The Toy Department – Episode 108

In Episode 108, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky preview their Oscar discussion unnecessarily before diving into the following (in order):

  • The first three episodes of the new NBC sitcom AP Bio (4:15), and whether it stands out from the pack of network comedy…
  • Derek’s experimentation with the Season 4 premiere of iZombie (8:50) and how it probably is a show that requires starting from the beginning…
  • Kolsky’s experimentation with Season 15 of Top Chef (16:50), some of its most engaging characters, and how it really does provide the best of reality TV…
  • A run-down of the Oscars (35:50) and predictions for the actual winners (along with pleas for the real winners) heading into this weekend’s show…
  • The long list of shows returning or premiering in March of 2018 (57:55) and what of it will be worth watching…
  • Homework for next week (1:04:50), including: the first two episodes of NBC’s new dramedy Good Girls and the Season 2 premiere of FX’s Atlanta…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 107

In Episode 107, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky try to figure out what the NBA’s proposed 1-16 playoff seeding idea would look like before jumping into the day’s assigned topics:

  • Marvel’s new movie sensation Black Panther (9:20) and its quality and importance, plus the awesomely unfolding career of director Ryan Coogler…
  • The soundtrack to the aforementioned Black Panther (25:25) and how it really is a companion piece to the film…
  • The new Chris Rock standup special Tambourine (30:30), how good it is and how important it is for comedians to have their space to consider ideas…
  • NBC’s new sitcom AP Bio (42:50), and whether it is worth watching or stands out from standard network fare in an interesting way…
  • Netflix’s new Queer Eye (48:35) and how it distinguishes itself from other reality television…
  • Homework for next week (1:00:00), including: giving AP Bio a couple more episodes to hit its stride, watching some Top Chef, checking out the first two episodes of The Joel McHale Show on Netflix and Derek giving iZombie a try as it begins its fourth season…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 106

In Episode 106 Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky discuss their respective Valentine’s Day thoughts before settling into an episode designed mostly by Kolsky with the foremost intention of stretching Madden’s limits of entertainment consumption and discussing:

  • Showtime’s The Chi (8:00) and just what kind of show it seems to be at the midway point of its first season…
  • The Winston Churchill-focused film The Darkest Hour (14:30) and how it outshined its period piece contemporary Dunkirk…
  • The rebooted Jumanji (21:25) and how it wildly exceeded expectations to be a good movie…
  • The Netflix sci-fi series Altered Carbon (27:40) and whether Madden was able to swallow the fantasy world or not…
  • Three albums that Derek wouldn’t otherwise have listened to: Khruangbin’s Con Todo El Mundo (42:20), Ty Segall’s Freedom’s Goblin (44:10), and Nai Palm’s Needle Paw (47:20)…
  • Both guys’ weird propensity to tear up during entertainment (53:25)…
  • Homework for next week (56:30), including: the new sitcom AP Bio, Black Panther the movie AND the soundtrack to Black Panther, and whatever else they add to the pile during the week…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 105

In Episode 105 Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky freshly returned from Hawaii to discuss such delights as:

  • Super Bowl LII (0:45) and how any season where the Patriots don’t win is a relative success…
  • Justin Timberlake’s new album Man of the Woods (12:05) and how it seems to be a success despite being somewhat confusing…
  • The Netflix movie Mudbound (25:00) and how it’s a good example of quality bad-time entertainment…
  • Another Netflix film, A Futile and Stupid Gesture (30:55), which tells the story of the Doug Kenney and the rise of National Lampoon…
  • The season finalé of The Good Place (45:10) and the tremendous work of Michael Schur in the world of network comedy…
  • Homework for next week (52:00) wherein Madden pays off his losing Super Bowl bet and allows Kolsky to program the entire show, covering: the new superhero film Black Panther, the new Netflix sci-fi series Altered Carbon, and albums from Nai Palm (Needle Paw), Khruangbin (Con Todo El Mundo) and Ty Segall (Freedom’s Goblin)… Come back next week to hear about the torture!!

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.