Tag Archives: Peacock

The Toy Department – Episode 332

  By toyAdmin | February 17, 2023 - 11:38 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 332, Madden and Kolsky get stuck in a lengthy discussion of playing FIFA and watching the English Premiere League before focusing in on the topic(s) at hand:

  • The season finalé of The Challenge: Ride or Dies (15:10) and the crowning of two new champs in Devin and Tori, plus a look forward to the jam-packed future of The Challenge Universe…
  • The critically celebrated film Tár (58:00) and just what exactly it has to offer other than a predictably incredible performance from Cate Blanchett…
  • The Ryan Coogler-directed superhero film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (1:03:55) and how it doesn’t live up to its predecessor but still makes for a pretty good time…
  • Showtime’s new 90s/00s indie rock scene documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom (1:08:35) and how it has some great shots and archived footage but not enough information about its subjects…
  • The Dave Franco-directed Somebody I Used to Know (1:21:05) and the magnetic lead actor energy of his wife and star Allison Brie…
  • Homework for next week (1:26:50), including: the Oscar-nominated Spielberg film The Fabelmans, a new Netflix series called Fakes and Marc Maron’s new HBO special From Bleak to Dark… PLUS the reunion episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department – Episode 331

  By toyAdmin | February 10, 2023 - 3:52 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 331, Madden and Kolsky do a quick debrief on their long time apart before shifting into gear to discuss:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (1:40) where we seem to be past the halfway point of TJ’s Final and there are LOTS of incidents and accidents to discuss…
  • A quick check-in on The Last of Us (33:40) to acknowledge the excellence of Episode 3…
  • Peacock’s new Natasha Lyonne vehicle Poker Face (35:10) and how her charm carries the viewer to an awful lot of fun…
  • Hulu’s superpower show Extraordinary (38:45) and how it really is extraordinarily enjoyable, with excellent writing and some delightful young unknown performers…
  • Apple TV+’s Bill Lawrence/Jason Segel joint Shrinking (44:05) and how the combination of its two creators makes for an oddly enjoyable cocktail, plus — Harrison Ford…
  • The Netflix rom-com You People (51:30) and how there’s not much Rom and Eddy Murphy is largely wasted but it’s not so terrible in the end…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl LVII (1:00:55) and the recently passed NBA Trade Deadline (1:05:10)…
  • Homework for next week (1:16:25), including: four movies — TÁR (streaming on Peacock), Wakanda Forever (streaming on Disney+), Meet Me in the Bathroom (streaming on Showtime and Paramount+) and Somebody I Used to Know (streaming on Amazon)… and OF COURSE the last episode (we think) of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department – Episode 327

  By toyAdmin | January 6, 2023 - 2:49 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 327, Madden and Kolsky debrief on Kolsky’s weird morning before locking in on:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (2:40) and the critical error made by the Underdogs in the latest daily challenge…
  • The documentary Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair on Peacock (19:20) and how the apparently-still-not-retired wrestler makes for a very compelling subject, even if many of the stories have been told before…
  • The Netflix film White Noise (27:05) from director Noah Baumbach and how it fails to really finish any thoughts despite starting an awful lot of them…
  • Netflix’s new spy series The Recruit (32:35) and Noah Centineo as a leading man/action star…
  • Homework for next Friday (37:00), including: the movie She Said on Peacock, the new series Kaleidoscope and the newest season of Last Chance U (both on Netflix)… and OF COURSE the next episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department: Episode 313

  By toyAdmin | September 16, 2022 - 3:07 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 313, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss their varying vaccination adventures before pushing viruses aside to share views on:

  • The conclusion of The Challenge USA on CBS/Paramount+ (2:20), how the baffling finish to the final struck our hosts and where are they at on the Challenge Universe’s expansion plans… plus a little tease for the new season of the flagship (21:55) which is right around the corner…
  • The brilliantly entertaining Bad Sisters (25:40) and how Apple TV+ continues to produce quality content, whether folks are watching it or not…
  • Peacock’s new movie Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul (29:50) and how it comes up short of both expectations and the talent of its leading actors…
  • Showtime’s new series American Gigolo (34:45), the pure unbridled sexiness of Jon Bernthal and whether the guys believe in this series after just one episode…
  • Homework for next Friday (39:30), including: the return of Atlanta on FX for its final season, Hulu’s new comedy Reboot, Patton Oswalt’s new stand-up special We All Scream and the new Star Wars series Andor on Disney+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 309

  By toyAdmin | August 5, 2022 - 11:43 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 309, Madden and Kolsky are eager to get into their pop culture topics today, including:

  • The latest episode of The Challenge USA (1:20) and how Tyson continues to separate himself from the competition despite a questionable strategy for elimination nominations…
  • The second season of FX/Hulu’s Reservation Dogs (22:40) and how it transports the viewer right back to its totally unique and wonderful world…
  • The Peacock mystery/thriller The Resort (28:45) and how it just didn’t quite live up to our hosts’ expectations, despite a delightful cast and interesting premise…
  • The surprisingly excellent Paper Girls (34:35) and how the Amazon Prime time travel show has some wonderfully developed young characters…
  • Homework for next Friday (42:05), including: at least the first episode of Season 2 of Industry on HBO Max, the new season of All or Nothing on Amazon Prime (featuring Arsenal), the new Netflix series The Sandman (based on a Neil Gaiman comic) and Disney+’s I Am Groot, plus the next episode of The Challenge USA on CBS…
  • A brief detour into the state of Disney+ television properties (48:15), particularly Marvel and Star Wars… (and you want want to miss the out-take from our pre-show meeting)

