The Toy Department – Episode 340

In Episode 340, Madden and Kolsky talk a little grilled cheese before locking in on:

  • This week’s monumental episode of Succession (2:50) and all the little pieces of brilliance that went into it…
  • Hulu’s NYT J Dilla documentary (13:55) which is reasonably interesting and relatively informative but feels like it leaves a lot on the table…
  • HBO’s Music Box documentary about Jason Isbell (23:45) and how it paints a really complete emotional picture of a pretty interesting man and musician…
  • Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things (30:35), the magnetism of Kathryn Hahn and how the series brings together a multi-generational story of moms and daughters…
  • Netflix’s Beef (34:40) and the intensity of watching people attempt to express their ultimately impotent rage…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: World Championship (39:35) and a significant elimination…
  • An apparently easily-judged episode of Top Chef (58:05) and the incredibly high level of talent remaining on this season…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA (1:10:15) as we head into the playoff season…
  • Homework for next week (1:24:45), including: the return of Barry on HBO, Netflix’s new World War II show Transatlantic and Cocaine Bear (now available on Peacock)… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 247

In Episode 247, Madden and Kolsky once again confront Kolsky’s infirmity before attempting an elusive short episode covering:

  • ESPN’s embarrassing 30 for 30 film Al Davis vs. the NFL (2:45) and how a goofy gimmick torpedoed what could have been a tremendous documentary…
  • Marvel’s new TV series WandaVision (9:45) and whether a creative approach is enough to soften Madden’s distaste for superhero content…
  • The new Netflix film Malcom & Marie (18:30) and what exactly director Sam Levinson and star Zendaya (who reportedly had significant input) are going for…
  • Some thoughts on the new NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor (27:10) and what makes it funnier than the average network fare…
  • A few quick thoughts on the Super Bowl (32:40) and what an unpleasant experience it was…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (35:35), including: the NYT-made documentary Framing Britney Spears, the third To All The Boys movie (which drops Friday on Netflix) and the new film Judas & the Black Messiah (available Friday on HBO Max)… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

The Toy Department – Episode 193

In Episode 193, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky deliver Toy Department After Dark (and a day late) and get into:

  • The film Brittany Runs A Marathon on Amazon Prime (1:30) and what a surprisingly heartfelt and well-made film it turned out to be…
  • The new film Queen & Slim (9:15) and the importance of diverse and interesting voices in the film world…
  • The reboot of Showtime’s The L Word (22:20) and how it’s just way too far over the top for Kolsky to get into as a newcomer…
  • The return of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (29:00) and how both guys are still enjoying it, but it may be running out of road if it doesn’t grow somewhat…
  • The season (and maybe series) finale of HBO’s Mrs. Fletcher (32:40) and how it hit the guys very differently…
  • The last episode of The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 (39:05), some favorite moments and all the incredible drama that went down…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:40), including: 2019 year-end favorites, the end of Watchmen on HBO, some thoughts on the Challenge Reunion special and the new Netflix film Marriage Story…
  • Thirty seconds on Mike Birbiglia’s new Netflix stand-up special (1:08:00) which was good…

The Toy Department – Episode 188

In Episode 188, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky dive directly into:

  • The new Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name (1:35) starring Eddie Murphy, and how it’s nice to have Eddie back in our lives…
  • The other new Netflix film The Laundromat (10:55) from the mind of Steven Soderbergh, and how it finds focus and a pointed message in a last-minute twist…
  • The return of The Kominsky Method (22:10) and why the guys still enjoy Chuck Lorre’s Netflix comedy…
  • The return of HBO’s Silicon Valley for its final season (24:30) and how it feels as it heads for the finish…
  • HBO’s new show Mrs. Fletcher (33:00) and the enduring appeal of Kathryn Hahn despite the show’s overly pilot-y opening episode…
  • Some thoughts on why and how the Golden State Warriors should tank their season (37:05) following the unfortunate injury to Steph Curry and some other NBA considerations…
  • Homework for next week (54:25), including: His Dark Materials on HBO, Season 2 of End of the Fucking World on Netflix, the Ed Norton film Motherless Brooklyn, a re-up on MTV’s The Challenge and a discussion about the end of HBO’s The Deuce…

The Toy Department – Episode 72

In Episode 72, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky make you wait for the exciting guest segment but promise you’ll enjoy every delightful bit of the pod as they discuss:

  • Kolsky’s new smoothie habit (0:40)…
  • Last week’s homework, the Amazon original show I Love Dick (4:20)…
  • A check in on HBO’s The Leftovers (11:20) as we head towards the series finale this coming weekend…
  • The new Hasan Minhaj standup special (23:10) on Netflix and how it may be more one-man-show than standup comedy…
  • A deep NBA Finals breakdown and delightful conversation with ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth (28:25)…
  • Homework for next week (1:11:15): the new comic book extravaganza Wonder Woman [and potentially Logan to get Derek ready] and the Netflix-first Brad Pitt film War Machine…

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 (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… 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… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.