FANGORIA's resident Stephen King experts Eric Vespe and Anthony Breznican (hosts of The Kingcast) go through every episode of the new HBO prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry as they air and discuss nods to the original book, point out easter eggs, and give their honest opinions on the revelations about dat boy Pennywise
9: Watching IT: Welcome to Derry Bonus Interview with Stephen Rider (Hank Grogan)
Breznican and Vespe are back for one more episode of Watching IT: Welcome to Derry and this time they’re joined by one of the show’s cast members: Mr. Stephen Rider who played the wrongfully persecuted Hank Grogan, father of Ronnie Grogan, lover of Ingrid Kersh, and the movie geek projectionist who ended up being a convenient scapegoat for the town’s authorities to blame for the disappearance of a bunch of kids.
We talk to Rider about his role and get into the nitty gritty of building this character. Why does Hank Grogan love movies so much? What was it like filming that crazy finale? And when was the first time this character saw something supernatural? The answer to that last one may surprise you as he talks about a run-in with Pennywise that Hank has that the audience never gets to see.
Of course we also can’t help but dig into the Stephen King of it all as well, including how reading the book helped shape his approach to Hank Grogan.
Enjoy this extra special interview episode that caps off our coverage of Season 1 of IT: Welcome to Derry. Hopefully we’ll be back for Season 2. We’re always watching…
Shout out to Watching IT: Welcome to Derry’s sponsor Black Magic Design (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/), the makers of professional level cameras, equipment, and post production services at consumer level prices.
Pennywise is on the move and all the storylines converge to stop It before it’s too late. In this new episode of Watching IT: Welcome to Derry, our co-hosts Anthony Breznican and Eric Vespe take in the finale and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the whole season. The last puzzle piece is in place, so how does this first season stack up?
Spoiler alert: pretty dang well.
There’s some disagreement on a few plot points, but by and large Breznican and Vespe agree that the big swings taken by Andy Muschietti and his creative partners are not only respectful of Stephen King’s text, they also fit into his universe. They feel like something he might have written if he had thought of it, which is about the best compliment a Constant Reader can give to anyone adapting King’s work.
From Hallorann’s trap for Pennywise to the straight up heavy metal imagery as Pennywise is fully unleashed, this episode brought the thunder and Breznican and Vespe are bursting at the seams to dig into it.
Shout out to Watching IT: Welcome to Derry’s sponsor Blackmagic Design (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/), the makers of professional level cameras, equipment, and post production services at consumer level prices.
8 Dec 2025
7: Watching IT: Welcome to Derry Ep. 7 - "The Black Spot"
We’ve made it to the penultimate episode of IT: Welcome to Derry, titled The Black Spot, and, to put it delicately, the poo-poo is hitting the fan. The end of Pennywise the Dancing Clown’s 1962 cycle is upon us and that means it’s time to get ready for some real carnage.
This episode delivers in a big way as a showdown at The Black Spot provides the backdrop for almost every character and subplot up to this point. We finally get some answers as to the military’s true plan for the evil that lives beneath Derry and why It prefers that particular clown form.
Once again, Vespe and Brez are there to talk through the episode, give their thoughts, and point out some fun King easter eggs along the way, including a nice nod to one of the best Stephen King miniseries.
Shout out to Watching IT: Welcome to Derry’s sponsor Blackmagic Design (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/), the makers of professional level cameras and equipment at consumer level prices.
1 Dec 2025
6: Watching IT: Welcome to Derry Ep. 6 - "In the Name of the Father"
In Episode 6 of IT: Welcome to Derry, titled In the Name of the Father we get a deeper look at Mrs. Kersh’s backstory, Lilly keeps looking crazy to her class mates, and there’s a real promise of revealing the origins of Pennywise’s human alter ego, Bob Gray. Marge and Rich have a meet-cute over her mutilated eyeball and Will finally stands up to his justifiably worried father.
All the while IT’s influence over the townspeople is coming to a boil as all roads lead to The Black Spot and a fiery conclusion to this 1962 cycle.
Shout out to Watching IT: Welcome to Derry’s sponsor Blackmagic Design (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/), the makers of professional level cameras and equipment at consumer level prices.
