The Toy Department – Episode 342

In Episode 342, Madden and Kolsky are working around Kolsky’s 20th college reunion, so it’s a quick attack of:

  • This week on The Challenge: World Championship (2:00), the continuing drama of Danny and Sarah’s weird strategy and the hole in our hearts with some of the favorite characters absent…
  • A quick week of Top Chef Season 20 (17:25) and just how high-level the competition is at this point, plus thoughts on the classic mise en place challenge…
  • Peacock’s confounding new show Mrs. Davis (35:50) and whether or not Betty Gilpin can hold our hosts’ interest long enough to figure out what’s going on here…
  • The wildly intense Dead Ringers (40:00) and the remarkable acting job of Rachel Weisz…
  • Keri Russell’s new show The Diplomat (46:05) and what it says about Netflix’s approach to new television content… 
  • Homework for next week (52:40), including: two new HBO shows — Love & Death (with Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons) and White House Plumbers (about Watergate), and also Amazon’s new sci-fi show Citadel… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 194

In Episode 194, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky went with a second straight Toy Department After Dark (and a day late), with focus on:

  • The season (and potentially series) finale of Watchmen on HBO (3:25), and how its slow build to the end rewarded viewers with another great Damon Lindelof show…
  • The new Netflix film Marriage Story (12:35) and the guys’ differing views on its success as a story of divorce…
  • The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 Reunion special (27:35) and the assorted dramatics that took place there…
  • 19 for 19 (40:55)… Also known as year-end BEST OF lists from each of your hosts…
  • Homework for after the holidays (1:21:05), including: the Netflix cartoon Tuca and Bertie, four movies — the Amazon film The Report, Parasite, the new Star Wars film and the new Adam Sandler vehicle Uncut Gems– and trying the show Unbelievable on Netflix…

The Toy Department – Episode 187

In Episode 187, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky waste no time getting down to their many topics, specifically:

  • HBO’s new series Watchmen (1:20) and how an interesting premise, Damon Lindelof’s writing and Regina King’s ass-kicking are more than enough to hold your attention…
  • Netflix’s Living With Yourself (14:40) and its lead Paul Rudd, plus the enjoyable sports-related cameo…
  • The new Amazon series Modern Love (25:05) and how it succeeds at being both delightful and heart-yanking…
  • Jenny Slate’s stand-up special on Netflix (29:50) and how it delivers a uniquely Jenny Slate experience more than a set of jokes…
  • Some thoughts on the tip-off of NBA season (39:10) including some talk about the first two games, the favorites and the overall theme…
  • Homework for next week (1:04:20), including: the return of the Kominsky Method on Netflix, the return of Silicon Valley on HBO, the debut of Mrs. Fletcher on HBO, and two Netflix films — The Laundromat and Dolemite is My Name…

The Toy Department – Episode 71

In Episode 71, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky break down their morning text spat before diving into a series of more interesting topics, including:

  • The NBA Playoffs (3:00), whether Brad Stevens deserves an apology from Madden and what the future looks like in both the short and long term…
  • The Hulu show The Handmaid’s Tale (19:45) and how the current state of the world changes how we might appreciate it… Plus the greatness of Elisabeth Moss and some thoughts on Top of the Lake…
  • An alleged spoiler alert for FX’s show Fargo (33:50) somehow leads to a long discussion of the Fargo haters and who Madden and Kolsky trust in the world of TV creators… and then an actual conversation about Fargo (44:00) which DOES DEFINITELY INCLUDE MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!
  • Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (56:00) and how it fails to learn from the good lessons of the first film but still manages to be an enjoyable watch…
  • Homework for next week (1:04:30): Kolsky rejects the Netflix show The Keepers in favor of the Amazon show I Love Dick…

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