. That said, the show’s fate is in HBO’s hands and will likely depend on how the first season performs.

Where to Stream ‘It: Welcome to Derry’

HBO

As with most HBO releases, It: Welcome to Derry will be available on the HBO cable network, as well as the HBO Max streaming service. It’s currently unclear when/if audiences will be able to watch the series on any other platform, but it’s unlikely that HBO will distribute the new title elsewhere. For now, subscribing to HBO Max is the only option to watch the series.

What ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ is About

As mentioned, It: Welcome to Derry is a prequel series, examining the terrors at the core of Stephen King’s It novel years before the events of the films. The original book is quite extensive, and the new series is based on its interludes, where character Mike Hanlon (one of the Losers’ Club members) tries to uncover the history of terror that has plagued Derry. These are brief sequences, but they leave plenty of material for It: Welcome to Derry to cover that’s pertinent to the overall story.

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Release Date

October 26, 2025

Network

HBO

Directors

Andy Muschietti