It: Welcome to Derry and Stranger Things are two shows that are being discussed heavily online, given that both the shows are currently mid-season. It: Welcome to Derry debuted on October 26, 2025, and is releasing new episodes every Sunday, and Stranger Things Season 5 Vol 1 consists of four episodes, released on November 26, 2025. The former is going to end Season 1 on December 14, 2025, whereas the latter will come to an end on New Year's Eve.Although the two series are from different networks and creators, they are actually very much alike. Throughout the stories, both towns are haunted by paranormal/supernatural events and young children are the main characters. Nonetheless, no matter how many more episodes of both shows are to come out, there already exist a few common similarities that can easily lead a viewer to think of one while watching the other.Similarities between It: Welcome to Derry and Stranger ThingsThe core of both It: Welcome to Derry and Stranger Things is different. While the former deals with a paranormal entity (who is actually an extraterrestrial being), the latter deals with a creature who started as a human, but later transformed into a monster. But both shows follow a friend group of young children in a small town who are tortured by a villain they initially don't know how to fight. In It: Welcome to Derry, it’s Pennywise haunting Derry, and its citizens, and in Stranger Things, it’s the Demogorgons and Vecna from the Upside Down tormenting Hawkins and its citizens. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostBoth shows are set in small towns in the past, with Stranger Things is set in the 1980s, and It: Welcome to Derry is set in the 1960s, which adds some nostalgia to the story, making us feel more connected to earlier times. This aspect focuses on the idea of small towns in the past hiding dark secrets. Besides, both shows' stories include the government running suspicious activities or having sketchy plans that the citizens aren't aware of. Among all this, children of the town are targeted by evil beyond their imagination, and they investigate and do their best to defeat it.A notable similarity between the two shows is how they explore human emotion, especially pain and trauma. Pennywise feeds on others' fears, which makes him powerful, and Vecna only targets people who have gone through something traumatic or whom he views as weak. Through the traumatic events of both shows, the creators help us understand each character closely, which is a much better of storytelling rather than just telling us what happened.In both shows, the torture and torment are mainly aimed at the children, but their friendship and teamwork become their biggest strength. In both series, the kids are exposed to the worst possible nightmares at a very early age and this not only leads to them being traumatized but also changes them as people. The one good thing about both shows is that the children figure out what is really happening and take it upon themselves to battle it. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn both shows, visions of extreme significance. Characters like Will, Max, and Nancy from Stranger Things have received visions of upcoming dangers. To be specific, Eleven is capable of using her abilities to penetrate the thoughts of people and control them. Dick Halloran from It: Welcome to Derry also possesses a similar psychic gift, which he refers to as the shining, granting him the ability to see visions and to read people's thoughts through their memories. This is a captivating method of depicting different viewpoints, but at the same time retaining the distinctive aspect of the science fiction/supernatural genre of the respective shows.The next episode of It: Welcome to Derry, In the Name of the Father, will be released on HBO and HBO Max on November 30, 2025. Stranger Things Season 5 Volumes 2 and 3 will be released on Netflix on Christmas and New Year's Eve, respectively.For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.