We started off with a quick update: Meaghan and Arthur are trying out a new recording setup for the Fully-Booked Podcast and, like any of us facing tech upgrades, are crossing their fingers that it behaves itself. From there, they leaned into their end-of-May tradition of a more casual, “free-for-all” episode format. It’s their chance to have fun, try different things, and bring up topics they might not usually squeeze into a themed episode.
Note
The following is an editorialized transcript of our weekly literary podcast. If you would like to listen to the podcast, click the play button above orlisten on your favorite platform with the links below.
IT Welcome to Derry and Stephen King’s Expanding Universe
Then came the meat of the conversation: the new HBO series IT Welcome to Derry. The trailer just dropped, and while it didn’t give us a release date (other than the vague “Fall 2025”), it did get Meaghan and Arthur talking about the direction this prequel might take.
They noted the show’s pedigree, with Andy and Barbara Muschietti (the sibling team behind the modern IT films) involved, and speculated on how the series might expand the IT universe. Both hosts agreed that the original IT story has a very clear endpoint, Pennywise is defeated, so a prequel has to find clever ways to build tension and keep things fresh. They tossed around ideas about time jumps, exploring different eras of Derry, or focusing on the evil that lives in the town itself.
Arthur was quick to point out that IT works so well because it’s not about superheroes; it’s about ordinary people facing unimaginable horrors. That relatability makes the fear hit harder. They both agreed that Stephen King is a master at spotlighting how the real villains are often the adults, indifferent, abusive, or just willfully blind to what’s happening around them.
Trailer Takeaways and Concerns About Repetition
When they turned to the actual IT Welcome to Derry trailer, they both had mixed feelings. Visually, it’s spot on, creepy, unsettling, and full of that “Derry atmosphere.” You know, the kind of unsettling small-town vibe where everything looks normal on the surface but clearly isn’t. But here’s the catch: a lot of the trailer felt familiar.
Like, maybe a little too familiar.
Shots of kids peering into sinks, mysterious voices in the pipes, and a new version of the “Losers Club” forming, it all mirrors scenes we’ve seen before. Arthur joked (half-seriously) that if this new group has a nickname, it’s going to feel painfully forced. They understand that the 27-year cycle within the IT lore sets the stage for repeated patterns, but they hope the show brings something new to the table.
One aspect that did catch their attention was the possibility of new characters, particularly a young family that moves into Derry and starts to question what’s going on. That could add some interesting outside perspective to a town where the residents usually ignore or forget the horror around them.
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Symbolism, Theories, and King’s Giant Connected Universe
From there, things got a little nerdy in the best way. Arthur and Meaghan dove into numerology, specifically the significance of the number 27. It shows up in the IT mythos a lot, and not by accident. They discussed how 27 is 3 cubed and how Stephen King often uses the number three in symbolic ways, particularly in his Dark Tower series.
Then came the deeper cuts: the theory that Pennywise is a creature from the Todash Darkness, a space between worlds in The Dark Tower universe. They talked about how IT could be one of the Crimson King’s agents, and how this ties into King’s sprawling multiverse. It’s all interconnected. Pennywise isn’t just a scary clown; he’s a shape-shifting entity possibly connected to even larger evils.
Meaghan brought up the infamous 27 Club, musicians and artists who died at 27 years of age. Additionally, they marveled at how the 1990 IT miniseries aired 27 years before the 2017 film. Whether all of that is a coincidence or not, it adds a layer of spookiness to the whole franchise.
They also explored how IT Welcome to Derry is set in 1962, which is exactly 27 years before the 1989 setting of IT: Chapter One. That opens the door to telling another cycle’s story while staying within the same mythological framework.
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Subscribe to our weekly newsletterHopes for Originality and Expanding the Myth
Despite their concerns about rehashing familiar territory, both Meaghan and Arthur are holding out hope. They talked about wanting to see more of Derry itself, as a character, almost, rather than just another round of Pennywise antics. Stephen King has said before that Derry is a nexus of evil, and the hosts think it’s time that idea gets explored more deeply.
Could Derry itself be the cause of all this horror? Is Pennywise just a symptom of something bigger? What if the town attracts evil rather than simply being haunted by it? These are the questions that the hosts hope the show will explore, especially if Bill Skarsgård’s role as Pennywise ends up being minimal.
There was also some talk about what Pennywise even is: an alien, a primordial being, or both? They discussed the Ritual of Chüd, the cosmic horror elements like the Deadlights, and even drew comparisons to recent movies like Jordan Peele’s Nope, where horror and sci-fi blur together in unconventional ways.
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Final Thoughts and Nostalgia Feels
As they wrapped up, Meaghan and Arthur reflected on their own experience seeing IT: Chapter Two in a double-feature drive-in, which added a unique atmosphere to an already intense film. They recognized that while the second movie didn’t hit quite as hard as the first, the cast and performances were strong enough to carry it through.
They gave props to Andy Muschietti for his knack for working with child actors, a notoriously tough task, and mentioned how rare it is to find a full cast of young actors who can deliver emotional, believable performances. They compared it favorably to Stranger Things and mentioned how casting like that can really elevate a horror story.
Ultimately, they’re optimistic. Even if IT Welcome to Derry ends up being a little repetitive, they’re still excited to see what it offers. They’re particularly hopeful that it goes beyond Pennywise and starts to explore what makes Derry such a hotbed of horror. They’re also curious to hear what listeners think: are people still interested in this world, or is it time to move on?
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