It (miniseries)

Production and Filming in Canada

The miniseries It was produced by Green/Epstein Productions for ABC with a substantial budget of $12 million, which was double the typical television budget at the time. Principal photography took place over three months in mid-1990, with Vancouver, British Columbia, serving as the primary filming location, standing in for the fictional town of Derry, Maine. This production choice meant a significant portion of the supporting cast was drawn from Canadian media and theatre, contributing to the local industry. Director Tommy Lee Wallace and screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen hand-picked many of the adult lead actors, including John Ritter, Dennis Christopher, Tim Reid, and Harry Anderson, for their roles. The child actors were cast from both Vancouver and Los Angeles, with Emily Perkins and Marlon Taylor selected locally for the roles of young Beverly Marsh and Mike Hanlon, while Seth Green and Jonathan Brandis were cast from Los Angeles.

Filming the miniseries presented logistical challenges, particularly regarding the elaborate makeup required for Tim Curry's Pennywise. Curry endured daily application and removal processes that took at least three hours, giving him the earliest call time on set. To foster authenticity in the performances, Wallace arranged for the adult actors to meet with the children portraying their younger counterparts, despite the additional cost, as the two groups share no scenes. The production faced the unusual circumstance of competing for airtime with news coverage of President George H. W. Bush's foreign trips during its initial broadcast window. Despite these hurdles, the finished miniseries became ABC's biggest ratings success of 1990, demonstrating the viability of high-budget horror television.

Cast and Character Development

The ensemble cast of It features a mix of actors not traditionally associated with horror, a deliberate choice by producer Jim Green to attract a broader audience of casual viewers. The core group, known as the Losers Club, is portrayed by two sets of actors representing the characters as children in 1960 and as adults in 1990. Richard Thomas plays the stuttering leader Bill Denbrough, a bestselling horror author haunted by his brother's death. Annette O'Toole portrays the resilient Beverly Marsh, the group's sole female member, who escapes an abusive upbringing. John Ritter took the role of Ben Hanscom, who transforms from a bullied child into a confident architect, a part Ritter actively pursued due to his fandom of Stephen King.

Harry Anderson plays the comedic Richie Tozier, a late-night talk show host, while Dennis Christopher appears as the anxious, asthmatic Eddie Kaspbrak. Tim Reid portrays Mike Hanlon, the only Loser to remain in Derry as the town librarian and keeper of their shared history. Richard Masur appears as Stanley Uris, whose fear leads to a tragic outcome. The child actors delivering notable performances include Jonathan Brandis as young Bill, Emily Perkins as young Beverly, Seth Green as young Richie, and Marlon Taylor as young Mike. The central antagonist, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is played by Tim Curry, who brought an improvisational, darkly comic energy to the role, famously adopting a Bronx accent he described as reminiscent of an old-time Catskills comic.

Key Supporting Cast:

• Olivia Hussey as Audra Denbrough, Bill's wife.
• Tony Dakota as Georgie Denbrough, Bill's younger brother.
• Michael Cole as the adult Henry Bowers, the primary bully.
• Jarred Blancard as the young Henry Bowers.
• Florence Paterson as Mrs. Kersh, one of It's alternate forms.

Casting the role of Pennywise involved several considerations before settling on Tim Curry. Malcolm McDowell, Roddy McDowall, and musician Alice Cooper were all reportedly in contention. Director Tommy Lee Wallace specifically wanted Curry, despite some initial crew reservations given the actor's background in comedic roles like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Curry embraced the part for its subversive nature, describing the clown as a smile gone bad. Originally, the plan was for Curry to portray all of It's monstrous forms, but this was later changed for efficiency, with other actors like Brent Baker playing the creature's giant spider form.

Plot Synopsis

The narrative of It unfolds across two time periods, following the same group of friends known as the Losers Club. In the spring of 1960 in Derry, Maine, young Georgie Denbrough is killed by Pennywise the Clown after being lured into a storm drain. Months later, Georgie's grieving, stuttering brother Bill forms a friendship with other outcasts: asthmatic Eddie Kaspbrak, new kid Ben Hanscom, abused teenager Beverly Marsh, wisecracking Richie Tozier, and skeptical Stan Uris. They are later joined by Mike Hanlon, who is being chased by the racist bully Henry Bowers and his gang. Each child experiences terrifying, personalized encounters with Pennywise, who exploits their deepest fears.

Researching the town's history through Mike's scrapbook, the group deduces that It is an ancient, cyclical predator that awakens every thirty years to feed on children. Vowing revenge for Georgie, Bill leads the Losers into the town's sewer system for a confrontation. After fending off an attack from Henry Bowers, who is left traumatized, the children face Pennywise in a large chamber. Using their united imagination against the creature, Eddie pretends his inhaler contains battery acid, injuring Pennywise, and Beverly fires a silver earring with a slingshot, seemingly wounding It gravely. Believing the monster dead, the seven friends make a blood oath to return if It ever comes back.

The story resumes thirty years later in 1990, when a new killing signals It's return. Mike, who stayed in Derry, calls the others to honor their oath. All return except Stan, who dies by suicide. The reunited adults are terrorized by Pennywise's resurgent attacks, and a now-insane Henry Bowers escapes from an asylum to hunt them. After Bowers is killed and Mike is hospitalized, the remaining five Losers descend into the sewers for a final battle. They discover It's true form as a giant spider and find Bill's wife, Audra, catatonic and captured. Eddie is killed during the fight, but the group ultimately destroys the creature by ripping out its heart. In the aftermath, the survivors' memories of the events fade, Beverly marries Ben, and Bill breaks Audra's catatonia by taking her on a ride on his childhood bicycle.

