Created by Andrés Muschietti, Jason Fuchs, Barbara Muschietti.
It: Welcome to Derry premiered on October 26, 2025.
IT: Welcome to Derry is a dark, creepy, and emotional prequel that shows how the town’s evil began long before the Losers’ Club.
Set in 1962, the series slowly builds tension, mixing real-life fears with supernatural horror.
The cast gives strong performances, and Pennywise’s presence adds a chilling edge to every episode.
The show looks great, has a heavy atmosphere, and adds new details to the It story that fans will enjoy.
Sometimes the plot moves a bit slowly, and a few scenes feel unnecessary, but the emotional moments and well-crafted scares make up for it.
If you enjoy slow, story-focused horror with deep characters, Welcome to Derry is worth watching.
It might not be perfect, but it’s gripping, spooky, and a solid addition to the It universe.
CR Rating – 8/10
IT: Welcome to Derry Actors
Jovan Adepo as Major Leroy Hanlon
DOB: September 6, 1988.
Bio: Jovan Adepo is an English-American actor with solid training and a wide emotional range.
He studied at Bowie State University and started out in theatre and independent film before moving into higher-profile work.
Role: Major Leroy Hanlon is a U.S. Air Force officer who relocates to Derry with his wife and son.
He is shaped by his military discipline, a strong protective instinct, and the burden of his past.
In It: Welcome to Derry, Leroy must contend not only with overt racism and small-town prejudice, but with mounting supernatural horror.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: Adepo stays true to authenticity: in interviews, he’s discussed his commitment to doing his own physical work and researching military life to portray the psychological weight of service, trauma, and institutional duty.
Notable works: Fences, Overlord, When They See Us, Babylon.
Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon
DOB: October 5, 1990.
Bio: Taylour Paige is an American actress and trained dancer.
She started ballet very young (training at institutions like the Westside Ballet Academy and the Kirov Academy) and later became a dancer-performer before transitioning into acting.
Role: Charlotte Hanlon is the wife of Major Leroy Hanlon and the mother of their son, Will.
She is deeply caring, morally grounded, and fiercely protective of her family.
Paige portrays Charlotte with warmth that gradually hardens into resolve as the season progresses.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: Paige has publicly discussed her struggles with endometriosis and how these experiences inform her empathy and strength as a performer.
Her background in dance gives her a uniquely physical presence, which she brings into her acting roles.
Notable works: Zola, Jean of the Joneses, White Boy Rick, Hit the Floor.
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise
DOB: August 9, 1990.
Bio: Bill Skarsgård is a Swedish actor from a renowned acting family (son of Stellan Skarsgård).
He is internationally known for his chilling and layered portrayal of Pennywise in the It films.
For Welcome to Derry, he’s not only reprising Pennywise but also serving as an executive producer.
Role: Pennywise is the central supernatural antagonist, a shape-shifting entity embodying fear, terror, and myth.
Set in the past of Derry, this version of Pennywise draws on his eldritch power while Skarsgård’s performance gives the horror more space to breathe: both uncanny menace and symbolic weight.
Episodes: 4 eps.
Interesting facts: He has spoken about a collaborative process in developing Pennywise’s physicality and voice for the series.
Despite previously portraying the character in film, Skarsgård reportedly “was a little hesitant” to return because of the role’s psychological intensity.
Notable works: It (2017), It Chapter Two (2019), Hemlock Grove, Nosferatu (2024).
Clara Stack as Lilly Bainbridge
DOB: October 19, 2010.
Bio: Clara Stack is a young actor who’s already building a strong resume in television.
According to Primetimer, she’s appeared on shows like Hawkeye, Madam Secretary, Bull, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Role: Lilly Bainbridge is a grieving girl in Derry whose father has died.
Her visions and psychic episodes pull her into the town’s dark mysteries.
She becomes one of the first young characters to sense Pennywise’s evil presence and helps catalyze the central horror narrative.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: According to Yahoo / Future, Clara started acting in local theatre when she was very young, and Marie Claire notes she often portrays emotionally complex scenes, even as a child.
