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Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came: A Podcast about Stephen King and His Books

Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came: A Podcast about Stephen King and His Books

Jay Russo and Sean McGurr

254 episodesEN-US

Show overview

Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came: A Podcast about Stephen King and His Books has been publishing since 2016, and across the 10 years since has built a catalogue of 254 episodes, alongside 25 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 150 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence, with the show now in its 23rd season.

Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 31 min and 47 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Arts show.

The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 weeks ago, with 7 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2021, with 41 episodes published. Published by Jay Russo and Sean McGurr.

Episodes
254
Running
2016–2026 · 10y
Median length
39 min
Cadence
Fortnightly

From the publisher

A podcast about Stephen King and his books

Latest Episodes

View all 254 episodes

Ep. 185 The Body

May 6, 202631 min

Ep. 184 Apt Pupil (1998)

Apr 27, 202637 min

Ep. 183 Apt Pupil

Apr 8, 202642 min

Ep 182Ep. 182 The Shawshank Redemption

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Shawshank Redemption. Introduction (00:00) Production info (02:35) Good adaptation (09:00) So is this movie good (18:20) Dark Tower Thinnies (22:20) Yuck-King it Up (25:28) Fun Stuff (27:06) Other Worlds than These (33:40) Jay: The Rest is Science. Podcast Sean: The Silent Bullet by Arthur Reeves Outro (38:50) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: “Apt Pupil” found in Different Seasons.

Mar 25, 202640 min

S23 Ep 181Ep. 181 Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption from Different Seasons. Introduction (00:12) Publication history (02:35) Hindsight (06:02) Redemption and hope (13:03) Dark Tower Thinnies (20:06) Yuck-King it Up (26:14) Fun Stuff (27:40) Other Worlds than These (32:24) Jay: Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, Javier Bardem, and Judi Dench. Directed by Sam Mendes. Sean: Down Cemetery Road, based on the novel by Mick Herron. Starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson. Outro (37:04) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Join us as we cover the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, and Clancy Brown.

Mar 11, 202638 min

Bonus Episode 51: Misery movie

In this bonus episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore the 1990 adaptation of Misery. Note: We recorded this before Rob Reiner’s tragic death. Introduction (00:00) Background (01:28) Changes from the book (06:55) Overall thoughts (26:06) Dark Tower Thinnies (30:58) Yuck-King it up (32:21) Fun stuff (35:55) Other Worlds Than These (42:33) Sean: Patriot (2015-2018, Amazon Prime) Jay: Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965, Philip K. Dick) Outro (50:23) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next episode: “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” found in Different Seasons.

Jan 28, 202652 min

S22 Ep 180Ep. 180 Misery, Parts 3-4

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore Misery, Part 3: Paul and Part 4: Goddess. Introduction (00:12) In defense of writing (01:29) What book did we just read? (13:14) Final thoughts (19:37) Dark Tower Thinnies (23:27) Yuck-King it Up (27:04) Fun Stuff (29:42) Other Worlds than These (33:55) Jay: Star Trek: Khan podcast Sean: Slow Horses, Season 5 Outro (37:32) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Misery, the 1990 film adaptation, directed by Rob Reiner.

Jan 14, 202638 min

S22 Ep 179Ep. 179 Misery, Part 2

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In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore Misery, Part 2: Misery. Introduction (00:00) Scary and funny (01:25) Writing as procrastination (10:47) Can you? (17:12) Dark Tower Thinnies (23:44) Yuck-King it Up (30:09) Fun Stuff (33:50) Other Worlds than These (38:31) Jay: Amadeus (1984 dir. Milos Forman) Sean: Stupid TV, Be More Funny by Alan Siegel Outro (46:14) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Misery, Part 3: Paul and Part 4: Goddess.

Dec 31, 202547 min

S22 Ep 178Ep. 178 Misery, Part 1

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore Misery, Part 1: Annie. Introduction (00:13) Publication history (04:40) The writing (10:59) Addiction (22:55) Dark Tower Thinnies (28:07) Yuck-King it Up (29:11) Fun Stuff (32:05) Other Worlds than These (38:35) Jay: Alien: Earth (FX), by Noah Hawley. Starring Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, and Timothy Olyphant. Sean: The Lowdown (FX) Created by Sterlin Harjo. Stars Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon, a truthstorian. Outro (43:55) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Misery, Part 2: Misery.  

Dec 17, 202545 min

Bonus Episode 50: The Dark Half movie

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we discuss The Dark Half movie adaptation. Introduction (00:00) Production (01:30) Faithful adaptation: to a fault (05:07) Our final thoughts (21:05) Dark Tower Thinnies (23:15) Yuck-King it Up (26:02) Fun Stuff (28:23) Other Worlds than These (34:09) Jay: The Monkey (2025) Sean: Dept. Q (2025) Outro (40:17) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Misery Part 1 “Annie”

Dec 3, 202541 min

S22 Ep 177Ep. 177 The Dark Half, Chapters 22-26

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Dark Half, Section 3: The Coming of the Psychopomps, chapters 22-26 & the epilogue. Introduction (00:00) Recap (00:53) What it is to be a writer (01:32) The ending (11:58) Final thoughts (18:10) Dark Tower Thinnies (21:56) Yuck-King it Up (25:59) Fun Stuff (27:25) Other Worlds than These (30:04) Jay: The Thursday Murder Club (2025), Netflix. Directed by Chris Columbus. Starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley, Jonathan Pryce, David Tenant, etc. Sean: 1001 Albums Generator project. Outro (35:47) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Misery Part 1: Annie.

