Tag Archives: Netflix

The Toy Department – Episode 143

  By toyAdmin | November 21, 2018 - 11:05 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 143, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky debate the finer points of the many flavors of M&M’s before focusing in on:

  • The new film Widows (6:25) and a mild disagreement over its overall quality but general agreement about a lot of excellent performances…
  • The new film Green Book (21:30) and how it is effectively a perfect holiday-time, Oscar-bait movie…
  • Netflix’s new Chuck Lorre dramedy The Kominsky Method (32:55) and how it represents an impressive turn to quality for the prolific producer…
  • Showtime’s Escape At Dannemora (38:00) and how it’s tough to say too much about a show after one oddly paced episode…
  • The 13th season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (41:20), particularly the season finalé, and where the show goes from here…
  • Homework for next week (49:15), including: the Coen Brothers/Netflix film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the limited series Little Drummer Girl on AMC, Trevor Noah’s new standup special (available on Netflix) and a season wrap-up discussion of The Challenge: Final Reckoning…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 142

  By toyAdmin | November 14, 2018 - 12:22 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 142, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly discuss sick days and nap time and puppies before jumping into:

  • A little check-in on the NBA (2:30) covering the recent spat between Warriors’ stars Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, plus some discussion of the Wolves’ Jimmy Butler trade…
  • Amazon’s new series Homecoming (12:40), with focus on director Sam Esmail and a very impressive cast…
  • John Leguizamo’s Netflix special Latin History for Morons (20:00), and how it hit Madden and Kolsky differently…
  • Season 2 of Room 104 (27:30), HBO’s Duplass-produced anthology series, and whether it has anything to offer…
  • Vince Staples’ new album FM! (34:10), and how it is a success as an ode to radio, though it may not have many bangers…
  • Homework for next week (40:15), including: seeing the new movies Widows and Green Book (for real this time), Netflix’s The Kominsky Method, and the new Showtime series Escape at Dannemora (with an all-star cast directed by Ben Stiller)…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 141

  By toyAdmin | November 7, 2018 - 11:09 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 141, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky ignore their mandate by mentioning this week’s elections before shuffling into the Toy Department to get into:

  • Kolsky’s shallow dive into Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal (3:25) and how it doesn’t quite rise to appointment television for him…
  • A wrap-up discussion on Season 2 of The Deuce (13:00) and how both guys continue to love the show and have deep attachments with the characters…
  • More thoughts on the British show Bodyguard (22:05) which is available on Netflix, and how it turns out to be more like 24 than something like Luther…
  • The Queen/Freddy Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (27:55) and all the reasons it was a bitter disappointment to both Madden and Kolsky…
  • Homework for next week (50:50), including: seeing the new movies Widows and Green Book, the new Julia Roberts show Homecoming on Amazon, the return of Room 104 on HBO and the new Vince Staples album FM!…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 140

  By toyAdmin | October 31, 2018 - 11:02 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 140, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly address the HOWLiday before hustling into a long list of topics, including:

  • Three new albums: Esperanza Spaulding’s 12 Little Spells (2:35); Open Mike Eagle’s What Happens When I Try To Relax (7:10); and Robyn’s Honey (9:55)…
  • The new film Mid 90’s (17:15), Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, and an impressive one at that in the opinion of both Madden and Kolsky…
  • Adam Sandler’s Netflix stand-up special 100% Fresh (27:45) and the guys’ wildly diverging opinions on it…
  • Hasan Minhaj’s new Netflix show Patriot Act (33:55) and how it’s another high-quality entry in an admittedly crowded late-night genre…
  • Bodyguard (41:20), a new British action drama available on Netflix, which has its ups and downs but proves an exciting watch…
  • A quick dip into the sports world (46:25) to discuss the most tortured fan bases across the big American leagues…
  • Homework for next week (52:50), including: a couple episodes of Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal on TBS, the new Queen/Freddy Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and the Neil Armstrong film First Man… Plus, PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE!!!
  • A discussion of LeBron James’ The Shop on HBO (54:10), which the guys almost forgot to discuss, but enjoyed very much…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 139

  By toyAdmin | October 24, 2018 - 11:01 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 139, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly check in on Kolsky’s new radio show before dissecting:

  • Season 2 of Netflix’s Making a Murderer (2:15) and whether the story bears further investigation or is simply a source of anger and sadness…
  • The debut of Matthew Weiner’s The Romanoffs on Amazon (12:40) and how it is a good hang and somewhat less high-concept than expected…
  • Greta Van Fleet’s debut album Anthem of the Peaceful Army (24:45) and how it’s unnecessarily pretentious and judgmental to reduce them to nothing more than a cover band…
  • The new 21 Pilots album Trench (35:00) and the guys’ diverging opinions on the quality and originality of the band in general…
  • A tiny taste of basketball (51:05) with a discussion of the Rajon Rondo/Chris Paul fight…
  • A run-down of albums Kolsky is planning to listen to (54:10) just to check if Madden is willing to give any of them a try…
  • Homework for next week (59:40), including: a whole lot of Netflix — the British series Bodyguard, Adam Sandler’s new special 100% Fresh and Hassan Minaj’s new show Patriot Act — plus LeBron James’ new HBO show The Shop and new albums from Open Mike Eagle (What Happens When I Try To Relax) and Esperanza Spalding (12 Little Spells)…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 137

