Tag Archives: Hulu

The Toy Department – Episode 229

  By toyAdmin | September 24, 2020 - 11:46 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 229, Madden and Kolsky are alive and employed, which means good in 2020, and ready to discuss:

  • The new season of PEN15 on Hulu (3:05) and how one of our hosts has really come around on the show…
  • The new Ryan Murphy show Ratched (10:35) and just what exactly he is doing with all of Netflix’s money…
  • Fox’s new show LA’s Finest (19:40) and how it follows a pretty successful formula to being exactly what you think it is…
  • A check-in on HBO’s Lovecraft Country (36:00) after a bottle episode starring an old veteran of The Challenge…
  • A brief NFL chat (48:50) about quick takeaways from the first two weeks of pro football…
  • Some thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (51:45) with particular focus on Tyler Herro’s tremendous performance…
  • Homework for our next show, on October 6 (1:07:35), including: the new Netflix show Sneakerheads, season four of Fargo on FX, Showtime’s new movie The Comey Rule and the new Amazon show Utopia… plus EVEN MOAR NBA Playoffs and Weeks 3 & 4 of the NFL season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 228

  By toyAdmin | September 17, 2020 - 11:53 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 228, Madden and Kolsky steel themselves to work through arguably the weirdest content week in Toy Department history, featuring:

  • The exceedingly weird Netflix film I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2:05) from the mind of Charlie Kaufman…
  • The new HBO series We Are Who We Are (25:20) and what the guys make of some weird vibes and a lack of background or explication in the first episode…
  • The new HBO mini-series The Third Day (36:25) and what exactly is happening with both the airing of the show and the content…
  • Hulu’s new Lamorne Morris-starring show Woke (46:25) and how it’s a nice place to spend some time…
  • The topsy-turvy NBA Playoffs (52:10) and what the Nuggets’ big upset of the Clippers means…
  • A few thoughts on Week One of NFL action (1:19:35), featuring the San Francisco 49ers’ somewhat surprising loss to Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals…
  • Homework for next week (1:25:55), including: the probably terrible new Fox show LA’s Finest, the new season of PEN15 on Hulu and the new Netflix/Ryan Murphy show Ratched… plus MOAR NBA Playoffs and Week 2 of the NFL season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 215

  By toyAdmin | June 4, 2020 - 11:10 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 215, Madden and Kolsky can’t avoid a short discussion of the serious issues going on in the world before jumping back into the Toy Department with:

  • This week’s episode of The Challenge (9:15) and the epic elimination between Wes and Johnny Bananas…
  • This week’s episode of Top Chef (34:20) and the fearsome foursome heading towards the final…
  • Netflix’s new Steve Carrell show Space Force (48:10) and how it fails to distinguish itself…
  • Season 2 of Ramy on Hulu (51:50) and how it hits better for one host than the other…
  • HBO Max’s Love Life (55:05) and the irrepressible charm of Anna Kendrick…
  • Homework for next week (1:02:05), including: the latest from both The Challenge and Top Chef, HBO’s I May Destroy You, the new Run the Jewels record (RTJ 4) and ESPN’s Bruce Lee documentary Be Water…

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The Toy Department – Episode 214

  By toyAdmin | May 29, 2020 - 11:52 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 214, Madden and Kolsky spend a few minutes lamenting the state of America before turning to the lighter fare of:

  • This week’s episode of Top Chef (4:05) and how things look as we head to a new country and towards the finalé…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge (22:45) and the prospects for players still in search of their red skull…
  • Hulu’s new show The Great (44:15) and how it is a bundle of fun in the vein of The Favourite, among other things…
  • A few quick words on Patton Oswalt’s new comedy special (52:30), but it’s nothing special…
  • Far more words on Hannah Gadsby (54:40), her new special Douglas and the excitement of a talented new comedic voice…
  • Season 2 of Homecoming (1:06:05) and whether or not it even really needs to exist…
  • TNT’s Snowpiercer (1:10:20) and whether its potential is weighed down by its TNT-ishness…
  • Homework for next week (1:15:05), including: more from both Top Chef and The Challenge, HBO Max’s initial offering Love Life (with Anna Kendrick), Netflix’s new show Space Force, the return of Ramy on Hulu and ESPN’s 30 for 30 on Lance Armstrong…

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The Toy Department – Episode 212

  By toyAdmin | May 7, 2020 - 11:11 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 212, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky dive right into:

  • This week’s restaurant wars episode of Top Chef (1:40) and the unsuspenseful upset that it delivered…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge (17:10) and the many dangers of Total Madness…
  • Two more episodes of The Last Dance (34:50) and the singular maniacal drive of Michael Jordan…
  • The return of Showtime’s Billions (52:40) and whether there’s enough growth to keep the show’s momentum going…
  • HBO’s new skater show Betty (56:15) and whether a pilot episode with no pilot can grab your interest…
  • Upload on Amazon Prime (1:00:40), where it falls short and why it remains a reasonably enjoyable watch…
  • Hulu’s new show Normal People (1:04:20) and its unique, perhaps novelistic style…
  • Homework for next week (1:08:10), including: new episodes of Top Chef & The Challenge, two more episodes of The Last Dance, finishing this season of Brockmire, the second season of Dead to Me and Jerry Seinfeld’s new stand-up special (plus HBO’s new show I Know This Much is True, which was not mentioned)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 206

  By toyAdmin | March 27, 2020 - 10:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 206, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are still surviving somehow, and find time to discuss:

