Tag Archives: Louis CK

The Toy Department – Episode 157

  By toyAdmin | March 6, 2019 - 10:56 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 157, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky tempt fate with the prediction of a short show (spoiler alert — it actually came true!!) before breaking down:

  • The return of FX’s Better Things (1:25), a pod favorite, and how its brilliance appears intact after the departure of co-creator Louis C.K…
  • The Netflix film Paddleton (8:45), how it manages to be enjoyable and distinctly Duplass-y despite a persistent sadness and what it says about the movie industry’s changing status quo…
  • The HBO film O.G. (25:05), featuring a typically tour de force performance performance from Jeffrey Wright in a clinical look at incarceration…
  • Gary Clark, Jr.’s new album This Land (34:10) and how its eclectic mix of blues-tinged genre-jumping makes for a really good album that may not do much for his popularity…
  • Homework for next week (45:10), including: The Case Against Adnan Syed on HBO, Losers and Workin’ Moms on Netflix and check-ins on HBO’s The Shop and FX’s You’re the Worst…

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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 94

  By toyAdmin | November 14, 2017 - 11:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 94, the distinctly non-toy department intrudes yet again, as Derek Madde and Matt Kolsky discuss:

  • The confirmation of Louis CK’s sexual assault (0:55) and whether we can or should separate art from the creator…
  • The new 30 for 30 documentary Nature Boy (32:05) about all-time professional wrestling great Ric Flair…
  • The Showtime show Shameless (43:20) which was tough for a newcomer to get into…
  • Showtime’s new comedy/drama SMILF (48:00) and whether it is standard Showtime fare or something more interesting and impressive…
  • The series finale of HBO’s Vice Principals (52:45) and how the end of the season improved upon its shaky start…
  • Homework for next week (56:45) including: The Toy Department goes to the movies!! (specifically to see the films Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Kolsky is gonna start watching Justified, finally…

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 83

  By toyAdmin | August 29, 2017 - 11:55 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 83, Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky on the island of Mabul, off the coast of Malaysian Borneo, where despite massive internet connectivity issues they manage to record a pod discussing:

  • The Kolsky family vacation to Borneo (0:40)…
  • The finale of Season 7 of HBO’s Game of Thrones – where are we at, where do we go from here and are we sufficiently satisfied (10:30)…
  • Louis CK’s self-produced web series Horace and Pete (26:35)…
  • The series finale of Orphan Black (41:55) and whether the show managed to navigate some plot confusion and land on its feet in the end…
  • Two new albums: The War On Drugs’ A Deeper Understanding (51:15) and Queens of the Stone Age’s Villains (57:00)…
  • Madden’s experience at the Kendrick Lamar show (1:01:45)…
  • Homework for next week (1:07:50):including catching up on HBO’s Insecure, the start of the NFL season and the new Netflix weed show Disjointed…

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 65

  By toyAdmin | April 13, 2017 - 1:16 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 65, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky waste no time in jumping into:

  • A quick status check on Better Call Saul (1:10) before putting a deeper discussion off until next week (so Madden can actually watch the season premiere)…
  • Hip hop artist Kweku Collins (7:40) and how Kolsky and Madden have fundamental differences in their musical taste…
  • Father John Misty (16:05) and his new album Pure Comedy…
  • The new IFC show Brockmire (25:25) and its potential for greatness…
  • Louis CK’s new comedy special 2017 (30:25) and his habit of boundary-pushing…
  • An Esquire article about Dave Chappelle (38:00) and how we view what comedians say…
  • A deep dive into the NBA MVP debate (45:20) and how the guys would vote if they had ballots…
  • A couple quick homework assignments for next week (1:12:55): watching the new seasons of Better Call Saul and Fargo…

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… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 64

  By toyAdmin | April 6, 2017 - 10:47 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 64, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky discuss Madden’s delightful social life before jumping into:

  • Last week’s homework: the remainder of the Amazon pilots (4:45), Jane the Virgin (14:30) and Mistaken for Strangers (24:05), the movie featuring The National…
  • The season finale of The Walking Dead (38:20) and where the guys stand with the show moving forward…
  • Baseball is back! (49:00) That may or may not be exciting…
  • Tony Romo’s retirement (1:02:20) and jump to the broadcasting booth…
  • Homework for next week (1:12:00): the new Louis CK special on Netflix, the new IFC show Brockmire (starring Hank Azaria as a baseball announcer), and the season premiere of Better Call Saul… plus hopefully Madden finally listens to Kweku Collins…
  • Some final thoughts on Legion (1:15:50) on the way out the door…

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… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 39

  By toyAdmin | September 15, 2016 - 10:47 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 39, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky return just a day late thanks to scheduling conflicts and bring you discussion of:

  • Their collective disappointment with USA’s Mr. Robot (1:15) and its apparent disinterest in moving the plot along…
  • The start of the NFL season, from Terrell Suggs’ amazing appearance on HBO’s Ballers (19:10) to the love they have for the return of regular season football (22:35) despite the discomfort some NFL issues cause to a quick look at a couple of specific teams and situations…
  • The end of the MLB season (32:10) and how it seems like almost nobody is watching it at all… Plus a little love for home-run-hitting machine Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins (41:50)…
  • A few thoughts on EPL Soccer (45:40) and it’s availability as a pregame show for NFL football…
  • CM Punk’s UFC debut (50:55) and whether he actually has any chance to make any progress in the new phase of his career…
  • FX’s new show Better Things (55:55) and how it allows Pamela Adlon to do what Louis CK did before her… and how it relates to Louie and FX’s other new show, Atlanta (57:00)…
  • An assorted mishmash of topics to end the show (1:03:15), including discussion of homework and Kolsky’s distaste for Fred Armisen…

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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