The Toy Department – Episode 391

In Episode 391, Madden and Kolsky are back from an unplanned hiatus (thanks to Derek’s unnamed coworkers) to dive deep into:

  • The last two episodes of Top Chef (2:05) including a cheese-and-fishy quickfire, great chefs cooking scared in the pre-final and a final cook that saw three great chefs do their thing…
  • The the end of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (22:40) including a purge, a rad paintball shooting challenge to kick off TJ’s Final, a friend-ly twist to end it and a big win for a bigger legend…
  • The HBO docu-series Ren Faire (36:05) and whether the Succession comparisons go deeper than the obvious surface narrative…
  • The intense and emotional Godzilla Minus One (44:00) and whether it transcends the standard monster-flick label…
  • Bob Marley: One Love (49:15) and the life and legacy of reggae music’s GOAT…
  • The Glen Powell/Richard Linklater team-up Hit Man (55:45) and what a winning rom-com it ends up being…
  • A few thoughts on the end of the NBA season (1:00:30) and the championship-winning Boston Celtics…
  • Homework for next week (1:10:55), including: Hannah Einbinder’s stand-up special (on Max), the documentary Brats on Hulu, Ophan Black: Echoes on AMC, Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, the Dev Patel feature Monkey Man (now on Peacock) and the return of The Boys on Amazon Prime Video…

The Toy Department – Episode 390

In Episode 390, Madden and Kolsky talk a TEENSY bit about the NBA Finals matchup before moving out of the sports world and into:

  • The last Wisconsin episode of the current season of Top Chef (7:35), the chefs who made it to the final four and the interesting choice for the location of the season’s end…
  • A topsy turvy week of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (22:05) that saw a strong competitor head home and leaves a lot of questions as TJ continues to threaten a final…
  • Hulu’s new Donald Sterling/V Stiviano show Clipped (39:10) and whether the fall from “grace” of a racist piece of garbage makes worthy television entertainment…
  • Netflix’s bizarre Benedict Cumberbatch drama Eric (52:10) and what on Earth it’s trying to do…
  • The triumphant return of Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts (57:15) where the only reasonably complaint is there’s not enough of this show!!!
  • Disney+’s new Star Wars adventure The Acolyte (59:35) and what it says about what the studio’s approach to one of the biggest intellectual properties in entertainment…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:45), including: new episodes of Top Chef Wisconsin and The Challenge All-Stars 4, a few movies — Hit Man (on Netflix), Godzilla Minus One (also on Netflix) and Bob Marley: One Love (on Paramount+) — and the HBO docu-series Ren Faire…

The Toy Department – Episode 389

In Episode 389, Madden and Kolsky talk about Derek’s travels in the name of ROCK before attempting to swiftly get through:

  • A triumphant return on Top Chef Wisconsin (6:30) and how the chef’s stack up as we head towards the final few episodes and a likely imminent location change…
  • The departure of a heavy hitter on The Challenge All-Stars 4 (27:35) and where it leaves the leaderboard of the competition…
  • Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in The Fall Guy (40:25) and Kolsky’s love for the action-rom-com genre…
  • Another swing at American history from Apple TV+ with The Big Cigar (48:00) and the performance of show favorite Andre Holland as Huey P Newton…
  • Homework for next week (53:50), including: new episodes of Top Chef Wisconsin and The Challenge All-Stars 4, the new Donald Sterling Clipper show Clipped on Hulu, the return of Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts, the new Star Wars adventure The Acolyte (on Disney+) and Netflix’s Benedict Cumberbatch vehicle Eric…

The Toy Department – Episode 388

In Episode 388, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s busy schedule before locking right into:

  • The latest from The Challenge: All-Stars 4 (2:45) where Killa Queen Kam is making moves and dominating political gameplay (not to mention a bouncy elimination challenge) as the show heads into the home stretch…
  • This week’s Savannah roller coaster on Top Chef Wisconsin (24:00) plus the dominance of Danny and what to expect from the second Last Chance Kitchen winner…
  • The utterly bizarre (and possibly sneaky Christian?) The Book of Clarence (39:50) and what exactly the cast and crew set out to do when they started this film…
  • The feels-inducing delight of Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza (47:30) and the incredible musical legacy of Perry Farrell…
  • A quick chat about the end of the Premier League season (1:07:10) and Chelsea FC’s Commitment to ChaosTM
  • Some thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (1:13:30) with the conference finals in progress…
  • Homework for next week (1:23:10), including: new episodes of Top Chef Wisconsin and The Challenge All-Stars 4, the now-rentable The Fall Guy and The Big Cigar on Apple TV+…

The Toy Department – Episode 387

In Episode 387, Madden and Kolsky are meeting up late night for some Toy Department After Dark to get into:

  • A new episode of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (3:35) that saw a very messy Brad season come to an end and a theatrical turn for Ace…
  • This week’s episode of Top Chef Wisconsin (23:05) where a competitive final eight had to deal with more changes to the game format in addition to a fascinating native foods challenge…
  • Apple TV+’s multi-versal Dark Matter (36:10) and whether it tells its story quickly enough to draw in its viewers…
  • Netflix’s Will Forte true-crime-pod-mock-umentary Bodkin (43:50) and whether it connects with its bizarre small-town mystery vibe…
  • The third season of HBO’s Hacks (47:30) and the brilliance of Jean Smart…
  • Some English Premiere League thoughts (51:15) as we head into the final weekend of the season…
  • Our weekly NBA check-in (1:02:10) mere hours after Minnesota’s utter dismantling of the Nuggets to force a Game 7 in Denver on Sunday…
  • Homework for next week (1:14:45), including: another episode of Top Chef Wisconsin, more of The Challenge All-Stars 4, the newly-on-Netflix movie The Book of Clarence, the Amazon Prime Video Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black and the Paramounnt+ documentary Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza…

