The Toy Department

By The Toy Department

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4.4

1212 ratings

FAQs about The Toy Department:

How many episodes does The Toy Department have?

The podcast currently has 433 episodes available.

The Toy Department episodes:

November 21, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 439
In Episode 439, Madden and Kolsky get started with Derek issuing the dreaded short-show curse before a futile attempt to break it while discussing:
The last pre-final episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (1:15) where Nany’s determination to play the game “honorably” got the best of her, leaving a stacked field for TJ’s Final…
The return of Landman on Paramount+ (22:05) and how it’s one of the most enjoyable and well-written shows available, whatever you might think about its oil politics…
Netflix’s documentary Being Eddie (27:15) and whether the filmmakers managed to get deep enough with the enigmatic and private Eddie Murphy…
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (44:15) and how it utterly failed to reach either of our hosts…
Derek finally watched Sinners! (51:00) He didn’t love it.
Homework for TWO weeks from now [we are off for Thanksgiving, and a HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU] (58:50), including: a final report on The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, Netflix’s Claire Danes show The Beast in Me, Peacock’s missing child drama All Her Fault, the Cumberbatch/Coleman film The Roses (available on Hulu), Netflix’s historical drama Death By Lightning, and the second season of A Man on the Inside…
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1h 2min
November 14, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 438
In Episode 438, Madden and Kolsky get right down to business to avoid Kolsky’s scheduling conflicts:
The last two weeks of action on The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (1:11) where the latest episode featured some delightful high drama, continuing rookie behavior from a vet and a fascinating new elimination… and we are set up for a heck of stretch run!
Tracy Morgan’s new Paramount+ sitcom Crutch (23:25) and how it is really for people who love the old-school, traditional sitcom format (and apparently the show The Neighborhood with Cedric the Entertainer)…
The new HBO Max comedy I Love LA (26:30), Derek’s developing distaste for Rachel Sennott and an interesting comparison to a long-running and beloved show in a different city…
Netflix’s new Colin Farrell film Ballad of a Small Player (30:25) and how our hosts wish the movie was better, because Farrell’s performance is typically awesome…
Vince Gilligan’s new Apple TV+ show Pluribus (35:25) and how Rhea Seehorn should be in everything and we should cherish our television masters while we have them…
A few thoughts on Victor Wembenyama (55:15) and the place of dynasties in sports…
Homework for next week (1:04:05), including: another episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, the Eddie Murphy docu-series Being Eddie on Netflix, the return of Landman on Paramount+ and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (also on Netflix), plus MAYBE season 2 of A Man on the Inside (time permitting) and Sinners (Derek-watching-it permitting)…
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1h 13min
October 31, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 437
In Episode 437, Madden and Kolsky hurry through an intro after Derek applies the dreaded short-show curse, so they can get to:
This week’s action from The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (2:35) and how bizarre it is to see the vets panic over gameplay when the rookies are handling it reasonably well…
The second season of Netflix’s Nobody Wants This (26:20) and how it remains compulsively watchable and driven by excellent characters…
Netflix’s new Kathryn Bigelow film A House of Dynamite (33:05) and how it’s a dynamite mood piece that doesn’t totally come together as a narrative film…
DEREK FINALLY SAW One Battle After Another (41:10) and both our hosts loved it, so that’s the conversation…
Homework for next week (53:10), including: another episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, the new HBO Max comedy I Love LA, Tracy Morgan’s new sitcom Crutch on Paramount+ and the new Netflix movie Ballad of a Small Player…
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55min
October 24, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 436
In Episode 436, Madden and Kolsky must address Derek’s continued truancy at the movie theater before they can get deeper into:
The latest from The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (4:35) where there are increasingly fewer vets (especially on the men’s side) but plenty of threats all over…
The Shane Black film Play Dirty (20:50) and the joys of watching Lakeith Stanfield, plus a spoiler that we forgot to pre-alert, so look alive …
The Hulu documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (26:15) and the importance of the festival, in retrospect, plus Kolsky’s irrational distaste for Sarah McLachlan…
Colin Hanks’ documentary John Candy: I Like Me (36:10) and the relative ambitions of a bio-doc versus an event doc…
The new Naked Gun movie on Paramount+ (43:45) and how Liam Neeson & Co. did well to capture the essence of the franchise but could have provided a few more laughs…
A handful of sports thoughts (48:20) from gambling in the NBA to Arsenal’s spot atop the EPL favorites…
Homework for next week (1:10:00), including: another episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, actually making Derek get to the theater to see One Battle After Another, plus Season 2 of Nobody Wants This and the new Kathryn Bigelow movie A House of Dynamite, both on Netflix…
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1h 14min
October 17, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 435
In Episode 435, Madden and Kolsky return from an extended absence with Derek running on fumes to discuss:
Three weeks of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (4:15) which featured lots of content but maybe not a whole lot of action…
The Chair Company on HBO (26:05) and why both of our hosts are all the way out on Tim Robinson…
Hulu’s football comedy Chad Powers (33:35) and what it looks like when a movie star is in a middling TV comedy…
