Tonight closes out the first season of IT: Welcome to Derry, the TV series spinoff of the hit Stephen King adaptation that has expanded the world of the horror franchise into exciting and wild new places. Though plans are in place for more seasons of the show (and we already know what they’ll be about, too!), the timeline of production on television in the modern era no doubt means that fans will have to wait before they go back to that haunted town in Maine or see their old pal Pennywise again. The good news, though, is that there are ways to make that wait a little more bearable.
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Yes, you’re only going to find Pennywise the dancing clown in one TV Show, but there’s still plenty of other horror-centric television that can scratch the same itch that IT: Welcome to Derry satisfied. The only downside to these TV shows is that there aren’t more episodes of each, with the longest clocking in at 24 episodes. That said, between binging all of these shows, rewatching the two Andy Muschietti movies, and maybe going back to the Tim Curry-starring TV mini-series, there’s a lot for IT fans to get drawn into while the road to Derry gets paved again.
3) Midnight Mass
Writer/director/creator Mike Flanagan has proven to be one of the most successful Stephen King collaborators of all time, having proven himself with feature films like Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck. Though he has a slew of other successful Netflix horror shows that fit the same vein, his 2021 midnight series is the most Stephen King-like series ever made, which the master of horror technically had nothing to do with.
Set against the backdrop of a small town with generations of dark secrets, and a surprise visitor that’s picking off the town people one by one, Midnight Mass should immediately be of interest to IT fans since its narrative and setting evoke a lot of King’s work. Flanagan employs a lot of his recurring talent, including Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, and Alex Essoe, for a series that’s as heartbreaking as it is terrifying. There’s also a deep lore to be found in Midnight Mass that should feel reminiscent of Stephen King, not only from the history of the town and the citizens that inhabit it, but the monster at the center of its story.
You can stream Midnight Mass on Netflix.
2) Castle Rock
One of the most ambitious adaptations of Stephen King’s work, Castle Rock is unique in that it’s not singularly brings to life any one story or novel from the author. Instead, the Hulu series remixes pieces, characters, narratives, and locations from across multiple King works, delivering an all-new story that surprises even the most hardcore of fans.
There are two seasons of Castle Rock in total, both of which take on different flavors of horror, bringing together elements such as Sheriff Alan Pangborn, locations like Shawshank State Prison, and additional references to The Shining, Cujo, The Dark Half, Misery, The Body, and ‘Salem’s Lot. If you thought IT: Welcome to Derry was an Easter egg hunt of King lore, this one will leave your head spinning.
The best thing about jumping from IT: Welcome to Derry into Castle Rock in addition to the King connections, is that you’ll get to see even more of Pennywise himself, Bill Skarsgard. Though there was speculation that the actor’s presence in the series might be tied to IT in some form, thanks to the series premiering between the two IT Movies, Skarsgard’s character is another unique surprise entirely and one that allows him to show off his acting skills in entirely different ways from his Pennywise performance.
Castle Rock just started streaming on Netflix and can still be found on Hulu, too.
1) Channel Zero
Based on “Creepypasta” horror stories from the internet, Channel Zero‘s anthology format allows it to explore not only stories that traditional TV would normally never even try, but to dig deep into why these terrifying tales have taken hold of readers online in the first place. In fact, that might be the place where Channel Zero might actually outdo Welcome to Derry as the central mysteries and narratives for each season are either on par with or even more interesting than Season 1 of the HBO Series. With four seasons total, this one has the most story of IT: Welcome to Derry fans to get caught up in, and two of the seasons even boast perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes (Seasons 2 and 3 sit at 100% ratings, while Season 1 and 4 have 86% and 88% approvals, respectively).
Channel Zero also has a surprising distinction that really sets it apart from other horror fans with the creative forces behind it. Nick Antosca executive-produced the series as its creator, but each season also has a single director behind every episode, giving a signature visual style to each batch of episodes. These include the likes of The First Omen‘s Arkasha Stevenson for Season 3 and Cheap Thrills‘ E.L. Katz with Season 4, so horror fans are in for a treat if they haven’t made the trip already. For IT: Welcome to Derry fans, Channel Zero offers a series that is filled with unique monsters and twisty stories, the kind that can satisfy a viewer who has spent the last eight weeks terrified of Pennywise, the Demon Baby, and the Pickle Dad.
Channel Zero can be streamed on AMC+ and Shudder.
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