Tag Archives: Donald Glover

The Toy Department – Episode 376

  By toyAdmin | February 8, 2024 - 10:52 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 376, Madden and Kolsky pause to celebrate Chelsea FC’s successful FA Cup match before focusing on today’s topics:

  • An action-packed episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (6:05) and the Challenge-fan-villain origin story that transpired this week for one of our hosts…
  • The latest entry in the ever-expanding why?! canon, Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air (28:15) and how maybe it’s time to usher Hollywood’s old guard into a not-even-actually-early retirement…
  • Donald Glover’s new take on Mr. & Mrs. Smith (34:00) and how his art continues to surprise and delight…
  • Jake Johnson’s bizarre opus Self Reliance (39:25) and the value of full commitment to a wacky premise…
  • Netflix’s new (old) dour addiction recovery comedy Loudermilk (44:25) and the all-time That Guy rankings, featuring Ron Livingston…
  • Homework for next week (48:45), including: the long-awaited arrival of TJ’s Final on The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, Apple TV+’s fashion/WWII show The New Look, Ryan Murphy’s new show Feud: Capote v. The Swans and Jon Stewart’s return to The Daily Show…
  • A few football thoughts (50:20) as we head into what should be ann extremely entertaining Super Bowl weekend…

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The Toy Department – Episode 337

  By toyAdmin | March 24, 2023 - 3:12 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 337, Madden and Kolsky recognize the longevity of American Dad and engage in a quick detour about British tv-watching habits before locking into today’s primary subjects:

  • Donald Glover’s new Amazon Prime Video horror show Swarm (6:30) and just how bizarre the first couple/few episodes are…
  • The new AMC/Bob Odenkirk show Lucky Hank (18:30) and how it seems to be a sort of meditation on middle age and mediocrity that happens to take place at a middling university, which both our hosts are on board for…
  • Disney+’s teen flick Chang Can Dunk (22:20) and how it’s a near-flawless execution of a high school basketball dramedy…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: World Championship (27:40) and the remarkable talent level of the remaining teams…
  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (48:15) and how even pub food turns into a beautiful thing in the hands of a remarkable group of chefs…
  • Homework for next week (1:03:45), including: the return of Succession on HBO & Yellowjackets on Showtime, the new Paramount+ spy thriller Rabbit Hole and Apple TV+’s The Big Door Prize… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…
  • A few thoughts on Major League Baseball (1:06:05) and the rule changes heading into the start of the 2023 regular season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 314

  By toyAdmin | September 23, 2022 - 11:32 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 314, Madden and Kolsky talk about Derek’s parking problems before locking into pop culture for:

  • The premiere episodes of The Challenge: Untold History (2:50) and how much the guys are enjoying taking a stroll through the history of America’s Third Sport…
  • The first few episodes of the final season of Atlanta on FX (20:35) and how it’s great to have the show back in the city it’s named for and focused on the main characters we know and love…
  • Dinsey+’s new Star Wars series Andor (25:40) and how it’s the best content coming out of that universe since The Mandalorian, at least…
  • Patton Oswalt’s new stand-up special We All Scream (31:20) and how it’s another good hour of Patton’s comedy, but maybe doesn’t demand a ton of in depth examination…
  • A few thoughts on the current scandal around Celtics coach Ime Udoka (34:40) and how it’s tough to understand exactly what’s going on…
  • Hulu’s new sitcom Reboot (38:30) and the actors who are bringing it together and bringing some laughs…
  • Homework for next Friday (43:05), including: the Quantum Leap reboot on NBC, two new Netflix movies – teen movie Do Revenge and kidnapping drama Lou – and a couple more episodes of The Challenge: Untold History…

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The Toy Department – Episode 295

  By toyAdmin | April 1, 2022 - 2:59 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 295, Madden and Kolsky spend a couple minutes on the pitfalls of parenting before hustling through:

