The acclaim given to the 1990 miniseries adaptation ofStephen King’sIthas grown over the years, asthose who watched itthe first time around have been haunted in their dreams ever since its premiere. While it’s fair to say that time has, to a degree, exaggerated just how terrifying the TV adaptation is,Itstill stands as one of the best small-screen versions of King’s works, thanks in no small part toTim Curry’s Pennywise, an iconic figure thatBill Skarsgård’s take may come close to, but lacks the same impact.
One of the best, indeed, andone of the most successful, with the two-parter pulling in over 30 million viewers for ABC, and the subject of countless discussions about the proverbial water cooler at the time. Impressive, yes, butnot as impressive as whatItovercame to even get to the small screen in the first place. WithItreturning to the television screen with the prequel series,Welcome to Derry, on the horizon, let’s take a look back at the journey of the original nightmare that was the 1990 miniseries.
Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine, are about to face their worst nightmare – an ancient, shape-shifting evil that emerges from the sewer every 27 years to prey on the town’s children. Banding together over the course of one horrifying summer, the friends must overcome their own personal fears to battle the murderous, bloodthirsty clown known as Pennywise.
ABC Was Quick To Grab the Rights to Stephen King’s ‘It’
Far from a light read, Stephen King’s 1986 novel clocked in at 1,138 pages, his longest novel at the time. CBS had success with a miniseries based on King’sSalem’s Lotback in 1979, which would makeItthe first television adaptation since then.Larry Cohen, who had worked on a King project previously (Cohen wrote the screenplay for 1976’sCarrie), was asked to adaptItfor the small screen, and after reading the first dozen pages of the 1,200-page manuscript (whichCohen humorously addswas FedExed and weighed four or five pounds), Cohen was hooked and on board.
He and the executive producers sat down with ABC’s Vice-President in charge of miniseries, who listened as Cohen enthusiastically talked about the project. Cohen continues the story: “… she only had one question - “What isIt?” I did my best to answer, and without a beat, as if I’d gotten the answer wrong, she asked again, “Yes, but what isIt?” I must have tried half a dozen answers - a psychological manifestation of our worst fears, a shape-shifting horror monster, you name it – but every time I finished, she’d ask again.”
Sorry Pennywise, But This Is Stephen King’s Most Terrifying Villain
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One would think that after having put out the money for the rights that ABC would have a better idea about what the book was about, but nevertheless, Cohen was awarded the job. He would be working withGeorge A. Romero, who had been brought on to direct. The two worked on the project for just under a year, settling on a blueprint with the plan for the series to run 10 hours. Then came the first obstacle toIt’s journey to television: the network started to worry about how much time they were committing to the series. At first, they cut back those 10 hours to eight, before trimming it down to six hours shortly after. It wouldn’t end there either, though, with ABC nervous about the risk, money, and idea of depicting children in serious trouble, which ultimately would push the executive producers—and Cohen—away, as well.
‘It’ Danced Around the Limitations of Standards and Practices
To ABC’s credit, their support allowed showrunners to cast some of the era’s big names, includingJohn Ritter(Three’s Company),Harry Anderson(Night Court),Tim Reid(WKRP in Cincinatti), and rising child star,Jonathan Brandis. The fact that a good portion of that cast were known primarily for their comedic roles was by design, with director,Tommy Lee Wallace, saying in the previously citedYahooarticle, “I’m a big believer in cross-casting, casting comics as villains, and dramatic actors in farces.” As for the role of the antagonistic clown, Pennywise,Bart Mixon, special effects makeup supervisor, suggests thatthree actors were up for the role of the antagonistic clown, Pennywise: Malcolm McDowell, Roddy McDowall, and Tim Curry, with Curry winning out. The rest, as they say, is history.
It, as a product of primetime network television, also had something else to contend with that its kin on the big screen (and the series of today) didn’t have to:stricter standards and practices. ABC insisted that the series couldn’t be too gory, with Mixon recounting one instance where they didn’t want to see a wet skeleton, which proved to be problematic when it was coming out of a lake. It wasn’t as problematic, however, as one of the golden rules of a network’s standards and practices division:thou shalt not show children in jeopardy. Considering that the primary theme behindItis a group of children being pursued by a homicidal clown,Itwas in trouble—or was it? Just because they couldn’t show Georgie’s arm being yanked off doesn’t mean that they couldn’ttalkabout it, for example, sohaving to rely on suggestion and atmosphere to deliver the goods actually worked in the show’s favor, somethingSteven Spielbergwould know a little bit about.
‘It’ Beat Average Reviews and George H. W. Bush To Exceed Expectations
Originally slated for release in May, ABC pushedItto November for “sweeps week,” where it would be up against other networks' best offerings. Prior to airing, reviews had already begun rolling out, which were average at best, likeEntertainment Weekly’s B- grade. If quality competition and fair-to-middling reviews were allIthad to contend with, it would probably do okay. But what about when consistent interruptions are thrown in while on the air?
After having overcome the obstacles during production to finally make it to television,Itwas now up against coverage ofPresident George H. W. Bush’s European trip,footage that would intermittently interrupt the series as it ran. But even the president’s continued interruptions weren’t enough to deter viewers, as 30 million people tuned in to watchTim Curry’s Pennywiseas he terrorized the Loser’s Club as children one night, and as adults the next.Itbecame a touchstone moment for an entire generation, a shared, once-in-a-lifetime experience—or nightmare.
