If you want better modern political framing
Choose A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Season 1. It scores 5.0 vs 1.0 for modern political framing, with a 4.5 overall score.
IT: Welcome To Derry Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for strong performances, rich Derry lore, and bold horror set pieces. Skip it if slow stretches, familiar plotting, graphic content, or conspicuous CGI quickly pull you out of a scare.
Best for
IT and Stephen King fans who want deeper Derry lore, strong performances, period atmosphere, and graphic horror with more room for character stories.
Not for
Viewers who need consistently tight pacing, subtle dialogue, restrained violence, or practical-looking creature effects may find the uneven CGI and sprawling subplots frustrating.
Verdict
IT: Welcome to Derry earns its strongest notices for performances, production design, deeper King lore, and a willingness to make its horror graphic and emotionally costly. The young ensemble and several adult leads give the sprawling story real weight, while Pennywise remains a major draw whenever Bill Skarsgård appears. The tradeoff is consistency: many critics flag slow or bloated stretches, clunky dialogue, overloaded subplots, and CGI that can turn frightening ideas into something silly. Some see the social themes and franchise connections as meaningful expansion; others find them heavy-handed or overly familiar. The season tends to improve as it goes, with later episodes and the finale drawing stronger praise than much of the middle.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
62 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.013 (21%)
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Positive 3.5-4.420 (32%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.49 (15%)
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Negative 1.5-2.414 (23%)
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Very negative below 1.56 (10%)
Pros highlights
View all 33 pros-
Period clothing is consistently praised for helping transport the show convincingly into the early 1960s.
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Sets and overall production design are major strengths, giving Derry a polished, period-specific identity.
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The music is repeatedly praised for heightening dread without overwhelming the drama.
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Direction earns strong praise for atmosphere, visual control, and the show's most effective horror sequences.
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Early shocks and later reveals are among the most widely praised storytelling moves, especially the premiere's major reversal.
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The episodic format gives Derry, its history, and its mythology more room to breathe, which many critics see as a major advantage.
Cons highlights
View all 29 cons-
Some military logic, character decisions, and plot mechanics strain credibility even within the supernatural premise.
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Multiple storylines and dense lore can make the narrative feel scattered, overloaded, or difficult to track.
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CGI is the clearest technical weakness: multiple critics found creature work obvious, cartoonish, or distracting even when the underlying scare ideas were strong.
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Individual episodes are unevenly paced, with slow stretches, rushed revelations, and a frequently criticized midseason lull.
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Dialogue is a recurring weakness, with complaints about clunky exposition, wooden exchanges, and overly obvious monologues.
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A slow or uneven first half is a common complaint, with many full-season reviews saying the back half improves substantially.
Cast & Creators
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Dick HalloranChalk is one of the most consistently praised performers, making Hallorann's psychic burden and internal fear compelling across several reviews.
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PennywiseHis Pennywise performance is repeatedly treated as a major lift for the series, with critics praising how confidently he returns to the role.
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DirectorMuschietti's direction is credited as a major reason the series' atmosphere and horror work when they are at their best.
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ComposerWallfisch's score is praised for creeping dread and forceful crescendos that strengthen the psychological horror.
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LilyStack is singled out as a stellar young performer, carrying Lilly's grief and fear with notable emotional weight.
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HankRider is included among the adult performers praised for strong work.
View all 62 feature scores and cast & creators
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in audience appeal, sound design, character likability, near average in story quality, character development, below average in modern political framing, sexual content level, editing quality.
Comparison summary
62 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher15 (24%)
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Same as average within 0.3 pts15 (24%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower32 (52%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| modern political framing | 1.0 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
| sexual content level | 1.0 | 3.1 | -2.1 |
| editing quality | 1.5 | 3.5 | -2.0 |
| drama quality | 2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
| ethical sensitivity | 1.0 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
| realism | 1.7 | 3.4 | -1.7 |
| episode length | 1.5 | 3.3 | -1.8 |
| age appropriateness | 1.0 | 2.6 | -1.6 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better entertainment value
Choose Spartacus: House of Ashur. It scores 4.8 vs 4.1 for entertainment value, with a 3.6 overall score.
If you want better language level
Choose Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, Season 1. It scores 5.0 vs 1.0 for language level, with a 3.4 overall score.
If you want better acting quality
Choose Young Sherlock, Season 1. It scores 4.8 vs 4.0 for acting quality, with a 4.0 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
2017 It
- Better: scariness of Pennywise scenes The reviewer finds the series' Pennywise scenes much less scary than those in 2017 It.
Alien: Earth
- Similar: season pacing trajectory Both are described as having disappointing first halves and much stronger second halves.
IT: Chapter Two
- Worse: depth of King mythology exploration The reviewer finds the series richer and more psychologically complex than IT: Chapter Two.
FAQ
Is IT: Welcome to Derry actually scary?
It depends on the sequence. Some critics found the series genuinely terrifying and inventive, while others thought CGI-heavy monsters and repetitive tactics weakened the scares.
How is the cast?
The cast is one of the strongest areas. The younger ensemble, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, and Bill Skarsgård receive repeated praise.
Does Pennywise appear enough?
Many critics say no, especially in the earlier episodes. When Pennywise does appear, Skarsgård's performance is usually treated as a highlight.
How is the pacing?
The common complaint is a slow or uneven first half and midseason lull. Several full-season reviews say the back half and finale improve substantially.
Does it add meaningful lore?
Yes for many critics: the history of Derry, Pennywise, Hallorann, and wider King connections is a major strength. Others think the added rules and Easter eggs can become excessive.
Is it suitable for kids or family viewing?
No. The reviews describe graphic violence, disturbing body horror, strong profanity, and explicit imagery.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
Article Reviews
hamlineoracle.com
2025 was an exciting year for Stephen King fans. Six of King’s fan favorite works were adapted to screen, with four films, “The Monkey,” “The...
- Review score
- 3.9
horrorsociety.com
Creator(s) - Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman, It: Chapter Two), Andy Muschietti (Mama, It), and Barbara Muschietti (Mama, They Will Kill You)...
- Review score
- 3.7
cinematicrandomness.com
HBO original IT: WELCOME TO DERRY has floated down to disc on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD from Warner Bros. Entertainment!
- Review score
- 4.3
theknightnews.com
[WARNING: SPOILERS FOR “IT: WELCOME TO DERRY”] “IT: Welcome to Derry” (2025) opens with a tune from the 1962 musical, “The Music Man” – “Ya...
- Review score
- 4.2
grimdarkmagazine.com
It: Welcome to Derry does heavily draw from the original story but it doesn't just limit itself to being a rehash... I was impressed with the...
- Review score
- 3.7
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