Overview: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment invites fans back to the haunted streets of Derry, Maine, with the release of IT: Welcome to Derry: The Complete First Season, arriving on 4K UHD in a Limited Edition Steelbook, Blu-ray™, and DVD on May 5th, 2026.

Prepare to binge the 8 thrilling episodes along with bonus content including 3 extended behind the episode featurettes and an all new never-before-seen featurette exclusive to 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD.

IT: Welcome to Derry: The Complete First Season is also available now to purchase digitally from Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Fandango at Home, and more.

Set in the world of Stephen King’s “IT” universe, IT: WELCOME TO DERRY is based on King’s “IT” novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films “IT” and “IT Chapter Two.”

This terrifying prequel series goes back to 1962 to trace the origins of the murderous, shape-shifting entity known as Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgård). IT: Welcome to Derry premiered on HBO on October 26th, 2025 and quickly became one of the most talked-about new series of the year.

Produced by HBO and Warner Bros. Television, developed for television by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, IT: Welcome to Derry is based on the novel “It” by Stephen King. Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (through their Double Dream production company), Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane, David Coatsworth, Bill Skarsgård, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin are executive producers. Fuchs, who wrote the teleplay for the first episode, and Kane serve as co-showrunners on the project.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: In short, IT: Welcome to Derry delivers a masterclass in storytelling and execution. The narrative is engaging, well-paced, and truly captures the eerie essence of Stephen King’s universe. The characters feel real, the town’s atmosphere is chilling, and the plot unfolds with precision, keeping you hooked throughout the season.

However, if you’re hoping for classic jump scares, you might be disappointed. This franchise has moved past cheap shocks, focusing instead on an expected, psychological style of horror. While this approach is effective, it makes the scares somewhat predictable for seasoned horror fans.

That said, allow me to dive deeper here for the story follows a fine group of young actors who form the group of protagonists that eventually help take down Pennywise in the final chapter. I found it somewhat disturbing that the writers [** SPOILER ALERT **] saw fit to allow the mutant baby form of the creature to kill two teens and the younger sister of one of them in the first episode, though it occurred before one could get emotionally invested in the boys Phil and Ted, and Phil’s sister Suzie.

However, the grossout scene of the entire series had to be Marge Truman (Matilda Lawler) taking to a bandsaw to cut off the bug-eyes that erupted during her hallucinatory freakout. That really had me squirming.

One of the things I liked about the story was the creative insertion of cultural references during the era, a regular feature of Stepehen King’s writing style. Here I’m referring to the missing kid Matty Clements (Miles Eckhardt) making his demonic presence felt in a movie clip from The Music Man, along with a very clever reference to a popular Rolling Stones song in episode five when mommy’s little helper is mentioned following a Pennywise encounter.

In fact, the actual song was Mother’s Little Helper, the Stones highlighting the hidden drug culture of suburban America in the Sixties, heavily prescribed to women to help relieve the pressures of daily housewife drudgery.

A plot element that provides some additional background to the origins of Pennywise is mentioned by the legend of the Galloo in episode four, as explained by Native American Taniel (Joshua Odjick) when he is mind probed by Dick Halloran (Chris Chalk). Halloran’s a civilian with the shine, whose psychic abilities become central to the plot. Entangled with the military, he becomes caught up in the chaos when the military descends into Derry’s tunnels.

The way things all come together in the final chapter allow for the defeat of Pennywise, sending him into a state of dormancy until he can recoup his energy for reawakening in 1989 in a closing scene that lends itself to a potential sequel series to this one. Some people have suggested that, perhaps, more seasons are to come, and quite honestly, with the framework provided by Stephen King, the possibilities are virtually limitless to explore even ancient legends of the entity. As long as they are as creatively drawn as this one, the series could entertain legions of loyal fans for a long time to come.

As for those younger actor performances, they are allvery strong, both from the adults and the children. They successfully convey fear, desperation, and distress. However, special praise goes to Bill Skarsgård. His performance as the clown is chilling. He steals the scene every time he appears. His distinctive mannerisms and facial expressions bring the character to life, making his scenes more frightening, unpredictable, and disturbing.

Overall, a beautifully crafted horror season that excels in storytelling, atmosphere, and suspense - just, as noted, don’t come here expecting your heart to leap from sudden jump scares (trust me, you don’t need them anyway!)

IT: Welcome to Derry: The Complete First Season [Bonus Features]:
Includes all 8 episodes from Season 1
Inside Derry – (3) extended behind-the-episode featurettes
Fear the Other - Bonus featurette that explores the societal dynamics of 1962 Derry, Jim Crow, the Red Scare, and the government trespassing on indigenous lands that wreak terror in this tiny New England town.