  • This week’s episode of Top Chef (4:20) and its great Jonathan Gold-inspired LA food tour…
  • The new Hulu movie Big Time Adolescence (19:45) and how it turned out to be strangely moving…
  • AMC’s Dispatches From Elsewhere (24:30) and how its madcap plot and general insanity don’t hinder its charm…
  • AMC’s Better Call Saul (33:05) and the near-fever pitch it has reached as it builds towards a final season…
  • The new Amazon film Blow the Man Down (39:15) and the guys’ differing views on its enjoyability…
  • The old FX show Terriers (42:50) and how it makes a great binge during our time of quarantine…
  • Homework for next week (47:15), including: another episode of Top Chef, Tiger King on Netflix, the return of Netflix’s Ozark, the new season of The Challenge, the new Pearl Jam record Gigaton and a check-in with political comedy shows Last Week Tonight and Patriot Act, which should be very interesting given where we’re at as a world…

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The Toy Department – Episode 205

  By toyAdmin | March 19, 2020 - 10:50 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 205, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are still adjusting to our strange new reality as they hop through:

  • The challenges of living in a COVID-19 world (1:00) and the potential pitfalls of working from home…
  • The return of Bravo’s Top Chef (10:45) and thoughts on all the All-Star competitors in this year’s LA-based season…
  • The season four premiere of IFC’s Brockmire (28:30) and what a marvelous delight it continues to be, regardless of whether anyone seems to be watching it…
  • Season two of Black Monday on Showtime (35:30) and whether it stands out from the pack in a crowded TV landscape…
  • The first couple episodes of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere (38:35) and what an interesting show it seems to be, though Reese Witherspoon treads familiar ground…
  • HBO and David Simon’s The Plot Against America (49:20) and how it’s really just an awful lot to digest at a time like this…
  • Homework for next week (54:40), including: another episode of Top Chef, the new Hulu movie Big Time Adolescence, the new Amazon Prime movie Blow the Man Down, check-ins on Better Call Saul and Dispatches from Elsewhere, and a quarantine streaming special — the old FX show Terriers, which is now available on Hulu…

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The Toy Department – Episode 204

  By toyAdmin | March 14, 2020 - 8:01 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 204, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are settling into life in a COVID-19 world and delve into:

  • Some thoughts on what life has been like over the last week (2:05) and what it may be like moving forward…
  • The season finale of HBO’s The Outsider (9:35) and what a great 10-episode run it had…
  • The series premiere of FX’s Hulu-specific series Devs (17:45), the mystery therein and a dramatic turn from Nick Offerman…
  • FX’s new series Dave (24:55) and how star Lil’ Dicky sucks you in and makes you laugh…
  • FX’s Better Things (28:10) and how it continues to soar as a shining example of great sitcom-style television…
  • Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This (37:15) and the charmingly distinct style of its creator…
  • The Netflix-made Lil’ Peep documentary Everybody’s Everything (42:55) and how it’s probably more for the late rapper’s fans than the general public…
  • Marc Maron’s new Netflix stand-up special End Times Fun (49:45) and his apparent mastery of his craft…
  • The HBO Sports documentary Women of Troy (53:20) and how much each guy learned about some stars in women’s basketball past…
  • Homework for next week (1:01:05), including: the return of Top Chef, the return of Brockmire on IFC, the return of Black Monday on Showtime and David Simon’s Philip Roth adaptation The Plot Against America on Amazon…

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The Toy Department – Episode 202

  By toyAdmin | February 20, 2020 - 11:04 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 202, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky discuss their feelings about camping before jumping into:

  • The new Tame Impala album The Slow Rush (4:30) and how it hit the ears of each of our hosts…
  • The new film The Photograph (16:05) and where it falls a little short of its potential…
  • The new Hulu show High Fidelity (23:10), the charm of Zoë Kravitz and when the series really locks in, plus thoughts on Hulu’s mediocre interface…
  • A check-in on TBS’ Miracle Workers (30:45) and what makes it entertaining as it really gets into its new premise…
  • The latest season of Brooklyn 99 (34:50) and how it has grown (or not) over its life as a series…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (39:45), including: Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes, the end of The Outsider on HBO, the new show Hunters on Amazon Prime, the new comedy Gentefied on Netflix, the return of Better Call Saul on AMC, the Dwyane Wade documentary Life Unfiltered on ESPN and PBS’ Miles Davis doc Birth of the Cool…

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The Toy Department – Episode 200

  By toyAdmin | February 6, 2020 - 11:35 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 200, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky eschew a special ceremony to celebrate their longevity in the interest of discussing:

  • A run-through of the major Oscars (1:50) and who the guys expect and want to win…
  • HBO’s new docu-series McMillions (25:40) and how it turns out to be a delightful tale of the most charming criminal conspiracy…
  • The docu-series Cheer on Netflix (31:45) and how appealing so many of its characters are…
  • Amazon’s new film Troop Zero (37:10) and the difference of opinion between the hosts on its worthwhileness…
  • Season two of the anthology show Miracle Workers on TBS (39:55) and whether it’s worth getting back into…
  • A few words about The Outsider on HBO (43:35) and how much both guys are enjoying it…
  • The series finale of The Good Place (46:30) and how we will never see its like again…
  • The Andrew Wiggins/D’Angelo Russel trade (56:40) breaks mid-recording and the guys discuss…
  • Homework for next week (0:0), including: Brooklyn 99’s return, the premiere of Briarpatch on USA, the new Netflix movie To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and the new movie Birds of Prey in theaters…

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