It: Welcome to Derry Season 2 Will ‘Not’ Shy Away From the ‘Horrible’ 1930s Cultural Themes — What We Know

It: Welcome to Derry Season 2 Is Going Somewhere Darker

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Horror fans have been waiting for news about the next chapter of HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry ever since the first season wrapped in December 2025 with a series-high 6.5 million viewers tuning into the finale. Now co-creator Andy Muschietti has given us the clearest picture yet of where Season 2 is heading — and it’s going to be uncomfortable in exactly the way the best Stephen King adaptations are.

Speaking with Variety, Muschietti confirmed that the new season will not shy away from the “horrible” cultural realities of the 1930s, calling them “the very center and the heart of our story.” That’s a significant tonal shift from Season 1, which introduced audiences to a version of Derry in 1962 — a town hiding its darkness beneath the surface of mid-century suburban comfort. Season 2 jumps back further in time, and the surface itself is about to disappear.

The Bradley Gang Massacre

Season 2 is set in 1935, during the Great Depression, and its story draws from one of the most traumatic events in Stephen King’s original novel: the Bradley Gang massacre. In the book, the Bradley Gang is a group of criminals who hole up in Derry while evading law enforcement, committing murders and other acts of violence along the way. Their final stand is one of the dark legends that haunts the town’s history — and the HBO series is finally going to show it in full.

Muschietti has described the aesthetic shift bluntly: “On the surface, Derry is a graveyard almost.” The Depression-era setting means the town’s struggles are visible everywhere — poverty, desperation, and fear are baked into the streets rather than hidden behind picket fences. If you loved how the first season translated King’s horror to the screen, you’ll want to revisit our coverage of It (2017) to see how the story first took shape.

New Characters, Younger Versions, and Orphans

One of the most intriguing details Muschietti revealed is that the season will introduce new characters alongside younger versions of characters from Season 1. Several of the children in this chapter are orphans and runaways who have to fend for themselves — a striking choice that puts the most vulnerable characters in even more danger than usual.

The Great Depression will also push established characters to make desperate, unpredictable decisions as they struggle to survive. That’s fertile ground for horror, and it’s a very different kind of threat than the one Pennywise usually represents. The supernatural evil is still there — Bill Skarsgård is confirmed to return as Pennywise — but it will be operating alongside very human desperation.

For fans of the broader Stephen King universe, this is a fascinating development. The series continues to mine the source novel for subplots that the films never had room to explore. If you want to see how this corner of King’s world connects to the wider mythos, our pages on Castle Rock and Doctor Sleep are great companion pieces.

Why the 1930s Setting Matters

Muschietti’s comments about the cultural themes are the most important detail to parse. The 1930s weren’t just any decade in American history — they were defined by economic collapse, political extremism, and deep-seated social divisions. For a town like Derry, whose entire identity in King’s mythology is built on buried sins and collective denial, that era is a pressure cooker.

“The social, cultural, horrible things that were happening in the era, too. We’re not going to skip those,” Muschietti told Variety. “They are the very center and the heart of our story.”

That’s a bold promise, and it’s also a smart one. The best horror has always used its setting to reflect real-world anxieties back at the audience. Welcome to Derry already did this with its 1962 setting — the era of paranoia and shifting social norms — but the Depression era gives the show an even sharper edge. The horror isn’t just what Pennywise does; it’s what people do to each other when they’re desperate.

When Can We Expect Season 2?

Here’s the part that will test your patience: there’s no official release date yet. Muschietti confirmed at the Saturn Awards in March 2026 that the season is in the works, and HBO has indicated it’s committed to the show — but the greenlight process has been deliberate, with the creative team waiting until the story is right before moving forward.

Based on production timelines, the earliest realistic filming start is late 2026, which points to a release window of late 2027 or early 2028. It’s a long wait, but if the quality of the first season is anything to go by, it’ll be worth it. The show’s producers have said repeatedly that they’d rather take the time to get the story right than rush a second season that doesn’t live up to the first.

While you wait, the horror landscape has plenty to offer. If you’re looking for something in the same vein, our coverage of Stranger Things — another story about kids facing ancient evil in a small town — is a perfect companion. And for the more psychological side of the genre, check out The Outsider, which shares more than a few thematic DNA strands with King’s Derry.

The Bigger Picture

It: Welcome to Derry has already proven that Stephen King’s universe has plenty of life left in it beyond the films. The first season’s success — both critically and with audiences — validated HBO’s bet on expanding the mythology, and Season 2’s Depression-era storyline suggests the creative team is only getting more ambitious.

The decision to confront the 1930s’ ugly cultural history head-on is the kind of creative risk that separates great horror from forgettable horror. King’s original novel was never shy about the darkness lurking beneath American small-town life, and it’s fitting that the adaptation is now leaning into that same honesty. The horror genre works best when it has something real to say — and with Season 2, Welcome to Derry looks like it’s going to have plenty to say.

Are you excited for Season 2 of It: Welcome to Derry? What era of Derry’s history do you want the show to explore next? Let us know in the comments.