The Toy Department – Episode 174

In Episode 174, Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky on paternity leave and without a high quality microphone to record into, but they still manage to cover:

  • The new American version of the UK hit Love Island (2:25) and whether it makes the grade for continued enjoyment…
  • Kolsky’s dive into the old Madden favorite The Shield (17:05) and what an early ’00s classic looks like in 2019…
  • Madden’s attempt to enjoy old Kolsky favorite Deadwood (27:45) and his insurmountable western roadblock…
  • A discussion about the Emmy Award Nominations (33:35) and TV’s biggest awards program in general…
  • Homework for next week (1:01:30), including: the new Showtime docu-series Shangri-La focusing on Rick Rubin, the new Raconteurs album Help Us Stranger, hopefully getting to the new movie Stuber and catching up on HBO shows Big Little Lies (which is already ending!) and Euphoria (which is only beginning)…

The Toy Department – Episode 169

In Episode 169, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky once again threaten their plans for a short podcast with the broadcaster jinx, before speeding through:

  • HBO’s Deadwood movie (1:30) and how it ties a nice bow on one of the great under-appreciated TV series of all time, plus some discussion of Vulture’s all-time HBO show rankings…
  • The Elton John biopic Rocketman (10:20) and how it succeeds in many ways despite apparently fitting into categories neither host particularly enjoys…
  • The Amazon series Good Omens (21:45) and how it feels like the writers and creators failed to flesh out their elevator pitch…
  • The Netflix show How To Sell Drugs Online Fast (25:15) and how it turns out to be of German origin but not entirely terrible…
  • Netflix’s new rom-com Always Be My Maybe (28:45) and how charming it is despite being rather rote…
  • A wrap on the second season of Killing Eve (37:45) and whether the show still has the promise of its first season…
  • Some quick NBA thoughts (44:10) in the middle of a compelling, if slow-moving, Finals series…
  • Homework for next week (50:30), when there may or may not be a podcast, including: the new season of Black Mirror on Netflix, the return of Big Little Lies on HBO, AMC’s new vampire series NOS4A2 and the conclusion of Billions …