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It: Welcome to Derry

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Photo: Brooke Palmer/HBO

“Intent on building upon what is arguably Stephen King’s definitive novel, It: Welcome to Derry arrives with expansionary ambition. Positioned as a prequel to Andy Muschietti’s recent film duology, the series fits neatly into HBO’s modern mandate under Warner Bros. Discovery to play the franchise game. This context doesn’t automatically make it a drag. So far, the prestige-TV standard-bearer has a decent track record of eking creative life out of similar endeavors: Peacemaker may have ended up marooned in its service to the James Gunn DC-verse, but HBO still pulled off The Penguin, a spinoff set within the Matt Reeves capsule Batman franchise that stood splendidly on its own.

Developed by Muschietti and his sister, Barbara, alongside showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane, Welcome to Derry, sadly, never quite ends up finding that spark. Too tightly bound to its corporate brief, it loses itself in the sewers of an expanding universe.” — “Give Welcome to Derry This: It Has a Killer First Episode” by Nicholas Quah

  1. Episode 2 The Thing in the Dark
    It: Welcome to Derry Recap: Buried Past A second episode heavy on introductions and reveals makes for a muddled hour, despite some real bright spots.
  2. Episode 1 The Pilot
    It: Welcome to Derry Series-Premiere Recap: We’ve Got Trouble After hitting several familiar It beats, the first episode delivers a stunning bait and switch.

More on It: Welcome to Derry

  1. close read
    It: Welcome to Derry Delivers a Mother of a NightmareTV’s fixation with gruesome childbirth gets a horrifying new spin in the latest episode’s standout sequence.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  2. tv review
    Give Welcome to Derry This: It Has a Killer First EpisodeUnfortunately, what follows soon deflates into an ungainly blob of franchise-building obligation.
    By Nicholas Quah
  3. clowning around
    Bill Skarsgård
    Bill Skarsgård Is Doing It AgainHe’s set to reprise his role as Pennywise in Welcome to Derry, Max’s It prequel series.
    By Jennifer Zhan
  4. coming to a sewer near you
    No, It Isn’t Coming After the Derry GirlsHBO Max’s It prequel series Welcome to Derry has welcomed its first cast members.
    By Wolfgang Ruth

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