Overview
- Episode 1 premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and streams on HBO Max, launching an eight-episode run scheduled weekly through December 14.
- Bill Skarsgård reprises Pennywise, with the series developed by Andy and Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs and endorsed by Stephen King.
- The story is set in 1962 as an origin tale that explores Derry’s dark history and the creature’s emergence decades before the films.
- Showrunners weave Cold War anxiety and civil-rights era realities into the narrative and include Chris Chalk as a young Dick Hallorann, linking to The Shining and the wider King universe.
- Early reactions highlight striking production and performances but warn of extremely graphic violence, including against children, and note uneven pacing in places.