'IT: Welcome to Derry' pilot hits 5.7m; episode 2 arrives early
““IT: Welcome to Derry” premiered to 5.7m U.S. viewers, ranking among HBO’s top recent debuts.”
Key points
- “IT: Welcome to Derry” premiered to 5.7m U.S. viewers, ranking among HBO’s top recent debuts.
- Episode two lands early for Halloween on streaming, with broadcast timing unchanged.
HBO’s prequel series “IT: Welcome to Derry” opened strongly, with the premiere episode “The Pilot” drawing 5.7 million U.S. viewers across platforms. That performance placed it among the network’s three biggest recent debuts on Max, behind “House of the Dragon” and “The Last of Us.”
To capitalise on momentum and Halloween buzz, the second episode is dropping early on October 31 for streaming, while linear TV will keep the original schedule. Showrunner Jason Fuchs told TV Guide the creative team wanted viewers to feel off-balance from the outset, signalling that beloved characters may not be safe and that audiences should “expect the unexpected.”
The early release is described as a one-off move to mark the holiday; subsequent episodes are set to follow the normal cadence for broadcast.
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