For the first time in 35 years, Stephen King’s *It* is back on television with *It: Welcome to Derry*. This HBO Max original series serves as a prequel to the two *It* movies directed by Andy Muschietti and produced by his older sister, Barbara Muschietti.
The Muschietti siblings teamed up with Jason Fuchs to bring *Welcome to Derry* to life, and they even got Bill Skarsgård to reprise his role as Pennywise the Clown.
Watch With Us is sharing a few reasons to watch *It: Welcome to Derry*, and three shows to watch if you like it.
‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Is My Most Anticipated Fall 2025 TV Show Right Now
Yes, absolutely. Skarsgård’s Pennyworth was even more intimidating than Tim Curry was in the 1990 *It* TV miniseries. Getting Skarsgård to return spared another actor from trying to top his incredibly creepy performance. Andy Muschietti is also directing the first four episodes of the season. That makes this the closest thing to *It: Chapter 3* that we’re going to get.
Because Muschietti moved the film’s flashback story to the ’80s, the movie missed out on the ’60s era depicted in the original novel and the TV miniseries. *Welcome to Derry* rectifies that by taking place in 1962, 27 years before the Losers teamed up to confront Pennywise. But without those children, it remains to be seen if anyone will stand up to Pennywise before it’s too late. We’re looking forward to watching how this plays out.
Other Shows Like ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Worth Streaming
‘Castle Rock’ (2018 – 2019)
Skarsgård also starred in *Castle Rock*, a series that explored the shared universe of King’s characters. Even *The Shawshank Redemption* factors into it, as The Kid (Skarsgård) is discovered to be the one prisoner in Shawshank who doesn’t have an official record. The Kid is more than he seems, and he specifically requests Henry Matthew Deaver (
Henry left Castle Rock years earlier over a scandal, and now finds himself drawn back by The Kid. Jane Levy costars as Jackie Torrance, the niece of Jack Torrance from *The Shining*, and season 2 introduces Annie Wilkes (
*Castle Rock* is streaming on Hulu.
‘From’ (2022 – Present)
*From* isn’t a Stephen King-related series, but it definitely feels like the show was influenced by his work. Picture a small town in the middle of nowhere that’s somehow been cut off from the rest of the world. Jim (
*Lost’s*
*From* is streaming on MGM+.
‘The Outsider’ (2020)
Closing out our list is another King adaptation, *The Outsider*, which aired on HBO in 2020. At first glance, this show is a straightforward thriller. Detective Ralph Anderson (
However, this open-and-shut case is anything but. Terry couldn’t have been the killer, and he’s not the first innocent man to be framed by the real murderer. Private Investigator Holly Gibney (
*The Outsider* is streaming on HBO Max.

