The world of Stephen King is about to get a little scarier, because Welcome to Derry is officially coming back.
HBOconfirmed the news on Aug. 17, 2026, that IT: Welcome to Derry has been renewed for season 2.
Instead of Jason Fuchs returning as showrunner, Brad Caleb Kane will take on the position for the second season. Andy and Barbara Muschietti, the co-creators of the series, will return to executive produce. In a statement, the Muschiettis said they were excited to continue the story.
“Continuing to explore and expand on the amazing world Stephen King created is an absolute privilege. The support of our partners at HBO and Warner Bros. Television is priceless. Boy do we love our jobs!”
There is no set premiere date yet, but considering the previous season began releasing episodes around Halloween 2025, we might be able to get another season as early as Halloween 2027. Until then, all we can do is theorize.
What's next in IT: Welcome to Derry season 2?
HBO revealed the logline for IT: Welcome to Derry season 2 in the press release. After quite a bit of speculation, we finally know what the second season will be about.
“Set in the world of Stephen King’s “IT” universe, IT: WELCOME TO DERRY is based on King’s “IT” novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films “IT” and “IT Chapter Two.” Season two takes place in 1935 during the Great Depression and centers on the bloody massacre of the Bradley Gang, a group of bank robbers who stop in Derry to buy ammo and end up facing unimaginable horror.”
Back in October 2025, Andy Muschietti told Variety that the series is planned to be three seasons, specifically because of one recurring instance.
“Our big story arc involves three seasons, mainly based on the three critical cycles of Pennywise, which are 1962, 1935 and 1908.”
The first season of the show took place about 27 years before the events of IT, and the second season will take place 27 years before the events of season 1.
This timeline aligns well with what was originally planned for the series. IT: Welcome to Derry has been focused on telling the story of the interludes from King's IT, which were the diary entries written by Mike Hanlon about things and events that happened in Derry's past. The second season will likely tell the story of "Derry: The Third Interlude," which includes information about the killing of the Bradley Gang during this time period.
For season 3, it sounds like the series will be heading back to 1908 to explore the Kitchener Ironworks explosion, which is introduced in "The Fourth Interlude."
Before the official renewal, Andy Muschietti revealed in another Variety interview that they were in the writers’ room and that season 2 was going to tackle a lot of cultural themes that were displayed in season 1, since it’ll take place in the 1930s.
"There's gonna be a lot of that depression-era hustling in the air in our characters. Everybody’s trying to get by and survive the circumstances. They are gonna do crazy things. 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.”
Season 1 of Welcome to Derry had so many moments that showed just how deep the prejudice runs, which was sometimes even scarier than Pennywise. By going back in time within the show's world, it lets fans connect timelines, plots, and more while also filling in the story and aiding mysteries in season 1.
It makes me curious how this will play out, given how the story has evolved. Pennywise wasn’t even seen in the first few episodes of season 1, so will it be the same case this time around where we’ll focus more on the social background of Derry at the time before we see the clown? Or will he play a bigger role in the grizzly murders?
The overall season featured fantastic moments of story, cinematography, and acting. The finale itself was incredibly well done. I’m hoping this interesting concept of stepping back in time, rather than forward, will add valuable lore to the franchise as a whole.
This could also create connections to books and characters from King's works and more Easter eggs for fans to follow. For now, all we can do is theorize about how Pennywise is going to mess everything up again.
We'll share more news about the series when we find out! IT: Welcome to Derry is streaming on HBO Max.
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