Nov 26, 202536 min

S22 Ep 176Ep. 176 The Dark Half, Chapters 15-21

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In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Dark Half, Section 2: Stark Takes Charge, chapters 15-21. Introduction (00:00) Twins (01:30) The role of the writer (14:32) Dark Tower Thinnies (23:39) Yuck-King it Up (27:26) Fun Stuff (30:11) Other Worlds than These (37:25) Jay: My Cousin Vinny (1992) Sean: Richard Stark’s Grofield novels Outro (42:28) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: The Dark Half, Section 3: The Coming of the Psychopomps; chapters 22-26 & epilogue.

Oct 29, 202543 min

S22 Ep 175Ep. 175 The Dark Half, Chapters 01-14

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Dark Half, Section 1: Fool’s Stuffing, chapters 1-14. Introduction (00:00) Publication history (01:38) King’s writing style for this book (04:53) A fiction by a fiction (15:24) Dark Tower Thinnies (23:18) Yuck-King it Up (24:29) Fun Stuff (27:01) Freak-A-Zoid, by Midnight Star Midnight Star, by “Weird Al” Yankovic The Amazing Alexander, Saturday Night Live Listener feedback (33:18) Other Worlds than These (34:57) Jay: Ronin (1998) starring Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgård, and Jonathan Price. Directed by John Frankenheimer and written by David Mamet. Sean: We Deal in Lead RPG Outro (39:08) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: The Dark Half, Section 2: Stark Takes Charge, chapters 15-21.

Oct 16, 202540 min

S22 Ep 174Ep. 174 Blaze, Chapters 18-24

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In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore Blaze, chapters 18-24. Introduction (00:00) Does Blaze have the shine (01:06) The tragedy of Blaze (08:52) Final thoughts (16:29) Dark Tower Thinnies (22:05) Yuck-King it Up (24:21) Fun Stuff (26:01) Other Worlds than These (35:35) Sean: The Sandman, season 2 (Netflix) Jay: Deep Cover (2025, Prime Video) Outro (40:26) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: The Dark Half, Section 1: Fool’s Stuffing, chapters 1-14.

Sep 24, 202542 min

S22 Ep 173Ep. 173 Blaze, Chapters 11-17

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore Blaze, chapters 11-17. Introduction (00:13) Is this a ghost story? (01:49) Alone is bad (11:28) Dark Tower Thinnies (18:49) Yuck-King it Up (25:25) Fun Stuff (27:04) Other Worlds than These (32:05) Jay: Predator: Killer of Killers, Directed by Dan Trachtenberg Sean: Song of Spider-Man by Glen Berger, a writer on the musical, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Outro (36:28) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Blaze, chapters 18-24.

Sep 10, 202537 min

S22 Ep 172Ep. 172 Blaze, Chapters 1-10

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore Blaze, chapters 1-10. Introduction (0:00) Publication history (1:28) Throwback type of book (9:42) Blaze’s morality (17:20) Dark Tower Thinnies (30:12) Yuck-King it Up (32:58) Fun Stuff (33:57) Other Worlds than These (40:07) Jay: Spaceballs (1987, dir. Mel Brooks) Trailer Sean: Poker Face (season 2 on Peacock) Outro (43:45) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Blaze, chapters 11-17.

Aug 27, 202545 min

Bonus Episode: Uncle Otto’s Truck (Skeleton Crew) (December 2022)

bonus

In this bonus episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore “Uncle Otto’s Truck,” found in Skeleton Crew. Introduction (00:00) Publication history (01:32) Nostalgia (04:32) Connections (09:44) Small-town gossip (13:22) Unreliable narrator? (19:17) Dark Tower Thinnies (25:08) Yuck-King It Up (27:28) Fun Stuff (30:25) Outro (35:09) Leave us an Apple Podcasts review! Support our show at Patreon.com/twoguysdarktower. Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/2guysdarktower/ Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2guysdarktower/ Twitter: @2guysdarktower Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties.

Aug 8, 202536 min

Bonus Episode: “Chinga” The X-Files

In this bonus episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore the X-Files episode, “Chinga,” written by Stephen King. Introduction (00:00) Background (01:15) Stephen King and the episode (06:53) Weird facts about the episode (15:11) Yuck-King It Up (22:23) Fun Stuff (26:03) Outro (29:18) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! Twitter: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties.

Aug 6, 202530 min

Bonus Episode: Thinner Adaptation

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In this bonus episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore the 1996 film adaptation of Thinner. Introduction (00:00) Background (01:16) Comparing the book and movie (03:48) Overall thoughts (13:46) Our ratings (19:21) Dark Tower Thinnies (21:20) Yuck-King It Up (22:24) Fun Stuff (29:15) SNL Digital Short: The Curse Pennywise blood stain? Outro (34:44) Leave us an Apple Podcasts review! Support our show at Patreon.com/twoguysdarktower. Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/2guysdarktower/ Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2guysdarktower/ Twitter: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties.

Jul 23, 202536 min

S22 Ep 171Ep. 171 Thinner, Chapters 20-27

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore and finish Thinner, chapters 20-27. Introduction (00:00) Taking responsibility/Everybody pays (01:11) Ginelli (10:06) The ending (20:58) Final thoughts (29:15) Dark Tower Thinnies (30:29) Yuck-King it Up (33:00) Fun Stuff (35:27) Other Worlds than These (41:37) Jay: Paris, Texas (1984), directed by Wim Wenders, written by Sam Shepard, starring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, and Aurore Clément. Sean: Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride by Will Leitch Outro (45:16) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app! Buy merch at store.twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Send your questions, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. For more information about the show, check us out at twoguystothedarktowercame.com. Join the conversation on social media! X: @2guysdarktower Bluesky: @twoguysdarktower.bsky.social Intro and outro music is Western Cowboys Logo by Shorties. Next Episode: Blaze, chapters 1-10.

Jul 9, 202546 min