Advertise on podcast: The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast

Nearly three decades ago, Stephen King stumbled upon a copy of Lars von Trier's Danish miniseries The Kingdom in a dusty Colorado video store. Roughly seven years later, ABC premiered Kingdom Hospital, the author's own take on von Trier's haunted hospital. While conceived as a miniseries, King was so excited about the project — developed alongside his Storm of the Century and Rose Red collaborators — that he was ready to start work on a second season. The series premiered strong, but ratings dwindled and ABC pulled the plug just months later.  Join the Losers as they unpack both the 13-episode series and King's candid thoughts about the adaptation and its swift cancellation, which he detailed in a 2004 EW column. Was it ahead of its time? Are the Twin Peaks comparisons warranted? And just how much did it inspire season 2 of American Horror Story? These questions and more — including its place in the larger canon of King's work — are discussed. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers return to a very familiar place: 'Salem's Lot. The only difference? Rob Lowe. Well, there are a lot of differences, and the gang goes into all of 'em. Follow along as they sink their teeth into this sprawling TNT miniseries update from 2004. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since Valentine’s Day is next week, we thought we’d unlock a sweet treat for you: Our Valentine’s Day special from last year! We called it The Sweetest Slice, because in this episode, we played Kinky Cupid and tore out our favorite sex scenes from Stephen King’s works. So, if you want two hours of sensual smut, enjoy. No need to send us any bubbly either.  Although, you could be our Valentine by joining The Barrens. The sweets keep on coming’ over there: hundreds of hours worth of exclusive content – from our Stephen King archival series, to our spooky Soul’s Midnights, to over a dozen commentaries on all your favorite Stephen King movies to spinoff series like Talkin’ Hawkins or our on-going CrichtonCast. You can subscribe now through the link in the description of this episode, or you can visit www.patreon.com/thebarrens. For now, grab some milk and enjoy a whole tray of poundcake. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This past December marked the 40th anniversary of John Carpenter's Christine. To celebrate, the Losers are revisiting the 1983 adaptation of the 1983 novel -- more on that later -- with their first Long Watch movie review episode in over a year. Joining the gang for the ride is Kayleigh Jensen of the Glitter & Gore podcast. Together, they chart the (very) short production history from page to screen, the iconography of the Plymouth Fury, the sounds of the film, and those timeless effects. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers return to Lisbon Falls, Maine for one last ride: to discuss Hulu's 11.22.63. Produced by J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, Kevin Macdonald, Bryan Burk, and Bridget Carpenter, the 2016 eight-part miniseries starred James Franco as Jake Epping, Sarah Gadon as Sadie Dunhill, and Chris Cooper as Al Templeton. Was it a hit? Did it come and go? Was it the true origin of the latest King Renaissance? All questions will be answered. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a clip from our recent discussion on Syfy's Haven. Want to hear the full track? Become a member of The Barrens (Patreon) by visiting www.patreon.com/thebarrens. You'll unlock hundreds hours of exclusive content that includes The Stephen King Archives, our Dark Tower Detour series, dozens of Ka-mmentary tracks for your favorite King flicks, all of our Lobstrosities episodes clawing through those silly King sequels, in addition to spinoffs like Talkin' Hawkins and CrichtonCast. Not to mention, dozens upon dozens of locked episodes and one-offs, including a 24-7 Discord community featuring Constant Listeners just like you! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers begin catching up on all the adaptations they've missed during their chronological re-read. Today's episode sees them discussing Mikael Salomon's Big Driver starring Maria Bello, in addition to Peter Askin's A Good Marriage starring Joan Allen. Both films pull from Stephen King's novellas collection Full Dark, No Stars and both are from 2014. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you recall from last week’s episode, we’re spending the next two months catching up on all the Stephen King adaptations and anniversaries we missed over the past year. So, to stay on theme, we’re unlocking a very topical episode of The Stephen King Archives, our Patreon exclusive imprint in which your Losers search the vault of Stephen King material – dusting off unpublished short stories, long-forgotten interviews, coffee-stained manuscripts, and alternate versions of your favorite tales. This particular entry was recorded in June 2022 and finds the Losers dusting off their copy of Stephen King’s World of Horror.  Released in 1986, the 45-minute doc covers the works of King and his influence on pop culture. Peppered between segments with King are a number of clips from essential horror titles alongside interviews with John Carpenter, Clive Barker, Tom Savini, etc. Together, Randall, Mike, and Jenn revisit the analog era of being a horror fan, digress on King's myriad quotes throughout the 45 minute special, and chew on the evolution of pop culture icons. And, naturally, as we’re wont to do, we detour into a number of unexpected tangents, the likes of which lead us to places both wonderful and strange. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seven years, eight seasons! The Losers look ahead at 2024. Together, they share their own highlights of Season 7 and go over the Club's reading and viewing lists for the year. Consider this a big old teaser trailer. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers reach the last page of Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63. In the sixth and final episode of their coverage, the Losers return to the present to discuss the tear-jerker of an ending, King's original finale, and their final thoughts. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We (mostly) kept JFK conspiracy talk out of our 11/22/63 episodes, as the story is best enjoyed on King's terms. We did, however, think it would be enriching to chat with some smart people about King's assertion that "it is very, very difficult for a reasonable person to believe" that Lee Harvey Oswald wasn't the lone shooter. Previously, we spoke with Brendan James of Blowback about the book, Oswald, and King’s political evolution. You can find that episode just a bit further down the feed. Now, we're speaking with Jim DiEugenio, one of the leading experts on the political assassinations of the 1960s. Jim is the author of two books about the Kennedy Assassination, one of which was the basis for Oliver Stone’s documentary JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass. He also has a new book out, The JFK Assassination Chokeholds and a website, KennedysandKing.com, that's loaded with resources.   Since Jim knows Kennedy scholarship like the back of his hand, we chatted with him about the research materials King cites in the afterword to 11/22/63, the ones that make him “98 to 99 percent” sure that Oswald acted alone. Jim also wanted to discuss an interview King did with filmmaker Errol Morris for The New York Times in November 2011, so it may be worth it to hit pause and give that interview a read before listening. The episode also contains spoilers for 11/22/63, in case that’s a concern. We hope you enjoy. Stay tuned for "Pt. 6: The Green Card Man" -- dropping this Friday. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63. In the fifth of six episodes, the Losers spend their time healing at the Parkland Memorial Hospital, all before the big, titular day. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices