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The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to the author's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the clear ties to the original story, the series showcases an explicit link to The Shining via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story that deserves another look.

The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, particularly compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it is a haunting tale about an innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious prison. It is this specific institution that becomes important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore throughout King's stories — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn about the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of one of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.

So far, however, the majority we have discovered about the prison was via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and abused by other prisoners, while exploited by those in officials in power due to his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement via an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport appeared with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.

Though we know he did not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"

The Implications for Hank and Ronnie

Considering that the real murderer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's prospects of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience do not see him inside, knowing what we do about that prison makes it clear that his time there would be far from enjoyable.

Crucially, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.

A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel to freedom.

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It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.