Tag Archives: Insecure

The Toy Department – Episode 279

  By toyAdmin | October 28, 2021 - 12:10 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 279, Madden and Kolsky congratulate themselves for managing to record the podcast on schedule before quickly getting down to brass tacks with…

  • The new film Dune on HBO Max (1:20) and how mileage may vary depending on your familiarity with the story…
  • The return of the HBO/Issa Rae series Insecure (14:30) for its final season, and how nice it is to be back in the groove with a show that is founded on being a tremendous vibe…
  • This week’s action on The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (26:45), whether anyone will ever infiltrate the Emerald Cell and whose strategic moves are working the best as the game heads into the home stretch…
  • Homework for next Thursday (1:01:20), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, the new Netflix show Colin in Black & White from Ava Duvernay and Colin Kaepernick, the new season of Love Life on HBO Max, AND the World Series (“Go Braves,” says Derek) AND AND the early NBA season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 209

  By toyAdmin | April 16, 2020 - 10:43 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 209, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky break down a couple of coronavirus-related memes before discussing:

  • This week’s episode of MTV’s The Challenge (4:45) and the heavy hitters who played big roles…
  • This week’s episode of Bravo’s Top Chef (21:00) and the joys and challenges of having family in your kitchen…
  • FX/Hulu’s new Cate Blanchett vehicle Mrs. America (36:20) and the appeal of a dislikable central character…
  • The new HBO series Run (42:15) and what exactly is going on beyond the star-powered charm of the lead actors…
  • The return of BBC America’s Killing Eve (46:10) and whether the show has maintained its urgency in its third season…
  • The return of HBO’s Insecure (50:05) and how a bit of same-ness doesn’t hurt it too much…
  • The new Netflix comedy Brews Brothers (54:20) and whether it stands up to its creators’ previous effort, The League…
  • Homework for next week (1:00:05), including: new episodes of Top Chef & The Challenge, the new Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls documentary The Last Dance on ESPN, a listen to the new Steve Kerr/Pete Carroll podcast Flying Coach, the new Netflix show #BlackAF from Black*ish creator Kenya Barris, and the new comedy specials Middleditch & Schwartz…

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The Toy Department – Episode 136

  By toyAdmin | October 2, 2018 - 10:40 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 136, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly banter about their inability to execute a short version of the podcast before long-winded discussions centering on:

  • The world of baseball (1:30) as the playoffs begin, which — in a bad sign for baseball — devolves into a brief discussion of the Atlanta Hawks…
  • An attempt to find new network television worth watching (16:00) which ends with the selection of one new drama and one new comedy that Kolsky and Madden will try out for at least two episodes…
  • The return of NBC’s The Good Place (30:25) and how incredible a job it does of playing to all audiences while also remaining incredibly smart and original in today’s network climate…
  • FX’s new Australian offering Mr. In-Between (37:10) which both guys find intriguing after an episode or two…
  • Lil Wayne’s new album (42:20) and how its highlights show off Wayne’s skills but aren’t enough to prop up 23 tracks…
  • The season finale of HBO’s Insecure (48:05) and the unique lack of particular excitement or cliffhangers…
  • Homework for next week (53:40), including: finishing Forever on Amazon, starting The Cool Kids on Fox, the return of Big Mouth on Netflix and the season finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul…

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 131

  By toyAdmin | August 28, 2018 - 2:05 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 131, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open the show with an announcement about Kolsky’s life and career that you won’t want to miss before diving into less pressing concerns in the world of pop culture, including:

  • The season/series finalé of HBO’s Sharp Objects (6:25), how the last-minute twist felt for each of the guys and how they view the series as a whole…
  • A check-in on HBO’s Insecure (26:15) and whether it has gotten a little bogged down over the last couple of episodes…
  • AMC’s new show Lodge 49 (29:05) and whether it has piqued the interest of Madden and Kolsky…
  • Travis Scott’s new album Astroworld (38:40) and what it says about him as a popular artist and rapper…
  • Some thoughts on Louis CK’s return to the comedy stage (46:15) and whether the guys are interested in new material or willing to watch another act from him…
  • Homework for next week (55:50), including: the return of Ozark on Netflix, an NFL preview coming next week, Amazon’s new show Jack Ryan, the Netflix film To All the Boys I Loved Before, music from Foxing and a standup set from Drew Michael… GET BUSY WATCHING!!!
  • A quick report on Derek’s experience seeing Hamilton (1:00:05) and discussion of the art form of musicals in general…

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 129

  By toyAdmin | August 14, 2018 - 1:51 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 129, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky return for a varied pop culture discussion covering:

  • Two returning HBO shows — Insecure (1:35) and Ballers (9:50) — and how not much has changed with either show, though that means very different things for each…
  • The new Spike Lee joint BlackkKlansman (12:15) and how it successfully creates a vibe and feeling from a different era that says a lot about today…
  • Another new film, Eighth Grade (29:10), written and directed by Bo Burnham, and how it took both Kolsky and Madden back to the turbulent times and emotions of that period in their lives…
  • The return of AMC’s Better Call Saul (42:15) and how it continues to build on its sturdy foundation, heading towards the inevitable crash before the start of the Breaking Bad timeline…
  • Madden confronts Kolsky over a golf tweet (49:00) before challenging his enjoyment of golf with a variety of alternative sporting events…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:20), including: the first few episodes in the new season of The Sinner on USA (starring Carrie Coon), plus whatever else Madden and Kolsky come up with during the week…

