117 episodes

Decoding TV Presents A Cast of Kings: A quasi-weekly discussion of the plots, themes and highlights of the HBO series "House of the Dragon." Your hosts Dave Chen (The Filmcast and The Tobolowsky Files) and Kim Renfro (entertainment reporter at Insider, author of The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones) will dish up both praise and criticism and will try not to sound too pompous if the book was better. Questions, comments, oaths of fealty? Email acastofkings@gmail.com

A Cast of Kings - A House of the Dragon Podcast David Chen

    • TV & Film
    • 4.2 • 3.3K Ratings

Decoding TV Presents A Cast of Kings: A quasi-weekly discussion of the plots, themes and highlights of the HBO series "House of the Dragon." Your hosts Dave Chen (The Filmcast and The Tobolowsky Files) and Kim Renfro (entertainment reporter at Insider, author of The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones) will dish up both praise and criticism and will try not to sound too pompous if the book was better. Questions, comments, oaths of fealty? Email acastofkings@gmail.com

    Decoding TV: Succession Season 3 Look-Back and Season 4 Preview

    Decoding TV: Succession Season 3 Look-Back and Season 4 Preview

    David Chen and Kim Renfro reflect back on season 3 of 'Succession' and look forward to season 4.

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Decoding TV Preview: 1899 Season 1

    Decoding TV Preview: 1899 Season 1

    Over on the Decoding TV podcast, David Chen, Joy, and Kim Renfro recorded a bonus episode discussing season 1 of Netflix's 1899.  In this excerpt we discussed our overall thoughts on the show. Later, we dive into our thoughts on the production design, each character's arc, and the unexpected ending to season 1. 

    This clip contains the NON-SPOILER parts of our conversation. To listen to our full spoiler chat, go here. Find Decoding TV on Apple Podcasts or wherever your podcasts are found.

    • 25 min
    Bonus Ep. - Dispatch from the Game of Thrones Official Fan Convention

    Bonus Ep. - Dispatch from the Game of Thrones Official Fan Convention

    David Chen and Kim Renfro are back! In this bonus episode, Kim Renfro describes her experiences attending the Game of Thrones Official Fan Convention (the first officially licensed fan convention!). Which panels did she see and what did she learn about the current and future state of Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon? Listen to find out!

    Links:


    Subscribe to this podcast on YouTube
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    Find Kim’s work at Insider

    • 28 min
    House of the Dragon Season 1 Post-Mortem

    House of the Dragon Season 1 Post-Mortem

    Subscribe to the Decoding TV podcast and hear us cover shows like The White Lotus, Andor, and many more!

    In this A Cast of Kings bonus episode, David Chen and Kim Renfro reflect on the first season of House of the Dragon. What questions remain unanswered? What themes stick out the most? And what was it like to make a podcast about it all? Listen to find out. 

    Programming note:  Kim and I plan to do other bonus episodes throughout the year as Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon news breaks. Keep it tuned in to A Cast of Kings for more!

    Links:





    WATCH: David's special send-off for Kim this season

    Kim Renfro: What book chapters should you read to brush up on House of the Dragon? 
    Kim Renfro: 11 questions the House of the Dragon season left unanswered
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    • 1 hr 8 min
    Decoding TV Bonus Ep: The White Lotus Season 1 Lookback and Season 2 Preview (with Roxana Hadadi)

    Decoding TV Bonus Ep: The White Lotus Season 1 Lookback and Season 2 Preview (with Roxana Hadadi)

    Hey folks, it's David Chen here. The second season of The White Lotus will debut on October 30 on HBO and run for 7 episodes, and I’m thrilled to share that the Decoding TV podcast will be recapping and reviewing each episode. Furthermore, I’m excited to announce that my co-host will be Roxana Hadadi, a TV critic at Vulture.com and one of my favorite writers on the internet today.

    In this Decoding TV bonus ep, we discuss season 1 of The White Lotus, with a particular focus on its finale. Where did we leave off with each of these characters? What was this show trying to say about wealth and privilege, and how effectively did it say it? And what about that whole murder mystery plot? Listen to hear our thoughts on all of the above!

    To listen to the rest of the show, subscribe at podcast.decodingtv.com.

    • 59 min
    House of the Dragon S1E10 - The Black Queen

    House of the Dragon S1E10 - The Black Queen

    Help keep podcasts like A Cast of Kings going by becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com!

    In this episode of A Cast of Kings, David Chen and Kim Renfro dive into House of the Dragon’s season 1 finale, “The Black Queen.” Rhaenyra learns of what went down at King’s Landing next week, prompting her and Daemon to take immediate action. But can Rhaenyra prevent tragedy from befalling the kingdom, as well as her family? 

    Where is this show going with all the references to the ASOIAF prophecy? What’s up with the depiction of Daemon this episode? What are the major differences between the show and the books when it comes to this episode’s events? How will the Dance of the Dragons play out? Now that season 1 is over, will David stop complaining about the time jumps? Listen to hear our thoughts!

    Programming note: Kim and I will record at least one additional bonus episode next week, and we plan to do other bonus episodes throughout the year as Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon news breaks. Keep it tuned in to A Cast of Kings for more!

    Links:





    Kim Renfro: 8 details you might’ve missed
    Kim Renfro: How HOTD made an important change to a tragic death
    Listen to our Twitter Space reacting to this episode
    Subscribe to this podcast on YouTube
    Follow us on Tiktok
    Follow David on Twitter
    Follow Kim on Twitter

    • 1 hr 43 min

Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5
3.3K Ratings

3.3K Ratings

k8wma ,

2 hosts 2 ratings

Kim is 5 stars. Enjoy analysis and delivery. David is kind of annoying and I have to fast forward through the promo of his podcasts. Will keep listening though.

Jimthephotographer ,

Racist comments and too political

The hosts love to attack “white men” and interspersed thinly veiled liberal talking points. The discussion about the show is pedestrian and not insightful.

Jamal2000 ,

Used to be great

I don’t know if my taste has changed but I remember really enjoying this podcast during the GOT days. I don’t know why they drag the beginning and take forever getting to the show recap.

I have absolutely no problem with Davids actual analysis but the self involvement gets to be annoying.

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