Notable works: Hawkeye (Marvel / Disney+), Madam Secretary, Bull, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Amanda Christine as Veronica “Ronnie” Grogan
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Amanda Christine is an emerging child actor who has built her early career in television and commercials.
She is recognized for a grounded, expressive presence, often portraying spirited, curious young characters with a surprising emotional depth for her age.
Role: Ronnie Grogan is the projectionist’s daughter and a local child who befriends Lilly, Will, and Rich.
She is streetwise, inquisitive, and closely tied to the town’s cinema, a key location in Derry’s narrative.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: Christine began performing in commercials as a small child and has spoken about the supportive role of her family while pursuing acting.
Notable works: It: Welcome to Derry (major TV credit), previous guest/child commercial work.
Matilda Lawler as Marge Truman
DOB: September 8, 2008.
Bio: Matilda Lawler is a talented young actor who first gained major attention for her work in Flora & Ulysses and the HBO Max miniseries Station Eleven.
Known for her emotional maturity and ability to handle complex scenes opposite adult actors, she brings a sensitive, indie-driven sensibility to her roles.
Role: Marge Truman is a thoughtful, socially conscious child in Derry’s youth circle.
She is anxious about status, peer dynamics, and belonging, but as the town’s darker secrets emerge, her fears and loyalty are tested.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: Lawler has been praised by critics and industry observers for her “old-soul” timing and emotional range, especially for a child actor.
Notable works: Flora & Ulysses, Station Eleven.
Blake Cameron James as Will Hanlon
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Blake Cameron James is a rising young actor known for conveying genuine innocence, warmth, and emotional honesty.
He’s performed in independent films and TV, often playing curious, thoughtful boys with a grounded presence.
Role: Will Hanlon is the son of Leroy and Charlotte Hanlon.
He’s a budding science enthusiast and represents a beacon of normalcy and hope for his parents.
As the supernatural events in Derry intensify, Will’s curiosity and friendships with other children draw him into the heart of the mystery.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: In interviews, James has credited family support and on-set preparation for helping him handle demanding genre scenes.
Notable works: We Grown Now (2023) and TV films/guest spots.
Arian S. Cartaya as Ricardo “Rich” Santos
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Arian S. Cartaya is an emerging young actor whose work includes guest/recurring TV credits and ensemble roles.
He has developed a reputation for playing warm, affable young characters with emotive presence and story-driven sensitivity.
Role: Ricardo “Rich” Santos is a Cuban-American boy in Derry who befriends Will Hanlon and becomes part of the central child-investigative group.
Rich brings loyalty, street-smarts, and an outsider’s perspective that complicates the kids’ understanding of the town’s mythos.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: Cartaya has been active on social media and has publicly discussed how representation in fantasy/horror genres matters, especially for Latinx youth.
Notable works: Gordita Chronicles (2022), Juego de mentiras (2023).
Mikkal Karim-Fidler as Theodore “Teddy” Uris
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Mikkal Karim-Fidler is a young actor with experience in ensemble television work.
He’s shown a strong ability to blend humor with emotional depth, making him well-suited to roles that require both vulnerability and imagination.
Role: Theodore “Teddy” Uris is Phil’s best friend, coming from a Jewish family in Derry.
He is creative, thoughtful, and emotionally sensitive.
His interactions with other children help ground the group’s investigation and add cultural and emotional complexity to their arc.
Episodes: 3 eps.
Interesting facts: The show teases that Teddy’s family background and internal struggles could tie into the larger Uris mythology from It.
Notable works: It: Welcome to Derry (lead child ensemble).
Jack Molloy-Legault as Phil Malkin
DOB: N/A.
Biol: Jack Molloy-Legault is an emerging young actor whose early work shows a natural instinct for timing, curiosity, and expressive reaction.
He tends to shine in roles that require quick-thinking energy, mischievous humor, and emotional sincerity.
