COVID-19 – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 243

In Episode 243, Madden and Kolsky are (unsuccessfully, again) aiming for a short episode, so they dive right into:

The new Tiger Woods documentary on HBO (2:40) and how it spins a fascinating story around a rather uninteresting personality…
The too-widely-acclaimed How To with John Wilson (20:05) and how the odd but unexceptional HBO Max show fails to live up to its billing…
The Apple TV+ original Mythic Quest (27:00), where Kolsky stopped watching and why Madden thinks it’s worth sticking with it…
The Netflix docu-series History of Swear Words (33:25) and the enjoyable comedy of filthy language…
Some quick sports thoughts — on the NBA’s COVID issues (39:50) and the NFL’s first Super Wild Card Weekend (49:25)…
Homework for of next Tuesday (1:02:45), including: the second part of HBO’s Tiger documentary, the new film Promising Young Woman (available on VOD), the Amazon Prime film One Night in Miami (directed by Regina King) and the third film in the Small Axe Series — Red, White and Blue; plus MORE NFL playoffs and NBA basketball… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

In Episode 224, Madden and Kolsky already talked about the weather pre-pod, so they dive right into:

The totality of HBO’s Perry Mason (1:25) and whether the guys are interested in a second season…
The current season of The Chi on Showtime (13:15) and how it has changed from what it seemed to be in its first season…
The new Seth Rogen film American Pickle (18:10), available on HBO Max, and how it is exceptionally bizarre and really quite enjoyable…
The return of HBO’s Hard Knocks (25:50) and the challenges the show is dealing with in this strange season…
Some NBA talk (33:55) as the bubble games give way to the official playoffs and Damian Lillard makes us all gaze on in wonder…
A little bit of MLB discussion (1:05:50) as we hit the 20-game mark, which is one third of this weird season…
Homework for next week (1:16:05), including: the new Netflix movie Project Power, HBO’s new show Lovecraft Country and LOTS of NBA Playoff action (with maybe some other stuff added mid-week)…

In Episode 222, Madden and Kolsky start with a discussion of babies and zoos before getting into:

The second week of The Challenge: Total Madness Reunion (5:00) and the general let-down of this season’s end…
The return of HBO’s Room 104 (21:10) and just how delightful the first episode of this season was, even if it doesn’t make the show feel essential…
The new Amazon Prime film Radioactive (28:20) and some of the curious choices made by the filmmakers…
The return of sports (32:45) with MLB already underway (for now, at least), the NBA set to start and the NFL opening training camps…
Homework for next week (52:45), including: the new season of Umbrella Academy on Netflix, the fifth season of the Netflix docu-series Last Chance U, the new Go-Go’s documentary on Showtime, the end of HBO’s docu-series I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and revisiting HBO’s Perry Mason…
The new Taylor Swift record Folklore (57:15) and how it doesn’t quite resonate with either of our hosts…

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…

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…