🔗 Share this article You Should Watch One Classic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment The series Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the clear ties to It, the series also features a direct link to King's famous novel via the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King that deserves another look. The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live his remaining years inside a notorious prison. And it's that very institution which is central here, as the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry. Some of the tales that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we discover regarding the awful life at Shawshank State Prison and several of those imprisoned within, including the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon. Thus far, though, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the perspective of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and raped by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by the authority figures due to his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty. Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry In relation to the series, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement via an initial preview for the show, in which a prison bus was seen with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn who is likely destined for the prison. Though it is known he was not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?" The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie Given that the real murderer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and viewers do not see him there, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would not be enjoyable. More importantly, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and she just has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should Shawshank has any say, she could be out of luck. A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig to freedom. Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.