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 99, Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

  By toyAdmin | December 26, 2017 - 10:00 am | Uncategorized
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In Part 2 of the Two-Part Holidaytastic Spectacular Episode 99, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are back with the second half of their year-end discussions, covering:

  • The BEST OF 2017 in television (2:05), wherein Madden and Kolsky both struggle mightily to reduce their Top Ten lists to less than twenty shows…
  • The BEST OF 2017 in music (41:55), which turns out to have the most differentiation between the two hosts’ lists…
  • Homework for next week: HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR’S EVE!!! And get ready for Episode 100, which might be somehow special (and will definitely include the announcement of the Toy Department’s 2017 Spotify Playlists) and even if it’s not is a nice, big, round number…

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 84

  By toyAdmin | September 5, 2017 - 8:54 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 84, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky debrief on the latter’s recent travel before dispensing with:

  • A brief preview of the excitement of the coming week (3:15), including the NFL and HBO’s new show The Deuce, from producer David Simon (of The Wire fame)…
  • A more extended NFL preview (8:45), including discussion of the impending Roger Goodell extension, a debate about the third-best QB in the league and a breakdown of the wide range of potential contenders…
  • The disappointing new Netflix series Disjointed (38:15)…
  • Recent developments on HBO’s Insecure (50:05)…
  • An interesting storyline on HBO’s Ballers (55:15) and how it mirrors some of our feelings about the real-world NFL…
  • The new LCD Soundsystem album American Dream (1:00:30) and Kolsky’s curious reaction to the band in general…
  • Homework for next week (1:11:10): including the opening week of the NFL, the premiere episode of The Deuce, the new Steven Soderbergh film Logan Lucky and the season premiere of the FXX comedy and pod favorite You’re the Worst…

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 82

  By toyAdmin | August 16, 2017 - 8:50 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 82, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky revisit Madden’s diet before chopping it up about:

  • Madden’s trip to San Francisco for the Outside Lands festival (5:50), some highlights and whether the lineup was worth seeing overall…
  • Season 7, Episode 5 of Game of Thrones (17:15), rejecting the binary distinction of “action episode = good, exposition episode = meh…” and the joy of the week-to-week pop culture discussion around the show…
  • HBO’s Insecure (29:20), what a joy it has been throughout Season 2 so far and how it sets itself apart from lighter Sunday night fare like Ballers…
  • Netflix’s Ozark (36:20) and how a show that was initially panned by critics has developed a massive following…
  • Homework for next week (43:10): Kolsky is heading to Borneo (google it) so next pod is two weeks away, and the guys will be taking in a ton of media, including the last two episodes of Game of Thrones, the podcast Road Trippin’ with Richard Jefferson, the end of the clone-crazy series Orphan Black and Louis CK’s Horace & Pete…
  • A quick discussion on HBO’s Hard Knocks (50:40) which both Madden and Kolsky heartily recommend and will revisit on the next pod…

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 46

  By toyAdmin | November 16, 2016 - 8:51 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 46, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky address the decision to skip last week’s pod and the impact of election results (sorry for the non-Toy Department detour) before getting back to business regarding:

  • This week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Dave Chappelle (10:20), which addressed the election, among other things…
  • Some thoughts on AMC’s Walking Dead and HBO’s Westworld (23:00), and how they are piling up on both guys’ DVRs…
  • HBO’s 30-minute comedy/drama Insecure (27:05) and how Kolsky is completely in love with it… which leads to some discussion of easy-to-watch television in tough emotional times… and an aside about Bar Rescue, the Toy Department’s favorite reality show…
  • The cancellation of Bill Simmons’ show Any Given Wednesday (42:35)… The guys discuss Simmons’ brief feud with Chris Collinsworth… and also get into what worked and what didn’t about the show (50:55), and how Simmons’ endeavors look moving forward…
  • This week’s homework – the 3rd new episode of Black Mirror, entitled Shut Up and Dance (1:01:25)… The guys have pretty differing stances on this particular episode…
  • A quick look ahead to next week’s Black Mirror episode (1:11:05) – San Junipero is arguably the most uplifting and happy-feeling episode of the show yet, and will be discussed in depth next week…

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 42

  By toyAdmin | October 12, 2016 - 11:23 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 42, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly address Kolsky’s in-progress Yom Kippur fast before delving into:

  • The San Francisco Giants’ elimination from the MLB playoffs (3:50) and some discussion about baseball at large (10:20)…
  • Kolsky’s homework assignment for Madden – Netflix/Marvel’s Luke Cage (20:35) and Madden’s anti-superhero/comic book bias…
  • Madden’s homework assignment for Kolsky – the previously British and now Netflix-owned Black Mirror (32:40) and how it really inspires thought and discussion like few other television experiences…
  • HBO’s new comedy Insecure (43:50) and how it brings another original perspective to the increasingly diverse television landscape…
  • Madden’s experience at a recent Kanye West show (52:20) and the big stadium show experience in general…
  • A bit of talk about last week’s You’re the Worst (1:01:05) but MOSTLY just because it leads into Madden’s experiences at fancy, exclusive bars as a big time radio star in Los Angeles…
  • Homework for next week (1:08:05) wherein Kolsky assigns the new Solange album to Derek…

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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