Give Welcome to Derry This: It Has a Killer First Episode

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The new series, Welcome to Derry, aims to expand on Stephen King’s classic novel It. As a prequel to the recent It movies, it fits HBO’s strategy of building out franchises. While this approach isn’t always successful, HBO has had some wins, like The Penguin (a Batman spinoff) and even managed to create Andor, a critically acclaimed series, from a minor Star Wars detail. Peacemaker also showed potential within the DC universe. However, despite being developed by the creators of the films, Welcome to Derry doesn’t quite capture that same magic. It feels too restricted by its need to connect to a larger universe, ultimately getting lost in its own expansion.

What’s interesting about the story of It is that the way we remember it is often bigger and more powerful than the original 1986 book or any movie or TV version. The 1990 miniseries, starring Tim Curry as Pennywise, isn’t as impressive as you might remember. While Andy Muschietti’s recent two-part movie adaptation was a huge success and made Bill Skarsgård a popular actor, they aren’t considered true classics, though they did tell the story effectively. This isn’t meant as criticism, but rather an acknowledgment of how deeply the story resonates with us. Stephen King’s writing itself is solid but straightforward, but his ideas have a way of sticking with you and becoming ingrained in your mind. Through the story of the Losers’ Club, It has endured because it speaks to how violence repeats itself – how experiences from childhood can affect us as adults, mixed with the complicated feelings of growing up – and to the sad but true idea that our ability to overcome challenges is often tied to the innocence we lose as we age.

As a fan of Stephen King’s It, I was really intrigued by Welcome to Derry. It doesn’t have the same magical feel as the movies because a lot of that wonder has already been used. Instead, this series focuses on the parts of the book that explore Derry’s dark history – the chapters that the films left out. In the book, adult Mike Hanlon stays in Derry and researches the creature’s past, interviewing older residents. It’s fascinating because it connects the story’s scary, otherworldly elements to real, historical problems in America. The creators are planning a three-season show, each taking place in a different time period. This first season is set in 1962, and if it does well, they’ll go back to 1935 and then 1908. What’s unfolding now seems to be leading up to a particularly chilling story from the book, told by Mike’s father, Will, about a fire at a Black nightclub called the Black Spot. It was a place for the local Black community, but it was burned down by white supremacists with people still inside. Will’s story connects that tragedy to one of the creature’s earliest appearances, but it really drives home the point that the most terrifying horrors are often caused by people.

Reviewing this show is complicated because HBO only allowed critics to see the first five of eight episodes. This restriction prevents us from revealing the main characters or fully explaining the plot. Generally, the season follows two main storylines. One mirrors the original story, with a group of kids confronting Pennywise. The other focuses on adults in Derry dealing with difficult issues like racism, false imprisonment, and military secrets – all of which eventually connect to the clown. The Hanlon family – Leroy, a Black Korean War veteran stationed at the local base, his wife Charlotte, and their son Will – are central to both storylines. Leroy’s arrival in Derry coincides with unsettling events hinting at Pennywise’s origins. This Will is the same Will who later tells the story of the Black Spot to his son, Mike, as seen in Stephen King’s book.

I’m really fascinated by what ‘Welcome to Derry’ is trying to do, even if I think it might be biting off more than it can chew. It’s tackling huge themes – racism, America’s military history, the flawed dream of the 1950s, and the way Native lands were taken – all while still exploring the book’s original ideas about childhood trauma and repeating cycles of violence. I admire how ambitious it is, but it’s a fine line between being complex and just feeling…overstuffed. Honestly, I struggle to get fully invested because the story feels scattered. There are so many characters, but none of them feel fully developed, and so many different plotlines vying for my attention. The show raises important political points, but without a strong, central story, they end up feeling more like lectures than something I can truly connect with emotionally.

Despite a strong and unsettling premiere, Welcome to Derry unfortunately doesn’t maintain that initial momentum. While the first episode builds tension effectively and culminates in a genuinely chilling climax, the rest of the series feels forced as it prioritizes setting up a larger shared universe. The show heavily incorporates elements from other Stephen King stories – including a young Dick Hallorann from The Shining and references to Shawshank Prison – in an attempt to create an interconnected HBO King-verse. Unlike Hulu’s Castle Rock, which playfully blended King’s worlds, Welcome to Derry takes this approach with a serious, almost homework-like dedication, which ultimately makes it less enjoyable.

While “Welcome to Derry” has some enjoyable moments, the show’s mood shifts inconsistently between truly scary and a somewhat cheesy, sentimental feeling similar to “Stand by Me.” The young actors are decent, though sometimes a bit annoying. The series initially uses violence against children to create a strong emotional reaction, but as it goes on, it seems to pull back. There are some brilliantly frightening scenes – the design of one creature is particularly memorable – but the show struggles to maintain that level of creativity. By the middle of the season, the scares start to feel less impactful, and the most disturbing scene isn’t supernatural at all – it’s a character describing the tragic remains of other children. Those are the moments that truly stay with you.

Adaptations of It don’t have to be perfect, but they need to be wholeheartedly committed to the story—and the Welcome to Derry series falls short in that regard. It’s disappointing to see so much potential go unused, especially considering how successfully HBO handled Watchmen by giving its creator, Damon Lindelof, the freedom to reimagine the source material. A more effective approach might have been to structure the series around the cyclical nature of It‘s horror, with each season focusing on a new generation facing childhood fears shaped by the anxieties of their time. While Welcome to Derry has moments of promise, it lacks the strong foundation of the original novel and never fully comes together. A key element of King’s story was the Losers’ Club rediscovering their childhood bravery to overcome evil, but Welcome to Derry struggles to capture that same spirit, weighed down by its corporate constraints.

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2025-10-23 00:58