  By toyAdmin | October 11, 2018 - 10:48 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 137, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are either one or two days late, depending on your perspective, and Madden is miserable in the Minnesota weather, but they still manage to squeeze in chats about:

  • The Jimmy Butler drama (2:55) with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and just who is at fault in this situation…
  • A wrap-up discussion on Amazon’s Forever (14:30), which sparks a significant disagreement between the two hosts…
  • A wrap-up discussion on Netflix’s Maniac (29:30), which sparks a less significant disagreement between the two hosts…
  • A sad breakdown of The Cool Kids (39:10) on Fox, and what a typically bad network sitcom looks like, despite having a star-studded, hope-inspiring cast…
  • The start of Season 2 of Netflix’s Big Mouth (47:20) and the standout star power of Maya Rudolph as the Female Hormone Monster…
  • The season finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul (56:30) and how it was the best show on television all summer, thanks in large part to the incredible performance by Rhea Seehorn…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:55), including: heading to the movie theaters to see A Star is Born and Bad Times at the El Royale, checking out a couple episodes of the new NBC drama Manifest and watching the series premiere of Camping on HBO, plus possibly a check-in on The Deuce…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 136

  By toyAdmin | October 2, 2018 - 10:40 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 136, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly banter about their inability to execute a short version of the podcast before long-winded discussions centering on:

  • The world of baseball (1:30) as the playoffs begin, which — in a bad sign for baseball — devolves into a brief discussion of the Atlanta Hawks…
  • An attempt to find new network television worth watching (16:00) which ends with the selection of one new drama and one new comedy that Kolsky and Madden will try out for at least two episodes…
  • The return of NBC’s The Good Place (30:25) and how incredible a job it does of playing to all audiences while also remaining incredibly smart and original in today’s network climate…
  • FX’s new Australian offering Mr. In-Between (37:10) which both guys find intriguing after an episode or two…
  • Lil Wayne’s new album (42:20) and how its highlights show off Wayne’s skills but aren’t enough to prop up 23 tracks…
  • The season finale of HBO’s Insecure (48:05) and the unique lack of particular excitement or cliffhangers…
  • Homework for next week (53:40), including: finishing Forever on Amazon, starting The Cool Kids on Fox, the return of Big Mouth on Netflix and the season finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 135

  By toyAdmin | September 26, 2018 - 10:52 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 135, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with some chatter about Kolsky’s new show and some other sports radio before transitioning into:

  • The state of the NFL (6:25) and Madden’s continued attempts to stop giving the league his money…
  • Jimmy Butler’s demand to be traded from the Timberwolves (19:05) and how it reflects on him, the team and the coach in charge of the whole mess; plus some thoughts on the NBA in general…
  • Netflix’s new limited series Maniac (36:25) and whether it makes enough sense to be enjoyable…
  • A season wrap-up discussion on Netflix’s Ozark (43:45) and how it remains one of the most entertaining shows available despite a confusing decrease in critical support…
  • The new film The Predator (52:10) and whether it’s good enough to cross into broad, popular appeal…
  • The new album Master Volume (1:00:05) by Canadian band The Dirty Nil, and how it sounds like a band on the verge of doing really cool things…
  • Homework for next week (1:08:40), including: the return of The Good Place on NBC, picking a new network show to try out, FX’s new show Mr. In Between and finishing up this season of HBO’s Insecure…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 134

  By toyAdmin | September 18, 2018 - 11:08 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 134, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky belabor their show introduction before jumping headlong into:

  • Amazon’s new streaming show Forever (2:15) and why they guys’ views on it differ so extremely…
  • Hulu’s new Sean Penn vehicle The First (27:05), where Penn plays a very muscular (former?) astronaut and brings a dramatic weight that is not necessarily enjoyable…
  • Some thoughts on (probably) bad new shows (34:15) including A Million Little Things and Rel, plus plenty of re-made “classics”…
  • A check-in on Derek’s active-ish (40:00) NFL boycott and the league’s many problems, starting with its commissioner…
  • Season 2 of Netflix’s American Vandal (49:20) and how the mock-umentary is still immensely enjoyable despite somewhat diminishing returns on the concept…
  • A quick check-in on Season 2 of Ozark (54:55) and how both guys are having a blast with it despite a less glowing critical reception than Season 1…
  • Homework for next week (1:02:05), including: finishing the aforementioned season of Ozark, the premiere of Maniac on Netflix, the album Master Volume by The Dirty Nil and an attempt to get to the theater for the new Predator movie…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 133`

  By toyAdmin | September 11, 2018 - 10:49 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 133, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a digression into the greatest mistakes in Oscars history before focusing in on:

  • The return of NFL football (6:50) and Derek’s non-financial-contributor philosophy for the season, plus some early returns…
  • A mid-season check-in on AMC’s Better Call Saul (16:25) which is one of the best shows going and has really ratcheted up the intensity without losing anything in the acting and writing…
  • Showtime’s new show Kidding (24:00) starring Jim Carrey and directed by Michel Gondry, and how the pilot does a good job of setting up a show with a ton of potential…
  • The return of The Deuce (31:00) on HBO, and how both guys trust it to come through despite an oddly stagnant time jump…
  • A wrap-up discussion on Season 6 of Orange is the New Black (36:30) and how truly exceptional it can be in its best moments…
  • Homework for next week (49:10), including: several new shows — Forever (starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen) on Amazon Prime, The First (starring Sean Penn) on Hulu; plus the return of American Vandal on Netflix…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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