Reception and Awards

Upon its broadcast during the November 1990 sweeps period, It proved to be a major ratings triumph for ABC, attracting approximately 30 million viewers across its two parts. This success came despite mixed critical reviews prior to airing and schedule interruptions from news coverage. The miniseries received recognition from several award bodies, reflecting its technical and artistic achievements. It earned two Emmy Award nominations and secured a win for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special for composer Richard Bellis. The editing team was honoured with an Eddie Award from the American Cinema Editors.

The miniseries was nominated for a Youth in Film award and received a best miniseries recognition from the People's Choice Awards. It also won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition and an Eddie Award for editing. In later years, the miniseries has become most known for Tim Curry's version of Pennywise, considered by several publications to be one of the scariest clown characters in film and television. The miniseries has spawned an Indiegogo-funded documentary film about its production, titled Pennywise: The Story of It, which was released in 2020.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

The 1990 miniseries It cemented a lasting legacy primarily through Tim Curry's chilling and charismatic performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, which became a benchmark for horror antagonists. The production demonstrated that a television miniseries could effectively adapt a sprawling Stephen King novel and achieve massive mainstream success, paving the way for future high-profile television horror. Its filming in Vancouver also contributed to British Columbia's reputation as a capable production centre for major studio projects. The story's themes of childhood trauma, friendship, and confronting fear have resonated with audiences for generations, ensuring the miniseries remains a staple of horror television.

The success and enduring popularity of It directly influenced the development of later adaptations. Most notably, it was followed by a two-part film series directed by Andy Muschietti, with It Chapter One released in 2017 and It Chapter Two in 2019, featuring Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. Curry publicly expressed approval for Skarsgård's interpretation of the role. The miniseries also spawned a dedicated documentary titled Pennywise: The Story of It, released in 2020 and funded through Indiegogo, which explored the production's history. The franchise continues to expand with new projects announced for 2026 and beyond, including the HBO prequel series Welcome to Derry, indicating the enduring appeal of King's original story and the character first brought to screen in 1990.

Subsequent Related Projects:

• It Chapter One (2017), Feature film adaptation focusing on the Losers Club as children.
• It Chapter Two (2019), Feature film concluding the story with the adult Losers.
• Pennywise: The Story of It (2020), Crowdfunded documentary about the miniseries.
• Georgie (TBA), An alternate history sequel short film by the documentary producers.
• Welcome to Derry (Announced), HBO prequel series set for release in 2026.

Notable Production Details

The creation of It involved several distinctive creative and technical decisions that shaped the final product. Screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen adapted Stephen King's massive novel by condensing the narrative and focusing the monster's manifestations primarily on the Pennywise form, though It also appears as an elderly woman, a werewolf, Ben's father, and its final spider form. Director Tommy Lee Wallace prioritized character authenticity, facilitating meetings between the adult and child actors to create believable connections between the two timelines. For the child actors, the experience was intense, with Emily Perkins recalling that Tim Curry deliberately stayed in character to intimidate them and elicit genuine fear in their performances.

John Ritter's casting as Ben Hanscom came about after a previous planned theatrical film version of It, to be directed by George A. Romero, fell through. Ritter, a devoted Stephen King fan, had actively sought a role in any King adaptation and was finally able to join the project after the schedule shifted. The miniseries also tackled difficult subject matter, including the racist bullying endured by Mike Hanlon. Actor Jarred Blancard, who played young Henry Bowers, expressed discomfort with having to repeatedly use a racial slur during filming and apologized to his co-star Marlon Taylor off-camera. The production's $12 million budget allowed for higher production values than standard television, contributing to the atmospheric and enduring quality of the horror visuals, particularly the sewer sets and Pennywise's makeup effects.

Questions about It (miniseries)

Did the It miniseries win any awards?

Yes, the miniseries received several award nominations and won two. It won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special for composer Richard Bellis. It also won an Eddie Award from the American Cinema Editors for its editing. The production was additionally nominated for another Emmy, a Youth in Film Award, and a People's Choice Award for Best Miniseries.

Are the child actors in It the same as the adult actors?

No, different actors portray the Losers Club as children and as adults. The adult roles are played by Richard Thomas, Annette O'Toole, John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Tim Reid, and Richard Masur. Their younger counterparts are played by Jonathan Brandis, Emily Perkins, Brandon Crane, Seth Green, Adam Faraizl, Marlon Taylor, and Ben Heller, respectively. The production arranged meetings between the two groups to help create continuity.

Where was the 1990 It miniseries filmed?

The 1990 It miniseries was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. Production took place over a period of three months in mid 1990. The choice of location led to many of the supporting cast members being actors well known in Canadian media and theatre. The production had a budget of 12 million dollars, which was double the usual television budget at the time.

Who played Pennywise in the original It miniseries?

Pennywise was played by actor Tim Curry. He was cast by director Tommy Lee Wallace, who preferred him over other considered actors like Malcolm McDowell or Roddy McDowall. Curry gave the character a Bronx accent and used improvisation to create a clown that was both beguiling and murderous. His performance required extensive makeup, taking at least three hours to apply and remove each day, and he intentionally tried to intimidate the child actors on set to elicit genuine fear in their performances.

How many people watched the It miniseries when it first aired?

The It miniseries had a total of 30 million viewers for its two parts during its initial broadcast on ABC. It aired in November 1990 and became the network's biggest success of that year. This high viewership was achieved despite mixed pre airing reviews and coverage of President George H W Bush's foreign trips cutting into the program. The miniseries was a significant ratings success during the sweeps month.

Sources and further reading

• It (miniseries) (Wikipedia)
• Upcoming Stephen King Movies And TV Shows, Including ... (cinemablend.com)
• All Stephen King Movies & TV Shows Coming In 2026 & ... (guides.justwatch.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-26.