Overview
- Episode 2, titled The Thing in the Dark, will stream on HBO Max on Friday, Oct. 31 at 12:00 a.m. PT/3:00 a.m. ET and air on HBO Sunday, Nov. 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with weekly Sunday releases continuing through the Dec. 14 finale.
- The debut drew attention for its intensity, which the Muschiettis say was a deliberate stakes-raising move to subvert expectations without rushing Pennywise’s full on-screen presence.
- A new "weeks ahead" trailer teases a broader Stephen King mythology, including hints of Indigenous knowledge, possible military interest in the entity, and the presence of Dick Hallorann.
- Season 1 runs eight episodes set in 1962, with Bill Skarsgård returning as Pennywise and Andy and Barbara Muschietti leading alongside showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane.
- Creators describe an envisioned three-season arc aligned with Pennywise’s 27-year cycles (1962, 1935, 1908), though additional seasons have not been confirmed; early reception is broadly positive with reported scores near 77% critics and 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.