Role: Phil Malkin is Teddy Uris’s closest friend and the group’s self-appointed conspiracy expert.
He is the kid who always senses something “off” in Derry long before the adults do.
Episodes: 2 eps.
Interesting facts: Molloy-Legault’s screen persona balances comic relief with unexpected emotional pull in tense scenes.
Notable works: It: Welcome to Derry (primary child ensemble role).
Miles Ekhardt as Matthew “Matty” Clements
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Miles Ekhardt is a young actor whose early screen work demonstrates strong presence and naturalism, especially in emotionally charged roles.
As a child performer, he excels at conveying vulnerability and curiosity, making him well-suited to roles that require creating tension or empathy with minimal dialogue.
Role: Matthew “Matty” Clements is the young boy whose mysterious disappearance triggers the season’s events.
His eerie final appearances, linked with unsettling sounds in the sewers, catalyze the children’s investigations and draw the town’s attention to the supernatural threat.
Episodes: 3 eps.
Interesting facts: Ekhardt worked closely with directors and effects teams to create memorable, haunting moments; his scenes were designed to leave a lasting sense of suspense and empathy for the missing child.
Notable works: It: Welcome to Derry (key child role).
Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann
DOB: December 7, 1977.
Bio: American actor known for his strong presence in both television and film.
He often brings gravitas, intelligence, and subtle emotional depth to supporting and ensemble roles.
He is recognized for inhabiting morally complex characters while maintaining authenticity and relatability.
Role: Hallorann is portrayed as a soldier with telepathic and clairvoyant abilities.
He becomes central to the investigation and containment of the town’s supernatural threat, bridging the mystical and military/political storylines.
Episodes: 8 eps.
Interesting facts: Chalk has discussed the importance of grounding psychic and clairvoyant abilities in realism, ensuring that Hallorann’s powers feel emotionally and narratively credible.
Notable works: Gotham, Homeland, All the Way, 12 Years a Slave.
More Actors
• James Remar as General Francis Shaw (senior military figure driving the “weapon” plot).
• Stephen Rider as Hank Grogan (Ronnie’s father, projectionist).
• Peter Outerbridge as Clint Bowers (Derry’s police chief).
• Madeleine Stowe as Ingrid (head of housekeeping at Juniper Hill Asylum).
• Maya McNair as Patty (leader of the Pattycakes — mean girls).
• Rudy Mancuso as Captain Pauly Russo (Leroy Hanlon’s partner).
• Alixandra Fuchs as Terri Bainbridge (Lilly’s mother).
• Kimberly Norris Guerrero as Rose (pawn shop owner).
• Violet Sutherland as Young Rose.
FAQ – IT: Welcome to Derry TV Series
What is It: Welcome to Derry about?
It: Welcome to Derry is a prequel series showing how Pennywise’s evil began and how Derry became a haunted, cursed town decades before the IT movies.
Is Welcome to Derry connected to the It movies?
Yes, it expands the same story world and explains earlier events tied to Pennywise and Derry.
How many episodes are in Season 1?
There are 8 episodes in the first season.
Will there be more seasons?
Yes, according to producers, there is a three-season plan, with future seasons set in 1935 and 1908.
What’s the setting / timeline of the show?
Season 1 takes place in 1962 in Derry, Maine, decades before the events of the It films.
Is the series scary?
Yes. It mixes slow-burn tension with graphic horror moments, so expect both dread and jump scares.
Where can I watch the series?
The show streams on HBO / Max (or the HBO platform available in your region).
Conclusion
IT: Welcome to Derry delivers a chilling and atmospheric look into the dark history of Derry, offering fans a deeper understanding of the evil that shaped Pennywise.
While the series can feel slow at times, its strong performances, emotional depth, and unsettling tension make it a compelling watch.
It expands the It universe in meaningful ways, giving both longtime fans and new viewers something to hold onto.
Overall, it’s a haunting, character-driven horror series that balances story, scares, and heart, a solid and spooky addition to Stephen King’s world.