Stephen King has yet another promising adaptation coming to screens soon in the form of It: Welcome to Derry, and it already looks like a great replacement for this forgotten HBO horror show. Stephen King has numerous adaptations set for 2025, even with The Monkey,The Institute, and The Life of Chuck already having been released.
It: Welcome To Derry Sounds Like HBO’s Best Horror Series Since Lovecraft Country
A soldier stands in front of an image of Pennywise the Dancing Clown in Welcome to Derry
It: Welcome to Derry‘s trailer hints at a happy family relocating to Derry, Maine, only for them to realize that the town is much more dangerous than they knew. Like previous It adaptations, the trailer also features a group of children being drawn more into the deadly occurrences in Derry, culminating in some bloody teases.
Likewise, the trailer highlights the show’s 1960s setting and callbacks to aspects of King’s novel. While the series is not set to strictly adapt any specific events of the novel, it will undoubtedly set up the terrifying deaths mentioned and, of course, expand on Pennywise himself.
The setting, teased gory deaths, and indirect book inspiration all set It: Welcome to Derry up as a great successor to HBO’s Lovecraft Country. The horror series similarly drew inspiration from its titular novel while adapting characters in its own way. Likewise, its 1950s setting gives it the same unsettling, retro feel.
Lovecraft Country follows its main characters, Atticus Freeman and Letitia Lewis, along with their families, as they encounter horrifying monsters and disturbing racism in the 1950s. Their journeys see them digging into their personal histories, as well as the histories of the locations they visit, creating a similar tone to It: Welcome to Derry‘s exploration of the town’s history.
While HBO was also responsible for the adaptation of King’s The Outsider, Lovecraft Country feels more similar in tone to the upcoming series. Lovecraft Country was also released later, meaning that It: Welcome to Derry will truly be the streaming service’s biggest horror show since.
Why HBO Canceled Lovecraft Country After Just 1 Season
Three characters in Lovecraft Country standing in the woods, looking surprised
Lovecraft Country was sadly canceled in 2021 after a very promising season 1 and a lot of awards nominations. It was initially speculated that the series was canceled because it would have been too difficult to continue the story beyond the ending of the corresponding book.
Likewise, some characters were left in dire situations and could be presumed dead, meaning a potential season 2 would have needed to introduce new characters. However, Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers by James Andrew Miller later alleged that the HBO series was actually canceled due to a “toxic” work environment.
It remains unclear what the exact reasoning was behind the decision to cancel Lovecraft Country was, but it is exciting to have a promising new replacement coming soon. At the same time, King fans who haven’t watched the 2020 series should check it out before It: Welcome to Derry premieres in October.
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