HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry expands Stephen King’s mythology, probing the haunted Maine town long before the events depicted in It and It: Chapter Two. While the series draws heavily from the short interludes in King’s novel — fragments that detail Mike Hanlon’s archival research into Pennywise’s recurring violence across Derry’s history — one of the program’s most compelling storylines originates outside the book.
Rather than simply retreading King’s text, Welcome to Derry amplifies a strand first hinted at in It: Chapter Two: Indigenous spiritual practice woven into Derry’s past. In the film, Mike mentions conversations with members of a fictional Shokopiwah tribe, who once stewarded the land and now perform rituals meant to hold Pennywise at bay. That single scene, which felt peripheral to some viewers, also drew criticism for treating Native spirituality like a convenient plot device.
To address those concerns, the creative team behind It: Welcome to Derry deliberately expanded and recontextualized that material rather than repeating the earlier misstep. The show deepens the Indigenous storyline, treating it as an integral part of Derry’s history and grounding it with authentic consultation and collaborators.
Actor Kimberly Norris Guerrero, who plays Rose — a business owner in Derry with her own hidden history — told Polygon that while the specific Shokopiwah conceit wasn’t King’s invention, the author has historically used Indigenous peoples and their cultures as narrative touchstones in novels like The Shining, Pet Sematary, and Dreamcatcher. Guerrero says the series offers Native artists and storytellers a more substantial role: “a seat at the table.”
“It’s a beautiful opportunity to widen the King universe,” Guerrero explains. “Across many of his works the land itself is a character. Derry’s land is steeped in history — the same is true under The Shining or Shawshank. That history is our history.”
The land of Derry is rife with history.
To ensure cultural fidelity, the series partnered with members of the Wabanaki nations — an alliance that includes the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Abenaki — whose traditional territory spans from Newfoundland down into mid‑Maine and across parts of Quebec. Working with Wabanaki advisors transformed a previously peripheral cinematic beat into a storyline informed by real histories and ongoing traditions.
Viewers who watch closely may notice Indigenous names listed in the end credits of upcoming episodes, reflecting contributions from Wabanaki community members. The show also consulted with Penobscot Nation member John Bear Mitchell, a University of Maine professor who has direct experience both in front of and behind the camera, to help shape the portrayal.
“The Wabanaki nation has been here for thousands of years,” Guerrero says. “Collaborating with Elder John Bear Mitchell was a deep, culturally grounded process — an exploration of living history rather than something relegated to the past.”
It: Welcome to Derry airs weekly on HBO and HBO Max.
Source: Polygon
