Tag Archives: television

The Toy Department – Episode 177

  By toyAdmin | August 7, 2019 - 2:32 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 177, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are trying to get Madden to a baseball game on time, so jump right in to:

  • The first episode of Hard Knocks (2:25), and how much fun this season’s time with the Raiders looks like it will be…
  • Quentin Tarantino’s newest masterpiece, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (15:25) and all the wonderful things that both guys appreciated about it…
  • The return of Dear White People (36:50) on Netflix, and how even though there’s nothing really new here, it’s still good TV…
  • HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show (41:55) and how it has its moments, but Kolsky still struggles to get down with sketch shows…
  • Kolsky’s first experience with Bachelor in Paradise (46:00) and whether he’s ready to hang in there for the full season…
  • A few thoughts on a funny Netflix stand-up special from Whitney Cummings (56:55) and appreciation for her commitment to a bit…
  • Homework for next week (59:25), including: the new Beverly Hills 90210 reunion BH90210, the conclusion of HBO’s Euphoria, plus the returns of GLOW on Netflix, Succession on HBO and Lodge 49 on AMC…

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The Toy Department – Episode 176

  By toyAdmin | July 31, 2019 - 11:17 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 176, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky have a quick chat about Madden’s concert-going exploits before delving into:

  • The premiere of the final season of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black (2:10), which Madden enjoyed more than Kolsky but also maybe Kolsky just needs to stick with it a little longer…
  • Amazon’s new Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg production The Boys (10:15) and how it is different than any superhero show you’ve seen and pretty damn good…
  • The Showtime documentary Shangri-LA (16:20) and its fascinating subject Rick Rubin…
  • Chance the Rapper’s new album The Big Day (31:45) and how it is long but really quite good throughout…
  • Homework for next week (40:50), including: the premiere of Bachelor in Paradise (for real this time), the return of Dear White People on Netflix, the new season of HBO’s Hard Knocks (featuring the Oakland Raiders), a new HBO show – A Black Lady Sketch Show (from Issa Rae), Whitney Cummings’ new comedy special on Netflix and the new Tarantino film Once Upon A Time in Hollywood…

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The Toy Department – Episode 175

  By toyAdmin | July 24, 2019 - 4:08 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 175, Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky STILL on paternity leave and STILL without a high quality microphone to record into, but nevertheless they persist with:

  • The conclusion of the second season of Big Little Lies (1:55), and whether the HBO drama had enough to justify coming back…
  • HBO’s teen drama Euphoria (14:15) and how it’s a unique and impressive work of prestige television…
  • Toy Department hits the movies, as Madden saw Stuber (25:05) and Kolsky saw the new Lion King (27:50)…
  • Hulu’s surprise early drop of the fourth season of Veronica Mars (36:15), and how it takes us right back to that Veronica Mars place in our hearts…
  • The new album Help Us Stranger by the Raconteurs (39:45) and how the influence of Brendan Benson tames the genius of Jack White in an appealing way…
  • Homework for next week (48:40), including: the premiere of Bachelor in Paradise, the return of Orange is the New Black on Netflix, and the new Amazon show The Boys (from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 174

  By toyAdmin | July 17, 2019 - 2:56 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 174, Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky on paternity leave and without a high quality microphone to record into, but they still manage to cover:

  • The new American version of the UK hit Love Island (2:25) and whether it makes the grade for continued enjoyment…
  • Kolsky’s dive into the old Madden favorite The Shield (17:05) and what an early ’00s classic looks like in 2019…
  • Madden’s attempt to enjoy old Kolsky favorite Deadwood (27:45) and his insurmountable western roadblock…
  • A discussion about the Emmy Award Nominations (33:35) and TV’s biggest awards program in general…
  • Homework for next week (1:01:30), including: the new Showtime docu-series Shangri-La focusing on Rick Rubin, the new Raconteurs album Help Us Stranger, hopefully getting to the new movie Stuber and catching up on HBO shows Big Little Lies (which is already ending!) and Euphoria (which is only beginning)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 172

  By toyAdmin | July 3, 2019 - 1:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 172, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly discuss their recording circumstances before jumping into the real meat:

  • The new Amazon series Too Old to Die Young (1:20) and how it really fails to come together in a meaningful way or show any particularly redeeming qualities…
  • Showtime’s new Roger Ailes show The Loudest Voice (11:35) and how its pilot delivered all the goods…
  • An extended NBA conversation (18:50) covering the free agent machinations and some thoughts on the teams that made big changes…
  • A brief conversation about USWNT soccer (55:25) trimmed down to NOT include senseless bickering about Landon Donovan’s ability (or lack thereof)…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:05), including: the new Aziz Ansari stand-up special on Netflix, Years and Years on HBO, the premiere of the American version of Love Island and — again — maybe seeing the movie Yesterday in theaters…

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The Toy Department – Episode 171

  By toyAdmin | June 26, 2019 - 8:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 171, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky cover Kolsky’s extreme dad day (fair warning — there are some baby noises) and welcome a new (mostly quiet) cohost before jumping in on:

