The Toy Department – Episode 131

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 129

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.