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The Toy Department – Episode 308

  By toyAdmin | July 29, 2022 - 11:14 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 308, begin with a long detour into Dave Chappelle before focusing in on last week’s homework, specifically:

  • The latest from The Challenge USA on CBS (18:50) after an early trivia episode, and how the Big Brother players are stuck on Big Brother strategy while The Challenge plays out around them…
  • The Peacock comedy Bust Down (32:00) and how it’s perfectly good but not necessarily compelling to either of our hosts…
  • Issa Rae’s new project Rap Sh!t on HBO Max (35:30) and how both guys are into it, but took a second episode to get there (perhaps because they’re getting old!)…
  • Nathan Fielder’s new HBO Max show The Rehearsal (40:20) and whether the pure absurdity and over-the-top nature of it is compelling and interesting or not…
  • The Netflix action flick The Gray Man (47:20) and whether it’s good enough to be the foundation of a big-time action franchise for them…
  • Homework for next Friday (58:50), including: The Resort on Peacock, Paper Girls on Amazon Prime and the second season of Reservation Dogs on FX/Hulu, plus the next episode of The Challenge USA on CBS…

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The Toy Department – Episode 270

  By toyAdmin | August 3, 2021 - 11:06 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 270, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky talk a little about the crowded sports calendar before turning their focus to:

  • The return of Behind the Music (7:15) and whether the now-MTV property is doing enough with new content to be worth watching…
  • The new Iliza Schlesinger Netflix movie Good on Paper (17:40) and how it’s a relatively original twist on what is basically a romantic comedy format…
  • The new HBO Max comedy special Tig Notaro: Drawn (22:20) and whether the animation gimmick adds to Tig’s particular brand of stand-up…
  • The surprisingly compelling Peacock show Dr. Death (28:10) and how the lead actors and a shocking true story help create an engrossing experience…
  • Homework for next THURSDAY (37:15), including: the return of The Challenge!!! — Spies, Lies and Allies debuts on Wednesday and the guys will go deep on next week’s THURSDAY pod, plus HBO Max’s goofy new dating show FBOY Island, the new Suicide Squad movie (also on HBO Max) and hopefully an episode or two of Apple TV+’s Joseph-Gordon Levitt vehicle Mr. Corman…

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The Toy Department – Episode 262

  By toyAdmin | June 8, 2021 - 11:31 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 262, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky plunge immediately into this week’s content, because Kolsky has a take he’s been anxious to share about:

  • The new Peacock series We Are Lady Parts (1:20) which is Kolsky’s clubhouse leader for SHOW OF THE YEAR in 2021…
  • Some thoughts on The Challenge: All Stars reunion (10:10) and what the future of the franchise may hold…
  • The latest from Top Chef: Portland (20:50) and the heavy hitters heading down the stretch of the competition…
  • Netflix’s new Zack Snyder film Army of the Dead (31:55) and just how terrible it actually is…
  • Bo Burnham’s new Netflix comedy special (41:35) and the incredibly creative and innovative style that captures the essence of our year of pandemic life…
  • A few sports thoughts (55:05), covering the NBA Playoffs, health vis a vis rest and some USMNT soccer talk…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (1:01:01), including: more Top Chef in Portland (and probably more NBA Playoffs action), the new Netflix show Startup, the new Michael B Jordan movie Without Remorse on Amazon Prime, the new HBO Max show Starstruck and the return of HBO’s Betty (a pod favorite… plus, Madden and Kolsky will break down EW’s list of the best Challenge contestants of all time…

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The Toy Department – Episode 260

  By toyAdmin | May 25, 2021 - 12:38 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 260, Madden and Kolsky are attempting a short episode per scheduling needs, so they dive immediately into:

  • The new Tina Fey/Peacock show GIRLS5EVA (1:20) and how the one episode available to non-subscribers isn’t quite enough to draw in our non-subscriber host…
  • The new HBO Max show Hacks (6:05) and the greatness of Jean Smart…
  • Angelina Jolie’s movie Those Who Wish Me Dead (11:35) and just how little sense any aspect of it makes…
  • Season 3 of Netflix’s Master of None (19:20) which focuses almost entirely on Lena Waithe’s character Denise and her wife, and continues to be an intriguing made-for-streaming art film sort of piece…
  • The latest from Top Chef: Portland (30:35), which is heading down the home stretch with a ton of talent in play after a completely unique restaurant wars…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (45:10), including: more Top Chef in Portland, the end of HBO’s Mare of Easttown, the new film Plan B on Hulu and the Friends reunion on HBO Max… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: All Stars FINALÉ on Thursday night!!!
  • A few NBA thoughts (47:40) as the Playoffs have commenced…

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The Toy Department – Episode 258

  By toyAdmin | April 27, 2021 - 10:44 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 258, Madden and Kolsky dive right into the deep end of pop culture topics with a shocking admission from Derek as they discuss:

  • The latest in Top Chef () including Madden quitting on Last Chance Kitchen and the difficulty of finding oneself as a chef on a reality competition show…
  • A few thoughts on a lackluster Oscars broadcast (31:15) and what it means for the future of the show…
  • The new Peacock sitcom Rutherford Falls (47:35) and how it’s pretty good, and pretty reminiscent of Parks & Rec, but not perhaps good enough to support a Peacock subscription…
  • The new Bob Odenkirk movie Nobody (55:10) and how it’s basically John Wick for an audience that demands more from the scenes between the fights…
  • Homework for some Tuesday to come (58:45), including: more episodes of Top Chef in Portland and streaming some Banshee on HBO Max… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents reunion AND the first season of The Challenge All Stars on Thursday!!!

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