  • Netflix’s new show The Society (7:15) which both guys found delightfully entertaining, if modest in its overall ambition…
  • HBO’s new teen thrill-ride Euphoria (12:50) and whether it is engaging enough to overcome the fact that it can be difficult to watch…
  • Ava Duvernay’s When They See Us (25:40) on Netflix, and how upsetting the story is for so many reasons…
  • AMC’s new supernatural series NOS4A2 (31:15) and whether it’s worth checking out…
  • Showtime’s City on a Hill (35:05) and its odd B-movie feel despite the high-powered production team…
  • A few thoughts on NBA free agency (40:25) and its accompanying silliness…
  • Homework for next week (51:00), including: The Loudest Voice on Showtime, Too Old to Die Young on Amazon, thoughts on the early days of the NBA’s coming free agent frenzy and hopefully the new film Yesterday…

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The Toy Department – Episode 170

  By toyAdmin | June 12, 2019 - 2:42 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 170, Derek Madden travels and Matt Kolsky braves a heat wave with no noisy fan so they can discuss:

  • The conclusion of Season 4 of Showtime’s Billions (3:10), a wrap discussion and some thoughts on where we are heading…
  • The start of Season 2 of HBO’s Big Little Lies (13:05), with thoughts on the tremendous Meryl Streep and the direction of the plot…
  • Netflix’s new season of Black Mirror (18:30), whether the show retains its ability to shock and some more excellent acting performances…
  • Some NBA Finals thoughts (39:00) after the crushing blow of Kevin Durant’s achilles injury…
  • Homework for next week (58:10), including: the conclusion of the NBA Finals, actually catching up with AMC’s new supernatural series NOS4A2, starting Euphoria on HBO and City on a Hill on Showtime, and checking out When They See Us on Netflix…

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The Toy Department – Episode 169

  By toyAdmin | June 5, 2019 - 12:12 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 169, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky once again threaten their plans for a short podcast with the broadcaster jinx, before speeding through:

  • HBO’s Deadwood movie (1:30) and how it ties a nice bow on one of the great under-appreciated TV series of all time, plus some discussion of Vulture’s all-time HBO show rankings…
  • The Elton John biopic Rocketman (10:20) and how it succeeds in many ways despite apparently fitting into categories neither host particularly enjoys…
  • The Amazon series Good Omens (21:45) and how it feels like the writers and creators failed to flesh out their elevator pitch…
  • The Netflix show How To Sell Drugs Online Fast (25:15) and how it turns out to be of German origin but not entirely terrible…
  • Netflix’s new rom-com Always Be My Maybe (28:45) and how charming it is despite being rather rote…
  • A wrap on the second season of Killing Eve (37:45) and whether the show still has the promise of its first season…
  • Some quick NBA thoughts (44:10) in the middle of a compelling, if slow-moving, Finals series…
  • Homework for next week (50:30), when there may or may not be a podcast, including: the new season of Black Mirror on Netflix, the return of Big Little Lies on HBO, AMC’s new vampire series NOS4A2 and the conclusion of Billions …

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The Toy Department – Episode 168

  By toyAdmin | May 29, 2019 - 11:37 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 168, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly discuss Madden’s tummy-ache before soldiering through and into:

  • The season finale of The Challenge (2:15) and why this is the absolute peak of reality TV entertainment…
  • The second season of Spike Lee’s Netflix show She’s Gotta Have It (15:45) and the undeniable charm of the film-making and lead actress…
  • The action thrill-ride of John Wick 3 (25:30) and how Derek probably should have just skipped it…
  • Derek’s experience watching Netflix’s horror-thriller The Perfection (46:45) and Kolsky’s decision to spend his time elsewhere…
  • The second season of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag on Amazon (49:40) and how nobody is better at being Phoebe Waller-Bridge than Phoebe Waller-Bridge…
  • The new reports detailing the rampant dysfunction in the LA Lakers organization (54:10) and just where the blame for the mess lies, plus some thoughts on Kevin Durant and people’s odd refusal to listen to what he actually says…
  • Homework for next week (1:16:30), including: wrapping up Season 2 of Killing Eve, heading to the theater to see Rocketman, the premiere of Good Omens on Amazon, the new Netflix show How To Sell Drugs Online Fast, the Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe, HBO’s new Deadwood movie and the NBA Finals…

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The Toy Department – Episode 167

  By toyAdmin | May 22, 2019 - 12:10 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 167, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky get into Kolsky’s new full time job as father to a tiny human before getting silly with:

  • The series finale of Game of Thrones (5:25), how both guys are relatively pleased, some thoughts on the haters and critics, and what comes next in big-time pop culture…
  • HBO’s new Monday night entry Chernobyl (28:15) and whether the dramatic circumstances and excellent performance from Jared Harris and others overcome the deeply disturbing events…
  • The final season of Easy on Netflix (34:45), and the particular success of Joe Swanberg in creating movies and shows that feel very authentic…
  • Amazon’s Sneaky Pete (38:30) and whether it is holding the guys’ interest in its third season…
  • An attempt to start with homework before a digression into the in-progress finale of The Challenge: War of the Worlds (45:00) and how intense the final competition of the season appears to be…
  • Homework for next week (48:35), including: the aforementioned Challenge final, the return of Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It on Netflix, Season 2 of Fleabag on Amazon, the new Netflix thriller Perfection, the now-in-theaters action blockbuster John Wick 3: Parabellum and MORE NBA playoff action…

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