The Toy Department – Episode 171

In Episode 171, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky cover Kolsky’s extreme dad day (fair warning — there are some baby noises) and welcome a new (mostly quiet) cohost before jumping in on:

  • Netflix’s new show The Society (7:15) which both guys found delightfully entertaining, if modest in its overall ambition…
  • HBO’s new teen thrill-ride Euphoria (12:50) and whether it is engaging enough to overcome the fact that it can be difficult to watch…
  • Ava Duvernay’s When They See Us (25:40) on Netflix, and how upsetting the story is for so many reasons…
  • AMC’s new supernatural series NOS4A2 (31:15) and whether it’s worth checking out…
  • Showtime’s City on a Hill (35:05) and its odd B-movie feel despite the high-powered production team…
  • A few thoughts on NBA free agency (40:25) and its accompanying silliness…
  • Homework for next week (51:00), including: The Loudest Voice on Showtime, Too Old to Die Young on Amazon, thoughts on the early days of the NBA’s coming free agent frenzy and hopefully the new film Yesterday…

The Toy Department – Episode 160

In Episode 160, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky address a recent major life event before discussing:

  • The NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend (2:15) and what the lack of upsets means for the remainder of the event…
  • The Dirt (8:35), Netflix’s Mötley Crüe biopic, and how it moves through the life of one of rock’s wildest bands…
  • Hulu’s new comedy Shrill (27:35) and how Aidy Bryant has created a really honest and honestly hilarious show…
  • The Act (35:05), also on Hulu, the intensity of its acting performances and compelling nature of its mysteries…
  • The career of the recently retired Rob Gronkowski (40:05) and how he stacks up with the all-time greats at the tight end position…
  • Homework for next week (56:10), including: Barry and Veep on HBO, the end of Miracle Workers on TBS and the Adnan Sayed docu-series on HBO, and the premiere of What We Do in the Shadows on FX, plus Derek tries to watch US…

The Toy Department – Episode 159

In Episode 159, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky literally talk about weather before moving into the world of pop culture to break down:

  • The upcoming NCAA Tournament (1:35) and Kolsky’s decision not to fill out a bracket…
  • The season finalé of Top Chef (9:30), with thoughts on food, contestants, judges and (of course) Padma…
  • Netflix’s new movie Triple Frontier (21:05) and whether it’s worthy of its cast…
  • The return of Showtime’s Billions (26:25) and how well it has developed a big cast of interesting characters…
  • The premiere of the final season of Catastrophe (32:00) on Amazon and whether it is still breaking new ground in season four…
  • The series finale of Pete Holmes’ HBO show Crashing (35:30) and how the guys would have liked to see more…
  • Homework for next week (43:50), including: the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt on Netflix, plus two Hulu shows — The Act and Shrill, and LOTS of college basketball…