‘Welcome to Derry’ release time, cast, Pennywise return, and when Episode 2 drops

Bassyonni

ago 14 hours

Welcome to Derry

Hawkins has the Upside Down; Derry has something worse. The IT prequel series Welcome to Derry has arrived with a weekly rollout, a chilling 1962 setting, and—yes—Bill Skarsgård back as Pennywise. After a strong premiere on October 26, Episode 2 received a Halloween treat with an early streaming drop.

‘Welcome to Derry’ Episode 2: exact release times

Early streaming drop (Halloween):

US: Fri, Oct 31 @ 12:00 a.m. PT / 3:00 a.m. ET
UK: Fri, Oct 31 @ 7:00 a.m. GMT
Egypt (Cairo): Fri, Oct 31 @ 9:00 a.m. EET

Regular weekly broadcast/stream slot:

US: Sundays @ 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
- For Episode 2 that’s Sun, Nov 2 @ 9:00 p.m. ET (after the US time change).
UK: Mon @ 2:00 a.m. GMT (following the US Sunday night)
Egypt (Cairo): Mon @ 4:00 a.m. EET

Schedule note: After the Halloween early drop, the show reverts to weekly Sundays through the finale.

‘Welcome to Derry’ release date and episode plan

Series premiere: Sun, Oct 26, 2025
Season length: 8 episodes, weekly Sundays
Season finale: Sun, Dec 14, 2025 (schedule subject to change)

Week-by-week (US air/stream timing)

Oct 26 – Episode 1
Nov 2 – Episode 2 (also had early Halloween streaming)
Nov 9 – Episode 3
Nov 16 – Episode 4
Nov 23 – Episode 5
Nov 30 – Episode 6
Dec 7 – Episode 7
Dec 14 – Episode 8 (finale)

Cast and characters: Pennywise, Hallorann, and new faces

Pennywise the Dancing Clown returns, portrayed by Bill Skarsgård, anchoring a story that unfolds 27 years before the 1980s events of the recent films. The ensemble includes Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Matilda Lawler, Clara Stack, and more. Fans of the wider Stephen King universe will clock a familiar presence: Dick Hallorann (of The Shining), tying Derry’s nightmares to a broader psychic tapestry.

Setting and story: autumn 1962, terror takes root

The series rewinds to Derry, Maine, 1962, when disappearances, sinister “accidents,” and red balloons sketch the first lines of a generational curse. Military activity at a nearby base, small-town secrets, and the dawning civil-rights era frame a tale where grief and fear become the monster’s favorite disguises. The show leans into character-driven horror: the psychic scars of loss, the pull of friendship, and the cost of looking away when something is wrong.

How ‘Welcome to Derry’ connects to ‘IT’ and ‘The Shining’

Timeline: Roughly one “Pennywise cycle” before the Losers Club’s story.
Lore links: Ritual hints, sewer geography, and the town’s “bad memory” deepen the mythos teased in It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).
Hallorann thread: By spotlighting Dick Hallorann, the series nods to telepathic abilities and shared sensitivities across King’s worlds without requiring prior homework.

FAQs: your quick answers

When does ‘Welcome to Derry’ come out each week? Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET in the US, with next-day early-morning availability in the UK and Egypt (see times above).
How many episodes are there? Eight, running weekly to Dec 14, 2025.
Is there a ‘Welcome to Derry’ trailer? Yes—multiple teasers and a full trailer have been released ahead of and during launch.
Who plays Pennywise in ‘Welcome to Derry’? Bill Skarsgård reprises the role.
Is ‘Welcome to Derry’ part of the IT movies’ continuity? It’s a prequel to the two recent films, sharing creative DNA and visual language.
Do I need to watch the films first? Not required, but familiarity with It and It Chapter Two enriches the experience.

What early reactions highlight

Early chatter praises the moody period detail, practical-creepy set pieces, and how the show balances psychological dread with sharp character work. The 1960s palette and production design serve as lures; the performances—and a clown with too many teeth—do the rest.

Bottom line: If you’re asking “what time does ‘Welcome to Derry’ come out?”—the stable answer is Sundays at 9 p.m. ET in the US, with corresponding late-night/early-morning drops elsewhere. Episode 2’s Halloween head start was a one-off treat; from here, expect weekly Sunday scares until the December finale.