Netflix’s new period drama House of Guinness (38:05) and whether it will pick up enough to draw one of our hosts in…
Mae Martin’s new Netflix thriller Wayward (43:25) and its extremely chaotic energy…
Derek’s failure (49:30) to watch One Battle After Another…
Homework for next week (51:30), including: another episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, actually getting to talk about One Battle After Another, the new Naked Gun movie on Paramount+, the new Shane Black movie Play Dirty on Amazon Prime Video, the Hulu documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (despite Kolsky’s sexism) and the Colin Hanks-directed documentary John Candy: I Like Me on Amazon Prime Video…
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1h 1min
September 26, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 434
In Episode 434, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s upcoming trip to Austin City Limits before zeroing in on:
The latest from The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (7:45) and the product of the Lock In, plus Derek’s feelings about an elimination-free episode…
Netflix’s new series Black Rabbit (28:30) and whether it’s their attempt at a prestige show (and whether it’s successful, if so)…
Sterlin Harjo’s new Ethan Hawke-led series The Lowdown (35:35) and where FX stands in the theoretical prestige TV rankings…
Homework for THREE weeks from now (50:45), including: another episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, Netflix’s new drama House of Guinness, the Mae Martin-created Wayward (also on Netflix), Hulu’s new comedy Chad Powers, and Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company on HBO, plus (hopefully) movies The Naked Gun and One Battle After Another…
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54min
September 19, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 433
In Episode 433, Madden and Kolsky literally discuss the weather before they finally get into it with:
The latest from The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (3:35) after the demise of the Justice for Leka movement…
The new Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest (24:40) and whether Denzel is too old for this sh*t…
Prime Video’s new thriller The Girlfriend (35:50) and how (and why) it doesn’t quite rise to the level of must-watch…
The return of Gen V (43:20) and further thoughts on The Boys cinematic universe…
Homework for next week (we forgot to actually mention it in the episode ), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, Netflix’s new show Black Rabbit and Sterlin Harjo’s new series The Lowdown on FX…
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52min
September 12, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 432
In Episode 432, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s imminent vacation to Vegas, and general Vegas strategy, before diving into:
The latest from The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (5:00) where, as so often happens, the rookies are flailing and failing at forming a working alliance to oppose the vets…
Peacock’s Office spin-off The Paper (22:00) and the potential pitfalls of trying to re-capture the magic…
Amazon Prime Video’s teen band dramedy The Runarounds (25:55) and how one of our hosts (bet you can guess which) is an instant Stan…
HBO’s new Sunday night offering Task (34:00) and the mysteries that abound in the first episode of the new show from the creator of Mare of Easttown…
Homework for next week (47:55), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, the new Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest on Apple TV+, and two Amazon Prime Video shows: Season 2 of Gen V and the new show The Girlfriend…
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53min
September 05, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 431
In Episode 431, Madden and Kolsky discuss their IRL meet-up between podcasts before getting down to brass tacks on:
The last two weeks of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (7:00) and the thrilling elimination that crowned the most recent episode…
The baffling and distinctly not funny comedy The Pickup (22:50) and how exactly we end up making things that make no sense…
The disappointing film The Phoenician Scheme (28:40) and whether the career of Wes Anderson has ceased to be a source of interest…
The excellent Freaky Tales (34:30) and its love affair with Oakland…
A revisiting of Apple TV+’s insane show Smoke (43:05) and how the not-especially-good-but-totally-ridiculous blueprint seems to be working for them…
Homework for next week (51:45), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, the Office spin-off The Paper, HBO’s new crime drama Task and the Amazon Prime teen band show The Runarounds…
...more
57min
August 21, 2025The Toy Department – Episode 430
In Episode 430, Madden and Kolsky are chomping at the bit after a week off, so it’s right on into:
The last two weeks of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (1:20) and whether Johnny Bananas was right when he said “I AM the Challenge!”
Apple TV+’s Chief of War (24:10) and why neither of our hosts expect to keep watching…
Noah Hawley’s Alien Earth on FX (28:55) and how he just keeps making compelling television…
Peacock’s John Grisham adaptation The Rainmaker (33:30) and how it’s pretty darn good for a network-y sort of show…
Netflix’s documentary series America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys (39:20) and how much Kolsky loves Michael Irvin…
Homework for TWO weeks from now (53:00), including: the next two episodes of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, revisiting the Apple TV+ show Smoke and three movies —The Pickup on Amazon Prime Video, Freaky Tales on HBO Max and The Phoenician Scheme on Peacock…
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58min

FAQs about The Toy Department:

How many episodes does The Toy Department have?

The podcast currently has 433 episodes available.

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The Toy Department

FAQs about The Toy Department:

How many episodes does The Toy Department have?

The Toy Department episodes:

FAQs about The Toy Department:

How many episodes does The Toy Department have?

More shows like The Toy Department

The Bill Simmons Podcast

Dunc'd On Basketball NBA Podcast

Hollinger & Duncan NBA Show - NBA Basketball Podcast