So, Pennywise is back. Sorta. If you’ve been hanging around the horror corners of the internet lately, you know that It: Welcome to Derry finally crawled out of the sewers and onto HBO late last year. It’s the big one. The "prequel" everyone said we didn't need but secretly wanted to binge anyway.
Honestly, being a Stephen King fan in 2026 is a full-time job. Between the Carrie remake coming from Mike Flanagan and the fact that The Long Walk is currently crushing it on streaming, there is almost too much to keep track of. But Welcome to Derry is the flagship. It’s the show trying to prove that the world of Derry, Maine, can survive without the Losers' Club.
Can it, though? The show basically sets its scene in the early 1960s. We aren't seeing Bill Denbrough or Bev Marsh here. Instead, we’re getting the origin of the curse, the "Black Spot" fire, and a younger, perhaps even more unhinged Pennywise played—thankfully—by Bill Skarsgård again.
The Derry Nobody Talks About: What This Show Actually Covers
Most people think Welcome to Derry is just a "Monster of the Week" show where a clown eats kids. It isn't. Not really.
The series spends a massive amount of time on the Hanlon family. If you remember Mike Hanlon from the books, you know his family history is basically the backbone of Derry’s trauma. The show brings in Jovan Adepo as Leroy Hanlon (Mike's grandfather) and Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon. It’s gritty. It deals with the systemic racism of the 60s in a way the movies only touched on.
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Why the 1962 Setting Matters
King’s original novel is basically a giant history book disguised as a horror story. The show finally explores the "cycles" of Pennywise. Every 27 years, the town explodes in violence, and then everyone just... forgets.
- The Black Spot: This is the big one. A Black veterans' club burned down by a racist cult (the Legion of White Decency).
- The Military Connection: The show adds this weird layer involving a local military base. It turns out Pennywise isn't the only thing the town should be scared of; there’s some Cold War paranoia baked into the soil here.
- Dick Hallorann: Yes, that Dick Hallorann. Fans of The Shining will recognize Chris Chalk playing a younger version of the chef with "the shine." It’s the kind of connective tissue that makes King’s "multiverse" feel real rather than just a gimmick.
Is It: Welcome to Derry Actually Good?
People are split. Half the fans love the world-building, and the other half think it’s just HBO trying to milk a dead cow. But here’s the thing: Derry is a character. In the books, the town is literally an extension of the monster.
The show gets that. It feels humid, dirty, and deeply uncomfortable. Skarsgård is doing something different this time around. He’s less "pop-up scare" and more "lingering dread." There are scenes where he’s just standing in the background of a parade or a grocery store, and it’s way creepier than the CGI teeth from the movies.
What Happened to the Other New Stephen King TV Shows?
If you were looking for The Talisman on Netflix, I have bad news. The Duffer Brothers (the Stranger Things guys) officially pulled the plug on that one. They basically admitted it was "too big to break." It’s a bummer, but it’s better than a bad adaptation.
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On the flip side, we have The Institute over on MGM+.
If you haven't seen it, it stars Mary-Louise Parker as the terrifying Ms. Sigsby. It’s a much tighter, more "Stranger Things-esque" thriller about kids with telekinetic powers being kidnapped by the government. It’s already been renewed for Season 2. Unlike Welcome to Derry, which is a sprawling prequel, The Institute is a straight-up adaptation of the 2019 book. It’s lean. It’s mean. It’s actually pretty depressing if you’re not in the right headspace.
The Projects Still on the Horizon for 2026
- Carrie (Limited Series): Mike Flanagan is at the helm. If you saw The Haunting of Hill House, you know why people are excited. He’s moving away from the "prom queen" trope and focusing on the religious trauma.
- Fairy Tale: A24 is doing this as a 10-episode series. Paul Greengrass is writing it. It’s King’s version of a portal fantasy, and with A24’s budget, it might actually look as weird as it’s supposed to.
- The Dark Tower: Still the "Holy Grail." Flanagan says he’s still working on it, but don't expect it before 2027. He’s being meticulous about the rights.
The Problem with "King-flation"
There’s a real risk of "King-flation." Hollywood is currently obsessed with his backlog. Sometimes it works (like The Long Walk movie, which is a masterpiece of minimalism), and sometimes it feels like a cash grab.
Welcome to Derry sits somewhere in the middle. It’s high-budget and beautifully shot, but you can tell the writers are struggling to fill 10 hours of television without the original Losers' Club characters to anchor the emotion. The kids in this show—Lilly, Matty, and the rest—are fine, but they aren't Richie Tozier.
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Actionable Steps for the Ultimate Binge
If you're trying to dive into the current "King-verse" on TV, don't just jump into the first thing you see. Here is how to actually navigate the 2025-2026 slate:
Start with The Institute on MGM+. It’s the most "complete" feeling show out of the recent bunch. It doesn't rely on nostalgia or previous movies to work. It’s just a solid, scary thriller.
Watch Welcome to Derry only if you’ve re-read the book recently. The show rewards people who know the deep lore of Derry’s history. If you only know the movies, half the references to the "interludes" will go over your head.
Keep an eye on A24's socials for Fairy Tale updates. This is likely to be the "prestige" King show of late 2026. It’s a departure from the usual horror and might be the "breakout" hit for people who don't usually like scary stuff.
Ignore the cancelled projects. Don't hold your breath for The Talisman or that Revelations show that was supposed to be on CW. They're dead. Focus on what’s actually filming, like Flanagan’s Carrie.
The era of the "Master of Horror" on the small screen isn't slowing down. Whether Welcome to Derry manages to stick the landing in its finale is still up for debate, but for now, it's the closest we're getting to the dark, twisted heart of Maine.