  • This week’s episode of Top Chef: Houston (2:00), and epic barbecue challenge and who’s thriving so far this season…
  • The return of Donald Glover’s Atlanta (15:30) and how it continues to be one of the best and most unique things on television…
  • Amy Schumer’s new Hulu show Life & Beth (22:30) and how the first two episodes are not particularly compelling but there’s hope for the future with Michael Cera still yet to show up…
  • A few minutes on The Oscars (25:00) without a mention of the slap…
  • HBO Max’s new DC-based series DMZ (31:25) and how Rosario Dawson in a post-apocalyptic war zone makes for very compelling television entertainment…
  • Homework for next Friday (35:45), including: more Top Chef: Houston, along with the new Marvel series Moon Knight, the HBO Max rom-com Moonshot and the new Netflix movie The Bubble…
  • Some thoughts on the upcoming Final Fours (40:15), particularly the big UNC-Duke matchup…

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The Toy Department – Episode 118

  By toyAdmin | May 15, 2018 - 2:20 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 118, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky share their plans for the evening before focusing in on:

  • Some thoughts on FX’s Atlanta (2:35) after the finalé of its second season, with an aside on Donald Glover’s upcoming appearance in Solo…
  • The season finalé of Barry on HBO (10:55) and whether the writers have painted themselves into a corner for Season 2 with the way the first season ended…
  • David Letterman’s Netflix show (20:05) and whether it maybe should have just been a podcast…
  • The Arctic Monkeys new album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (33:00) and how much of a tonal shift it represents for a band that broke out in popularity after their previous record…
  • A check-in with the NBA Playoffs (44:10) and an argument about whether either of the teams who lost Game 1 of their conference finals series still has a chance to advance to the NBA Finals…
  • The announcement of Netflix/ESPN’s new 10-hour documentary about Michael Jordan’s Bulls (1:00:55), how it’s time to remind the world of Jordan’s greatness and how Kolsky can barely contain his excitement…
  • Homework for next week (1:12:40), including: including Ali Wong’s new standup special on Netflix and the series finalé of the sitcom New Girl…

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

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The Toy Department – Episode 114

  By toyAdmin | April 10, 2018 - 4:11 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 114, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a distressingly un-fun chat about Facebook before returning to the appropriate purview of the podcast to get into:

  • A check-in with FX’s Atlanta (7:10) to sort through Derek’s feelings about Episode 6 of the second season, Teddy Perkins…
  • The second season premiere of FX’s Legion (13:40) and whether it can keep Madden’s attention if it doesn’t lock into a more straightforward approach to plot and story…
  • The first episode of the new TBS sitcom The Last O.G. (25:45), starring Tiffany Haddish and Tracy Morgan, which both guys are hopeful about after watching the pilot…
  • The new album from Cardi B (34:15), Invasion of Privacy, and how it may represent the culture passing Derek by…
  • A quick description of Madden’s experience at Cafe Spiaggia (53:10), Top Chef Winner Joe Flamm’s restaurant in Chicago…
  • A wrap-up discussion on the Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country (57:45), despite some technical difficulties…
  • The Al Pacino-starring HBO film Paterno (1:08:45), and the difficulties of making a movie about the short period of time that it focuses on…
  • Homework for next week (1:22:20), including: getting to the film A Quiet Place some time in the next two weeks, the Andre the Giant documentary on HBO, BBC America’s new Sandra Oh-starring series Killing Eve and the new album from the indie/psych-rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra…

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

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The Toy Department – Episode 112

  By toyAdmin | March 27, 2018 - 2:25 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 112, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky find themselves in the same time zone — a rare treat — and briefly discuss Madden’s reggaeton horn app before they break down:

