Stephen King’s HBO hit TV show will make a major genre change when it returns to the screen in season 2. The writing of the king of horror is a hot commodity in Hollywood, and the good news is there’s no shortage of options to choose from. Stephen King has 67 novels and novellas under his belt, a number that will increase this fall. Despite this, some of the author’s most popular stories continue to be reimagined on screen over time. One of the biggest examples of this is IT.
The book was turned into a 90s miniseries starring the late Tim Curry as Pennywise. In 2017, the story was brought back to life onscreen as a feature film, with Bill Skarsgård taking over as the villain. A sequel came out in 2019. Then HBO Max brought the story to the small screen again with the prequel, which is also secretly a sequel, It: Welcome to Derry. The TV show received mixed reviews in season 1, but it was popular enough that HBO Max announced that It: Welcome to Derry was renewed for season 2 in late August 2026.
For those who are curious about what’s to come, we can look to the IT book by Stephen King for a loose idea. The Musciettis outlined from the jump that they would cover three of the five interludes in the book in reverse chronological order. The first season showed the burning of the Black Spot. This next season of It: Welcome to Derry will take a genre turn because of the major tragedy at the center of the third interlude.
It: Welcome To Derry Season 2 Is A… Gangster Horror?
Anyone who has not read the IT book will be surprised to learn that It: Welcome to Derry season 2 will feel very different from the previous season. The plan is to move through the three middle interludes in reverse chronological order, so the next in line is the Bradley Gang Massacre, which took place during the Great Depression and is a rare instance in which many adult Derry citizens remembered seeing Pennywise.
While the book places this event in late 1929, the TV show will put it in 1935. Two outlaws named George and Al Bradley decide to hide in Derry, but, as with every IT cycle, this ends in brutal death. The Bradley Gang is absolutely vicious, committing senseless acts of violence, including kidnapping a banker for ransom and then killing him anyway after getting paid. This puts It: Welcome to Derry season 2 solidly in the gangster show category. However, the interlude from the IT book doesn’t shy away from the horror aspect either, creating a very strange but enjoyable fusion.
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The IT Interludes In Book Order |
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|---|---|---|
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The First Interlude |
History of Derry tragedies |
N/.A |
|
Interlude 2 |
The Burning Of The Black Spot |
1962 |
|
Interlude 3 |
The Bradley Gang Massacre |
1929 |
|
Interlude 4 |
The Silver Dollar Axe Massacre & The Kitchener Ironworks Explosion |
1905 |
|
The Last Interlude |
Aftermath of the 1985 defeat of Pennywise |
1985 |
When speaking about It: Welcome to Derry season 2 in Variety, the Musciettis confirmed what the town will look like in this period. The characters will be hustling to survive the poverty. The Musciettis continued, “And of course, the social, cultural, horrible things that were happening in the era, too. We’re not going to skip those. [They are the] very center and the heart of our story.” It’ll be packed with citizens who are tired, poor, unhoused, and jobless.
It: Welcome To Derry Will Drift Further From The Movies In Season 2
The It movies and It: Welcome to Derry season 1 felt at least tangentially related. Three of the TV show’s main characters had direct connections to the cast of the It movie. Plus, the genre felt the same. However, It: Welcome to Derry season 2 won’t feel so connected due to the time gap, the genre shift, and the time-traveling Pennywise.
When speaking to Variety, The Muschiettis confirmed that there would still be character connections. However, due to the 54-year gap between It and It: Welcome to Derry season 2, they will be distant relatives at best. Any possible character connections in It: Welcome to Derry season 2’s cast will be more distant.
Meanwhile, the second season will balance the gangster 1930s feel with the horror. There’s also the matter of the Pennywise time-traveling twist. The cosmic being experiences all timelines at once, and it’s taking actions in the past to try and prevent its death in 2016. This weird story arc will make It: Welcome to Derry season 2 feel vastly different from the straightforward “let’s cause chaos and kill kids” goal of the It movies.
- Release Date
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October 26, 2025
- Network
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HBO
- Directors
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Andy Muschietti
- Franchise(s)
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IT