The Toy Department – Episode 386

In Episode 386, Madden and Kolsky discuss the content of and response to the Tom Brady Roast on Netflix before diving into:

  • A thrilling episode of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (9:15) and where things stand as we pass the halfway mark of the season…
  • Top Chef Wisconsin’s Restaurant Wars (29:15) and some slight format changes, focusing on the challenges of staying consistent through a full night of service…
  • The much-discussed Netflix show Baby Reindeer (47:40) and the emotional intensity it delivers…
  • John Mulaney’s limited live Netflix series (57:05) and what exactly in the name of all things holy is even going on there…
  • Elisabeth Moss’s new Hulu spy series The Veil (1:04:40) and whether it has enough about it to stand out in a crowded espionage TV landscape…
  • A check-in on the NBA Playoffs (1:08:20) and the ascension of Ant-man as Round 2 rolls along…
  • Homework for next week (1:28:15), including: another episode of Top Chef Wisconsin, more of The Challenge All-Stars 4, Apple TV+’s Dark Matter, Netflix’s new true-crime-pod-mock-umentary Bodkin and Season 3 of HBO’s Hacks…

The Toy Department – Episode 385

In Episode 385, Madden and Kolsky discuss the baking project happening in Kolsky’s house before locking in and moving through:

  • A baseball-themed team challenge on Top Chef Wisconsin (3:25) and an episode that ended with a classic good-food-goes-home moment…
  • A spicy elimination matchup on The Challenge All-Stars 4 (18:35), the perils of making enemies in the game and a format that takes some power from the winners…
  • The Lily Gladstone-starring series Under the Bridge (35:50) and whether it transcends a potential bad time TV designation…
  • The 80s-style thriller Love Lies Bleeding (41:00) and Kristen Stewart’s interesting career choices…
  • Some NBA Playoffs chatter (51:10) as the first round is beginning to wrap up…
  • Homework for next week (1:07:10), including: another episode of Top Chef Wisconsin, more of The Challenge All-Stars 4, John Mulaney’s “live” show on Netflix, the buzzy Baby Reindeer (available on Netflix) and the Elisabeth Moss series The Veil on FX/Hulu…

The Toy Department – Episode 331

In Episode 331, Madden and Kolsky do a quick debrief on their long time apart before shifting into gear to discuss:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (1:40) where we seem to be past the halfway point of TJ’s Final and there are LOTS of incidents and accidents to discuss…
  • A quick check-in on The Last of Us (33:40) to acknowledge the excellence of Episode 3…
  • Peacock’s new Natasha Lyonne vehicle Poker Face (35:10) and how her charm carries the viewer to an awful lot of fun…
  • Hulu’s superpower show Extraordinary (38:45) and how it really is extraordinarily enjoyable, with excellent writing and some delightful young unknown performers…
  • Apple TV+’s Bill Lawrence/Jason Segel joint Shrinking (44:05) and how the combination of its two creators makes for an oddly enjoyable cocktail, plus — Harrison Ford…
  • The Netflix rom-com You People (51:30) and how there’s not much Rom and Eddy Murphy is largely wasted but it’s not so terrible in the end…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl LVII (1:00:55) and the recently passed NBA Trade Deadline (1:05:10)…
  • Homework for next week (1:16:25), including: four movies — TÁR (streaming on Peacock), Wakanda Forever (streaming on Disney+), Meet Me in the Bathroom (streaming on Showtime and Paramount+) and Somebody I Used to Know (streaming on Amazon)… and OF COURSE the last episode (we think) of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

The Toy Department – Episode 306

In Episode 306, Madden and Kolsky are sneaking in a late-night Thursday recording before they each go on (very different) vacations, so it’s right into:

  • The penultimate episode of The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (1:50) and how it sets up for a very exciting finalé (despite the unforgiven transgression of the previous episode)…
  • The new Apple TV+/Maya Rudolph show Loot (19:15) and how it’s a delightful comedy with a heart that really lets its lead actress shine…
  • The 90-minute dick joke Beavis & Butthead Do the Universe (23:25) and what reason there was for making this film besides Paramount+’s thirst for “new” content…
  • The Disney film Rise (28:20) and the absolutely unbelievable and wildly inspiring story of the Antetokounmpo brothers…
  • The return of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building (35:50) and how the show remains very enjoyable, though it might not have a particularly long shelf life at its current speed…
  • Some thoughts on a turbulent week in the NBA (40:50) and potential destinations for Kevin Durant after his trade request in Brooklyn…
  • Homework for Friday, July 22 (1:01:30), including: the end of The Challenge All-Stars 3 and the beginning of the newest entry in the franchise – The Challenge USA on CBS… Have a great summer break, everybody!!

The Toy Department – Episode 248

In Episode 248, Madden and Kolsky settle in for a movie-heavy episode covering:

  • The excellent new film Judas and the Black Messiah (1:50) and all the things that made it both a tremendous achievement and a difficult watch…
  • The New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears (22:15) and the disturbing celebrity culture that contributed to her current predicament…
  • The light-hearted To All The Boys: Always and Forever (45:40) and how both guys had fun but are pretty much done with this particular series of films…
  • A few thoughts on NBA All-Star (53:25), specifically on the unfortunate unlikelihood of Zach Lavine’s candidacy for the Eastern Conference team…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (1:02:45), including: the new NBC sitcom Young Rock, the new HBO Max miniseries It’s A Sin, the Netflix film I Care a Lot and the Hulu movie Nomadland… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!