Welcome to Derry Episode 2 Arrives Early: Release Date, Time, and Full Schedule
IT: Welcome to Derry storms TV with an October 26, 2025 premiere that trades jump scares for stomach churn—and teases an even darker descent ahead.
If you survived Pennywise on the big screen, congrats: he is now in your living room. 'It: Welcome to Derry' premiered October 26, 2025, and the opener leaned more gross-out than jump-scare. And yes, the vibe looks like it is only getting darker from here.
So what is this show, exactly?
It is a prequel to the 2017 smash that turned Bill Skarsgard into your new clown-based nightmare. That first movie blew up, which is why we got the 2019 sequel with James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, and company. For TV, the story springs from Stephen King, with Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti developing alongside Jason Fuchs. Andy, who directed the films, is back behind the camera for multiple episodes to keep the continuity of the dread intact.
On the nuts-and-bolts side: showrunners are Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane, and it airs on HBO (streaming on HBO Max).
Episode 2 is coming earlier than planned
Good news if the pilot got under your skin: Episode 2 is dropping three days ahead of the original plan, landing right on Halloween to set up Day of the Dead weekend. Here is how the rollout looks:
- Episode 1 - Pilot episode - October 26
- Episode 2 - The Thing in the Dark - October 31 on HBO Max (12:00 a.m. PT / 3:00 a.m. ET); November 2 on HBO (9:00 p.m. ET/PT)
- Episode 3 - Now You See It - November 9
- Episode 4 - Title TBA - November 16
- Episode 5 - Title TBA - November 23
- Episode 6 - Title TBA - November 30
- Episode 7 - Title TBA - December 7
- Episode 8 - Title TBA - December 14 (finale)
The rest of the season sticks to Sundays on HBO and HBO Max. Episode 1 is already streaming, and if you want to go full clown marathon, 'It', 'It: Chapter Two', and the 1990 miniseries are all on HBO Max too.
What Episode 2 is teasing
'No one who dies here ever really dies.'
That line closes the post-episode promo, which is basically wall-to-wall screams, nasty visuals, and a laugh you do not forget. The trailer hints at a storyline involving a US Army service member and features a character introduced as Dick Hallorann. Horror fans will raise an eyebrow at that name for obvious reasons, and the footage even suggests he could be Pennywise's first victim here. He talks about seeing 'the dead' in some shadow version of reality, echoing a beat we remember from the 2017 film. Expect some outright gnarly creature work and a little dance of the macabre for good measure.
Cast and crew roll call
In front of the camera: Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, Blake Cameron James, Stephen Rider, and Madeleine Stowe, with Rudy Mancuso in the mix and Bill Skarsgard back in the greasepaint as Pennywise.
Behind the scenes: developed by Andy and Barbara Muschietti with Jason Fuchs; showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane; multiple episodes directed by Andy Muschietti.
How it is scoring so far
Current scores have it at 8.1/10 on IMDb and 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. Take that as a temperature check, not gospel.
What are you hoping to see in Episode 2 when it hits Halloween night?