I just finished watching the complete first season of It: Welcome to Derry, and I’m still processing how hard this show hit me. As a longtime fan of Stephen King’s novel and the films, I’ve always been fascinated by Pennywise and the cursed history of Derry.
This series fully leans into that obsession and rewards it. From the jump, it feels confident, vicious, and emotionally grounded, and once it starts rolling, it pulls you into a nightmare that never lets up.
What really grabbed me was the storytelling. Each episode builds momentum, and by the back half of the season I was completely locked in. The characters are strong, layered, and the story is unpredictable, which made every turn feel dangerous.
I genuinely cared about what happened to these characters, and the show isn’t afraid to hurt you for that investment. There were multiple moments, especially in the final three episodes, where I found myself with tears welling up in my eyes. It’s heartbreaking in places, and that emotional weight gives the horror real power.
The young cast is a huge reason the series works as well as it does. Their performances sell the panic, fear, and trauma in a way that feels raw and honest. Watching these kids navigate a town rotting from the inside out is brutal, and the show makes you feel the cost of living in Derry.
The series also nails its themes of collective apathy and cycles of violence, grounding the supernatural horror in ugly, recognizable human behavior that makes everything even more disturbing.
One of my favorite aspects of the season was the inclusion of Dick Halloran from The Shining. Seeing that connection woven into the story was such a cool surprise. Chris Chalk is fantastic in the role, bringing a younger Halloran to life as an Air Force veteran with psychic abilities who is being used for his abilities to find Pennywise. His storyline adds another layer to the larger Stephen King universe.
And yes, Bill Skarsgård is incredible as Pennywise. This series gives him more room to explore the character, and he absolutely runs with it. Pennywise feels ancient, cruel, and unsettling, while still managing to surprise me.
I never felt like I was seeing the same scare twice, which is impressive for a horror series. The show finds terror in different places, sometimes explicit and sometimes quietly horrifying, and it keeps you on edge throughout.
The ending really stuck the landing. There’s a big reveal involving how time and space work for this monster, and it takes the mythology to a whole new level. The final episodes deliver some genuinely unexpected surprises that left me excited and a little shaken. I loved it, and it made me desperate to see where the story goes next, especially with future seasons expected to travel even further back in time.
At its core, It: Welcome to Derry feels like the It prequel we wanted and needed. It perfectly expanded King’s world and deepening the mythology and at the same time held up a mirror to our world, which is what great horror does.
This show completely blew me away. It’s easily one of my favorite shows of the year, and if you haven’t watched it yet, you absolutely should.