  • Netflix’s new Duplass brothers-produced documentary Wild Wild Country (2:40) and what a great job it’s doing of telling a story both guys are surprised not to know more about…
  • A few thoughts on the second season of Amazon’s series Sneaky Pete (13:25) and how much the guys are enjoying it…
  • The premiere of the newest season of HBO’s Silicon Valley (15:30) and how the show needs to evolve if it wants to truly impress…
  • A bizarre tangent into Tiffany Haddish’s story (24:15) about somebody biting Beyoncé in the face at a party, and whether it is worth a deep investigation…
  • HBO’s new dark comedy series Barry (32:25) and just how incredibly well the pilot went over with both Madden and Kolsky, leaving them excited about the possibilities…
  • Another rave session for FX’s Atlanta (39:15), which continues to be the best show on television and executes its vision at the highest possible level…
  • Some NCAA Tournament thoughts (48:30) with the Final Four on the horizon and ideas about how to improve the level of play in American basketball…
  • Homework for next week (59:40), including: the new FX series Trust, the rest of Sneaky Pete, the film Annihilation, Kolsky beginning his Billions catch-up project and the new HBO film Paterno, starring Al Pacino…

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

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The Toy Department – Episode 109

  By toyAdmin | March 6, 2018 - 2:29 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 109, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky jump right into the business to discuss:

  • The aftermath of the 90th Annual Academy Awards (0:50), the low ratings and the future of the awards show…
  • The Season 2 premiere of Donald Glover’s FX show Atlanta (14:00) and all the things that make it the best show on television right now…
  • Another FX show, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (22:00) and how Madden and Kolsky differ greatly in their opinion of the show…
  • The Paramount Network show Waco (39:25) and how its handling of history struck Madden and Kolsky differently…
  • #PodChef time: the semi-finals episode of Top Chef (1:01:10) is in the books, and the guys have thoughts…
  • Homework for next week (1:09:40), including: the first three episodes of NBC’s Good Girls, the Netflix film Mute, the start of Season 3 of Lifetime’s UnREAL, plus the return of Jessica Jones and Love on Netflix and Sneaky Pete on Amazon…

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

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The Toy Department – Episode 44

  By toyAdmin | October 26, 2016 - 7:49 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 44, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky have recovered enough from the release of new Black Mirror episodes JUST in time to bring you discussions about:

  • Last week’s homework assignment: the Test Pattern episode of IFC’s Documentary Now (2:30), and how Kolsky just can’t get over his deep distaste for Fred Armisen…
  • The aforementioned Netflix property Black Mirror (12:55) — Madden and Kolsky rank the original 7 episodes (17:15) by quality and by how disturbing they are, and also discuss the first of the newest episodes (47:10) that hit Netflix last Friday… WARNING: Spoiler-Heavy discussion, especially about the original 7 episodes…
  • A few thoughts on the last couple episodes of FX’s Atlanta (57:55) and how it returned to a more straightforward narrative arc over the last couple episodes… But still maintains the quality and innovation that makes it so wonderful… And a few words on Donald Glover’s casting in an upcoming Star Wars film (1:03:45)…
  • It’s ROCKTOBER, so Kolsky talks about a couple of concerts he saw last weekend: Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring World Tour (1:05:40) and Anderson .Paak (1:11:40) at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco…

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… 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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 41

  By toyAdmin | October 6, 2016 - 12:26 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 41, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a brief digression into Peaches & Herb before diving headlong into TONS of topics, including:

  • Recently-retired future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett (1:45) and how Derek Madden (wrongly) hates him with a passion and Matthew J. Kolsky (with great taste and even better judgment) rightly respects him as the all-time great that he is… (Bonus points if you can figure out who writes these descriptions…)
  • The quarter-pole of the NFL season, particularly the impressive start of the Minnesota Vikings (17:45)… This is really little more than Madden’s attempt to re-ingratiate himself to the Minneapolis community after his KG slander…
  • This past Saturday’s college football MADNESS (27:45) and Kolsky’s continued lack of interest despite the wild excitement of the finishes…
  • HBO’s new series Westworld (41:30) and how the guys feel about it after its complex and thought-provoking premiere episode…
  • Noname’s album Telefone (49:20) which Madden FINALLY listened to after being assigned it as homework… The boys discuss the album itself, their differing tastes and music in general…
  • A quick pop-in on FX’s Atlanta (58:45) and the [SPOILER ALERT] Black Justin Bieber episode…
  • Some thoughts on future homework assignments (1:04:15) and some assigned homework for next week on the way out the door…

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… 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.

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