Stephen King’s It surges on HBO Max after Tim Curry’s death

Stephen King’s It is back in HBO Max’s top 10 after Tim Curry’s death on August 25, 2026, putting the 1990 ABC miniseries in front of a fresh streaming audience more than 30 years after its original run.

The spike seems directly connected to Curry’s passing, with viewers returning to the performance most people still associate with the adaptation: his turn as Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

If it’s been years since you last watched It, there’s a real reason to go back. Curry is still the draw. His Pennywise doesn’t need much in the way of modern effects to get under your skin, sliding from playful to predatory in a way that feels close-up and deeply unnerving. For a lot of viewers, that performance also helped turn fear of clowns, or coulrophobia, into a lasting piece of pop culture.

The two-part adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel is streaming on HBO Max.

Tommy Lee Wallace directed the miniseries, which drew about 30 million viewers on ABC in 1990. Bill Skarsgård’s films in 2017 and 2019 brought Pennywise to a newer generation, but Curry still sets the standard. The renewed attention also arrives as HBO’s prequel It: Welcome to Derry, which premiered in October 2025, has already been picked up for a second season.