It: Welcome to Derry fans need to binge this brilliant Stephen King crossover show next

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The first season of ‘It: Welcome to Derry,’ a show delving into the origins of Pennywise, is ending. Now, fans looking for another captivating Stephen King adaptation should check out a different crossover series.

While the movie It: Chapter Two only hinted at Pennywise’s beginnings, the new HBO series has greatly expanded on the creature’s backstory. We’ve learned how Pennywise took on the form of Bob Gray in 1908 and how it’s been responsible for many terrible events in the town’s history, including the devastating Black Spot fire.

Viewers of Stephen King’s stories have discovered that ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ acts as a backstory to ‘The Shining,’ featuring a younger Dick Hallorann (played by Chris Chalk) who plays a crucial role in the military’s pursuit of Pennywise. This connection is a compelling crossover that expands on Hallorann’s character and reveals details previously only suggested in ‘The Shining’ and ‘Doctor Sleep’.

If the show gets picked up for another season, Muschietti plans to go back in time to 1935 and delve deeper into the story. In the meantime, fans of Stephen King should check out another horror TV series that’s worth watching right away.

It: Welcome to Derry fans need to watch Castle Rock

If you’re a fan of horror, don’t miss Castle Rock. This fantastic TV series, which ran for two seasons (2018-2019), blends multiple Stephen King stories and has a great Rotten Tomatoes score of 88% – it’s surprisingly overlooked!

Like ‘Welcome to Derry,’ this story centers on the town of Castle Rock, a place where many of Stephen King’s characters and plots intersect.

The story begins when lawyer Henry Deaver returns to his hometown, Castle Rock, after a mysterious young man is discovered locked in an old cell at Shawshank Prison. (Bill Skarsgard plays the young man!)

Although Alexander Skarsgård isn’t portraying Pennywise, his character still acts as a menacing force, causing trouble for the town’s residents in different ways.

The show features familiar faces like Jackie Torrance (Jane Levy), who is the niece of the famous horror character Jack Torrance, and Alan Pangborn, a character from several Stephen King novels including The Dark Half, Needful Things, and Gerald’s Game. In its second season, the series incorporates Annie Wilkes (Lizzie Caplan) from Misery and adapts the story of Salem’s Lot.

Castle Rock is packed with storylines, hidden details, and connections to other works by Stephen King, making it a real pleasure for fans, especially those who enjoyed ‘It: Welcome to Derry’. Viewers in the UK can find it on Sky Go, or buy the series through Prime Video or Apple TV+. In the US, Castle Rock is streaming on Hulu.

While you wait for the second season of ‘Welcome to Derry’, find out which scene frightened Stephen King the most, what valuable lesson the show’s co-creator learned from him, and why a flashback in episode seven caused some viewer frustration.

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2025-12-10 14:51