The Toy Department – Episode 398

In Episode 398, Madden and Kolsky are doing it after dark again, with LOTS to catch up on, beginning with a recap of their IRL meetup for a Pearl Jam concert, but moving on to:

  • Two episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (7:50) and dealing with the fact that heavy hitters (or at least major characters) will be headed home on a weekly basis…
  • Jeff Goldblum & Co.’s interpretation of Greek mythology in the Netflix show KAOS (41:15) and whether our hosts could deal with the chaotic nature of the show’s storytelling…
  • FX’s new comedy English Teacher (46:05) and what a high-quality sitcom looks like in 2024…
  • The return of the undeniable Slow Horses (51:35) and the many joys of Jackson Lamb…
  • Homework for next week (57:50), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the Peacock show Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, Nicole Kidman’s new Netflix effort The Perfect Couple and checking out the film Challengers, now available on Amazon Prime…

The Toy Department – Episode 285

In Episode 285, Madden and Kolsky have far too much to talk about to be “jerking off” in the studios (you’ll get that joke later) so it’s straight on into:

  • A few quick thoughts on musician Jacob Collier (2:10) and how Madden failed to follow the instructions for his homework assignment…
  • An extended debate about the Beatles docu-series Get Back (5:15), exactly what it is and whether it is worth the time for viewers…
  • A very short review of the new Amazon Prime show Harlem (34:00) and how it just isn’t too appealing to either of our hosts…
  • A few thoughts on the debut episode of Landscapers (36:30) and how David Thewliss and Olivia Coleman are enthralling enough to keep an audience watching while the show settles in…
  • A big talk about a BIG episode of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (41:40) and where things stand after the beginning of the final…
  • Some thoughts on the lackluster second season of The Challenge All-Stars (1:03:50) and how the show hasn’t really found its footing in terms of the competition aspect…
  • Homework for next Thursday (1:15:10), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, AND more Challenge All-Stars, plus a year-in-review chat to put a cap on 2021…

The Toy Department – Episode 228

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…

The Toy Department – Episode 74

In Episode 74, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky break down Madden’s sports injury before some deep dives into:

  • The season finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul and the mastery of the show’s third season…
  • The season finale of FX’s Fargo and its choose-your-own-adventure style ending…
  • NEW MUSIC!!!
    • Young Thug’s Beautiful Thugger Girls
    • Portugal. The Man’s Woodstock
    • Lorde’s Melodrama
    • Phoenix’s Ti Amo
    • Alt-J’s Relaxer
  • Homework for next week: the new season of Orange is the New Black (to prepare for next week’s special guest Julie Lake, aka OITNB’s Angie Rice)… the new Netflix show GLOW… the new Showtime show I’m Dying Up Here… and the return of the pod favorite Orphan Black…

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.