The Toy Department – Episode 373

In Episode 373, Madden and Kolsky are finally excited about something that happened on their favorite show so it’s RIGHT into:

  • This week’s action on The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (1:30) and whether the appearance of an undisputed Mount Rushmore champion helped pull this season out of its previous doldrums…
  • The new season of HBO’s True Detective (36:05) and an exciting cast in the dark of Alaska…
  • The new film Foe (40:35) and whether our hosts were able to enjoy a slow, dark exploration of humanity in the age of AI…
  • David Oyelowo’s passion project Lawmen: Bass Reeves (48:20) and how the actor/producer’s love for his subject plays out on screen…
  • Peacock’s new TV version of Ted (51:35) and whether the strange heart of this deliberately offensive show is enough to redeem it…
  • Homework for next week (56:25), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, the Hulu mystery series Death and Other Details, the Martin Scorcese epic Killers of the Flower Moon (now available on Apple TV+) and for a lighter time the Amazon rom-com Role Play, PLUS Derek will watch Ravyn Rochelle’s erotic thriller…

The Toy Department – Episode 120

In Episode 120, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky return after a week off to break down:

  • A few thoughts on Kanye West’s new album (3:20) and whether it’s really worth getting into…
  • Some closing thoughts on Killing Eve’s first season (11:30) and where the show might be headed for its second season…
  • Madden goes iso to talk about the series finalé of The Americans (21:15) and pleads for people to watch it…
  • Some final thoughts on the FX series Trust (34:45) and how it was an excellent single-season television effort that seemed to achieve all its goals…
  • HBO’s new series Succession (42:15) and whether a very pilot-y first episode did the job of getting the guys excited for the full run…
  • A few quick thoughts on I’m Dying Up Here (49:30) and how it’s a fun show hitting its stride…
  • An NBA Finals discussion (51:50) covering how long the series will last and the greatness of LeBron James…
  • A brief World Cup preview (59:40) as we head towards a tournament without the USMNT…
  • Homework for next week (1:07:05), including: the Netflix documentary Evil Genius, a wrap-up conversation for Dear White People (also on Netflix) and maybe even a chat about Lost In Space (once again – Netflix)…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 113

In Episode 113, Derek Madden teaches Matt Kolsky about the history of One Shining Moment before they discuss a variety of television entertainment, including:

  • Judd Apatow’s Garry Shandling documentary on HBO (5:10), The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, which both guys found gripping and moving, and leads to some discussion of the impressive quality of recent documentaries…
  • A check-in on Kolsky’s project of catching up with Showtime’s Billions (24:35), which is going swimmingly and has him very excited about getting current with the show…
  • The new FX series Trust (35:45), which examines the Getty kidnapping story — the debut impressed both Madden and Kolsky considerably, particularly the performance of legendary actor Donald Sutherland (make sure you listen to the end of the pod for additional thoughts on Danny Boyle’s direction)…
  • The conclusion of season 2 of Amazon’s Sneaky Pete (41:20), whether the show held the level of season 1 and where it may be headed in the future…
  • The new Alex Garland film Annihilation (48:00) and how it succeeds as a sci-fi thriller without drawing too much attention to its own accomplishments in diversity…
  • Homework for next week (56:50), including: the season 2 premiere of Legion on FX, the series premiere of The Last OG (starring Tiffany Haddish and Tracy Morgan), finishing Wild Wild Country on Netflix, 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.