Pennywise Returns to Derry
HBO Renews IT: Welcome to Derry, Pennywise Returns for 1935 Great Depression Season
Key Points
HBO Max's renewal positions It: Welcome to Derry as part of a planned three-season arc, with Brad Caleb Kane as the sole showrunner for Season 2 and Jason Fuchs not returning.
Season 2 is set in 1935 during the Great Depression and centers on the Bradley Gang Massacre, continuing Pennywise's 27-year feeding cycles in the franchise's non-linear time-jump structure.
A writers' room has opened for Season 2 as part of the show's expanded development, signaling a broader push to deepen the Depression-era setting and Pennywise lore.
The series is positioned as a prequel to the IT films, continuing to expand the Stephen King IT universe rather than retelling the film storyline.
HBO has renewed IT: Welcome to Derry for a second season, bringing Pennywise back to the screen in a new era. The upcoming season is set in 1935 during the Great Depression, according to ScreenCrush, and will center on the infamous Bradley Gang massacre in Derry, Maine.
The first season premiered in October 2025 and ranked among the top four HBO Max series premieres globally, according to Mega993. That strong debut made the renewal a near certainty. Bill Skarsgård is expected to return as Pennywise, continuing the character's terrifying legacy.
Season 2 Jumps Back to Depression-Era Derry
Season 2 will take place in 1935, deep in the Great Depression. The story will follow the Bradley Gang, a group of criminals who met a grim fate in Derry. This fits the show's non-linear structure, which jumps across decades to show Pennywise's 27-year feeding cycles. Each season explores a different period in Derry's dark history, according to Head Topics.
The Bradley Gang massacre is a real event referenced in Stephen King's original novel. By making it the center of Season 2, the show digs deeper into Derry's lore. It also lets writers explore how Pennywise operated in an era of poverty and desperation, when people were already struggling to survive.
Brad Caleb Kane Returns as Sole Showrunner
Brad Caleb Kane will run Season 2 on his own. Jason Fuchs, who shared showrunner duties in Season 1, will not return. Kane's solo leadership signals a tighter creative focus for the new season. The Muschietti duo — Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who directed the IT films — will stay on as producers, keeping the franchise's vision intact.
A writers' room has already opened for Season 2, according to Mega993. That early start suggests HBO wants to move quickly. The expanded development push points to a bigger, more detailed season built around the Depression-era setting and Pennywise's mythology.
A Prequel Built to Expand the IT Universe
IT: Welcome to Derry is not a remake. It is a prequel to the 2017 and 2019 IT films. The show explores what happened in Derry long before the Losers' Club ever faced Pennywise. Season 1 was already set before those movies. Season 2 goes even further back, to 1935, widening the IT timeline by decades.
The plan is for a three-season arc, according to B105 Country. Each season is designed to explore a different chapter of Derry's nightmare history. Rather than retell a story fans already know, HBO is building out a larger Stephen King universe — one scare at a time.
Strong Debut Numbers Drove the Quick Renewal
Season 1's performance made renewal easy. It ranked in the top four series premieres ever on HBO Max globally, according to ScreenCrush. That placed it alongside some of the platform's biggest hits. Horror fans showed up in large numbers, giving HBO confidence to push forward with Season 2.
Executives at HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television stressed continuity as a priority. Keeping Kane and the Muschietti team in place is part of that strategy. The goal is to refresh the show's creative elements for Season 2 while staying true to what made Season 1 a hit.
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