All the pieces are set, the kids are getting stoned, the adults are arming up, and everyone is converging at the Derry sewer system in Episode 5 of IT: Welcome to Derry, titled Neibolt Street. What happens when ITs home is bum rushed by the whole cast of this show? Well, let’s just say nobody’s gonna have a good time in those sewers.
Vespe and Breznican are back yet again to talk about one of the most entertaining episodes of the show to date and celebrate the return of everybody’s favorite kid-eating clown.
Shout out to Watching IT: Welcome to Derry’s sponsor Black Magic Design (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/), the makers of professional level cameras and equipment at consumer level prices.
17 Nov 2025
4: Watching IT: Welcome to Derry Ep. 4 - "The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet’s Function"
The latest episode of HBO Max’s IT: Welcome to Derry has everything: eye trauma, racial injustice, psychic probes, evil white people screwing things up for everybody, at least two red balloon sightings, and, say it with me, familial trauma represented as horror!
Vespe and Brez take a look at all the puzzle pieces being moved into place and make some educated guesses as to what is being set up and comment on the expansions to the IT lore that are explored in a pretty massive flashback in this episode.
Shout out to Watching IT: Welcome to Derry’s sponsor Black Magic Design (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/), the makers of professional level cameras and equipment at consumer level prices.
10 Nov 2025
3: Watching IT: Welcome to Derry Ep. 3 - "Now You See It"
You’re Watching It: Welcome to Derry and so are co-hosts Eric Vespe and Anthony Breznican. The duo return for Episode 3, titled Now You See It, which turns out to be a quite literal title as the famous clown is seen by multiple characters as this episode plays out. Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) and our lovable ragtag group of weirdo kids both have run-ins with this entity in its most familiar form. Everybody is looking for the clown in this one and the clown obliges! You also get a flashback to the 1908 cycle that helps explain just why the hell the Air Force knows about It. Breznican and Vespe examine all the different plot threads and point out the most intriguing developments along with the stuff that didn’t sit right with them, including possibly the jankiest supernatural attack portrayed in the series so far. Neither of your humble hosts were happy with the big finale sequence, so spin up the ep and give it a listen to see if you agree or not!
Many thanks to Watching IT: Welcome to Derry’s sponsor Blackmagic Design (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/), the purveyors of cinema quality production equipment at consumer prices and also the providers of equipment for some of your favorite recent horror projects, including the Andy Muchietti IT films, Longlegs, and the great recent Final Destination: Bloodline.
31 Oct 2025
2: Watching IT: Welcome to Derry Ep. 2 – “ The Thing in the Dark”
Dick Hallorann isn’t the only reference to The Shining in episode 2 of HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry. Anthony Breznican and Eric Vespe are back to point out the Stephen King easter eggs and analyze the direction the series seems to be going in while also looking back at the horror community’s reaction to the pilot episode.
27 Oct 2025
1: Welcome to Derry Ep. 1 - "The Pilot" | Watching IT
Pennywise returns and the preeminent Stephen King voices in podcasting will be Watching IT: Welcome to Derry! Join Anthony Breznican and Eric Vespe (The Kingcast) as each episode rolls out week to week, digging deeper into It's backstory as the fear-mongering monster terrorizes a different set of kids over decades before the events of the recent It films.
From the creators of It: Chapters 1 and 2 and starring Jovan Adepo, Clara Stack, Amanda Christine, Chris Chalk, James Remar, and, of course, Bill Skarsgard, season 1 of IT: Welcome to Derry promises to expand on the historical horror hinted at in King's novel.
Vespe and Breznican will be there for all eight episodes to give their opinions, critiques, and nerd out whenever appropriate as Andy Muschietti's expansion of the lore established in Stephen King's masterpiece novel plays out. Want to make sure you caught all the easter eggs in each episode? Are you curious where the story hues closer to the original text and where it drastically departs? Do you wish to be lulled into a zen-like state of meditative bliss as the dulcet tones of two professional podcast nerds excitedly discuss killer clowns, terrified children, and the underlying rot of racism and bigotry in small town 1960s America? If the answer is yes to any of these questions then you're in the right place.
Hosts Anthony Breznican and Eric Vespe are Watching IT: Welcome to Derry, so sit back, relax, and follow along.
Sponsored by Blackmagic Design
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