The Last Dance – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 213

In Episode 213, Madden and Kolsky waste little time before jumping into:

This week’s episode of Top Chef (1:40) and Kolsky’s triumph as his nemesis is finally eliminated…
The latest two episodes of The Last Dance (14:25) and Madden’s distaste for Michael Jordan the person…
This week’s episode of The Challenge: Total Madness (37:35) and the dangers of underestimating the Barbie Beast…
Jerry Seinfeld’s new Netflix special 23 Hours to Kill (50:30) and how it fails to reach Seinfeldian heights…
HBO’s new Mark Ruffalo vehicle I Know This Much is True (52:20) and the concept of bad-time tv during a pandemic…
The second season of Netflix’s Dead to Me (58:20) and just how enjoyable the two lead actresses are…
The end of IFC’s Brockmire (1:02:00), a show everyone should go watch IMMEDIATELY, and the fate of real baseball…
Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:14:25), including: Hulu’s new Catherine the Great show The Great, TNT’s Snowpiercer, new comedy specials from Patton Oswalt and Hannah Gadsby, and season 2 of Homecoming on Amazon Prime…

In Episode 212, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky dive right into:

This week’s restaurant wars episode of Top Chef (1:40) and the unsuspenseful upset that it delivered…
This week’s episode of The Challenge (17:10) and the many dangers of Total Madness…
Two more episodes of The Last Dance (34:50) and the singular maniacal drive of Michael Jordan…
The return of Showtime’s Billions (52:40) and whether there’s enough growth to keep the show’s momentum going…
HBO’s new skater show Betty (56:15) and whether a pilot episode with no pilot can grab your interest…
Upload on Amazon Prime (1:00:40), where it falls short and why it remains a reasonably enjoyable watch…
Hulu’s new show Normal People (1:04:20) and its unique, perhaps novelistic style…
Homework for next week (1:08:10), including: new episodes of Top Chef & The Challenge, two more episodes of The Last Dance, finishing this season of Brockmire, the second season of Dead to Me and Jerry Seinfeld’s new stand-up special (plus HBO’s new show I Know This Much is True, which was not mentioned)…

In Episode 211, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky literally discuss the weather and their pets before navigating through:

This week’s episode of Top Chef (2:20) and Leanne’s impressive cockroach impersonation…
This week’s episode of The Challenge: Total Madness (15:05) and the incredible level of danger this season’s challengers are facing…
Episodes 3 & 4 of the Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls documentary The Last Dance (31:25) and the Bulls’ epic battles with Detroit…
The season finale of Jason Segel’s Dispatches from Elsewhere (47:10) and what to take away from a bizarre adventure…
Mindy Kaling’s new Netflix creation Never Have I Ever (54:10) and whether it distinguishes itself in a crowded landscape of high school-based entertainment…
A very special quarantine episode of Parks & Recreation (57:30) and how much fun it is to hang with the characters we love so much…
The HBO movie Bad Education (1:01:15) and whether good performances can elevate a story without a lot to like…
Homework for next week (1:06:45), including: new episodes of Top Chef & The Challenge, two more episodes of The Last Dance, Hulu’s new show Normal People, HBO’s new skater show Betty, and Upload on Amazon Prime, plus the return of Billions on Showtime…

In Episode 210, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky talk a little NFL Draft before blazing through:

The first two episodes of the new Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls documentary The Last Dance (6:40) and what we have to look forward to in the 10-part series…
This week’s episode of The Challenge: Total Madness (17:25) and Ashley’s implosion in the bunker…
This week’s episode of Top Chef (26:40) and the elimination of some Toy Department favorites…
The season finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul (34:25) and how it sets us up for an explosive final season…
The new Netflix show #BlackAF (39:45) and how Kenya Barris is embracing his new home on a streaming network…
Netflix’s new comedy specials from Middleditch & Schwartz (45:30) and whether the improv format translates to a streaming comedy special…
A few thoughts on Netflix’s new sex-ban reality show Too Hot to Handle (48:20) and how stupidity can be incredibly watchable…
The new Steve Kerr/Pete Carroll podcast Flying Coach (51:30) and the insights two champion coaches can offer in audio format…
Homework for next week (53:55), including: new episodes of Top Chef & The Challenge, two more episodes of The Last Dance, the season finale of Dispatches from Elsewhere, the HBO movie Bad Education, Mindy Kaling’s new show Never Have I Ever on Netflix and a very special episode of Parks and Recreation…