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The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious links to the original story, the show also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.

The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially compared to a lot of King's other work, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted individual condemned to spend the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes central in this context, as the Shawshank facility possesses significant history across King's stories — a pattern which persists within Welcome to Derry.

Some of the tales which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn about the terrible conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who was found guilty of armed robbery.

So far, though, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy winds up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by those in authority figures for his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an initial preview for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn which character is probably headed to the prison.

Although it is known he did not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"

The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie

Given that the actual killer in the town is a primordial entity from another world hunting and killing children, Hank's prospects of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what is known about that prison indicates that his time there would not be pleasant.

Crucially, though, this development would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.

One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel his way out.

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It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.