It: Welcome to Derry Drops Episode 2 Early — Release Date and Time Revealed
Derry’s nightmares won’t wait: after a strong premiere, It: Welcome to Derry drops Episode 2 early, plunging deeper into the town’s origins just in time for Halloween on HBO Max.
Max is doing the obvious thing for spooky season: dropping the next chapter of 'It: Welcome to Derry' early, because midnight horror and Halloween go together like red balloons and storm drains.
When and where to watch Episode 2
Episode 2 is getting a holiday bump. It hits HBO Max at the stroke of Halloween — Friday, October 31 — at 12:00 a.m. PT / 3:00 a.m. ET. If you prefer the old-school TV route, it will air on HBO on Sunday, November 2, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Worth noting: this is a one-off stunt for Halloween. After that, the eight-episode season goes back to its regular Sunday rollout, building to the finale on December 14.
- Streaming early drop: Fri, Oct 31 at 12:00 a.m. PT / 3:00 a.m. ET on HBO Max
- Linear airing: Sun, Nov 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO
- Season: 8 episodes, Sundays after this early release
- Finale: Sun, Dec 14
What the show is doing
This is a prequel to the Stephen King 'It' films, digging into the rotten roots of Derry, Maine and the thing that keeps coming back to feed on it. The series was developed for TV by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, expanding the world the movies set up. Andy Muschietti — who directed both film adaptations — is behind the camera for multiple episodes here too. HBO and Warner Bros. Television are producing.
On the creative side, Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane are serving as co-showrunners. Fuchs wrote the teleplay for the premiere episode. Executive producers include Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane, David Coatsworth, Bill Skarsgard, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin.
Who is in it
The ensemble is stacked: Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Blake Cameron James, Arian S. Cartaya, Amanda Christine, Matilda Lawler, Clara Stack, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso. And yes — Bill Skarsgard is back in the greasepaint as Pennywise.
Where Episode 1 left us
The premiere dropped us into Derry circa 1962 — a jittery, prejudiced moment in the town’s history — and ended on a brutal note with Teddy, Phil, and Susie meeting the creature. The early Episode 2 release is clearly timed to ride that momentum straight through Halloween night. Cozy!