The Toy Department

The Toy Department

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The Toy Department episodes

  • The 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…
      • 54 min
    • The 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…
        • 52 min
      • The 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…
          • 53 min
        • The 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…
            • 57 min
          • The 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…
              • 58 min
            • The Toy Department – Episode 429

              In Episode 429, Madden and Kolsky get into their relative appreciation of getting pounded with heavy metal before they buckle down on:

              • The new FX show Welcome to Necaxa (3:20) and how the Eva Longoria project resembles but is also very different from the Rob & Ryan project in Wrexham…
              • Kolsky’s failure to watch Chief of War (15:00) thanks to a miscommunication on last pod (so maybe it’s homework now?)…
              • Netflix’s bat-guano insane The Hunting Wives (16:30) and the utter mediocrity of its nudity-heavy nonsense…
              • The five hours of Billy Joel documentary on HBO (22:05), whether he deserved that length and where his legacy lands…
              • Amazon Prime Video’s teen drama sensation The Summer I Turned Pretty (46:35) and whether our hosts should suffer through the first season or two to get to the apparently very good third season… or are we just very old and out of touch?
              • Another exciting episode of The Challenge 41: Vets & New Threats (54:45) and an absolute banger of an elimination between two small rookie women who left everything they had in the ring…
              • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:09:35), including: the next two episodes of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, perhaps revisiting the well-reviewed Chief of War, Noah Hawley’s new FX show Alien Earth, the John Grisham television adaptation The Rainmaker on USA/Peacock and the new Dallas Cowboys/Jerry Jones documentary on Netflix…
                • 1 hr 18 min
              • The Toy Department – Episode 428

                In Episode 428, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s visit to Chicago and assign some extra homework that they forgot about before locking into:

                • The first episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (5:55) and also the weird and mostly annoying 0th episode, with lots of excitement for the season to come…
                • The reasonably enjoyable Happy Gilmore 2 (30:55), how far you can fly on the wings of cameo appearances from terrible actors and Adam Sandler’s career choices…
                • Hulu’s new show Washington Black (39:50) and the relative usefulness of fantastical historical fiction…
                • Homework for next week (44:05), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, checking in on the apparently very popular The Summer I Turned Pretty on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix’s new series The Hunting Wives, Eva Longoria’s Wrexham spinoff Necaxa and the Billy Joel documentary And So It Goes on HBO Max…
                  • 54 min
                • The Toy Department – Episode 427

                  In Episode 427, Madden and Kolsky chat a bit about Kolsky’s new recording setup (which did not work as well as hoped) and recent oral surgery before homing in on:

                  • Netflix’s Charlize Theron action sequel The Old Guard 2 (3:40) and whether it deserves a Part 3, plus thoughts on Netflix’s ouevre…
                  • Michael C. Hall’s return to old haunts on Dexter: Resurrection (10:25) and streamer’s looking for mileage on friendly, well-worn trails…
                  • Amazon Prime Video’s Bosch spin-off Ballard (17:40) and how it landed with two dudes who never watched Bosch…
                  • Lena Dunham’s new Netflix show Too Much (22:50) and the goofy fun of Meg Stalter, plus the difference between Netflix and HBO…
                  • A few pre-season comments on The Challenge (28:15) and what our hosts are looking for in Season 41…
                  • Homework for next week (38:15), including: the return of The Challenge for Season 41, the new Happy Gilmore sequel on Netflix, the British show Assassin on Amazon Prime and the Sterling K. Brown show Washington Black on Hulu…
                  • Some English Premier League thoughts (40:40) before preseason gets fully underway…
                    • 51 min
                  • The Toy Department – Episode 426

                    In Episode 426, Madden and Kolsky spend entirely too long on Kolsky’s new cold brew coffee formula before shaking it off to discuss:

                    • The police-procedural-style crime drama Dept. Q on Netflix (4:30) and why one of our hosts loved it and the other turned it off…
                    • Apple TV+’s fire-crime-drama Smoke (10:05) and how, again, one of our hosts loved it and the other turned it off…
                    • Some love for the newest season of The Bear (18:00) and what it looks like to make essentially perfect television…
                    • Some soccer transfer talk (31:20) as the Club World Cup Final against PSG looms for Chelsea…
                    • Homework for TWO weeks from now (44:00), including: the return of Michael C. Hall in Dexter: Resurrection, the new Charlize Theron action movie The Old Guard 2, Lena Dunham’s new show Too Much on Netflix and the Bosch spinoff Ballard on Amazon Prime Video…
                      • 51 min
                    • The Toy Department – Episode 425

                      In Episode 425, Madden and Kolsky wish everyone a Happy Juneteenth before jumping into a holiday recording with:

                      • The excellent documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin on Netflix (2:50) and how it tells a fascinating and compelling story about a great rock band…
                      • The harmless Amazon Prime film Deep Cover (12:45) and why it seems to be getting so much love…
                      • The Netflix series Tires (15:50) and a general discussion about Shane Gillis…
                      • A few NBA thoughts on the way out (23:05) as our hosts just want everyone to get to the offseason safely…
                      • Homework for THREE weeks from now (28:50), including: the newest season of The Bear on FX, the new Apple TV+ show Smoke and probably some other stuff to be determined later…
                        • 30 min

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