The Toy Department – Episode 109

In Episode 109, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky jump right into the business to discuss:

  • The aftermath of the 90th Annual Academy Awards (0:50), the low ratings and the future of the awards show…
  • The Season 2 premiere of Donald Glover’s FX show Atlanta (14:00) and all the things that make it the best show on television right now…
  • Another FX show, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (22:00) and how Madden and Kolsky differ greatly in their opinion of the show…
  • The Paramount Network show Waco (39:25) and how its handling of history struck Madden and Kolsky differently…
  • #PodChef time: the semi-finals episode of Top Chef (1:01:10) is in the books, and the guys have thoughts…
  • Homework for next week (1:09:40), including: the first three episodes of NBC’s Good Girls, the Netflix film Mute, the start of Season 3 of Lifetime’s UnREAL, plus the return of Jessica Jones and Love on Netflix and Sneaky Pete on Amazon…

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 103

In Episode 103, Derek Madden has once again failed to do his homework, yet he and Matt Kolsky power through to cover:

  • The nominations (3:25) for the 2018 Academy Awards and how well-represented the year in movies is, for a change…
  • Kolsky’s experience at the St. Vincent concert (26:40) and how incredible her staging is versus other shows…
  • The return of HBO’s Crashing (32:15) and how it’s really cruising in the early parts of its second season…
  • The premiere of this year’s American Crime Story (37:15) and whether the Gianni Versace murder has enough to carry the season…
  • The results of the NFL Playoffs (44:40) and a look forward to Super Bowl LII…
  • A mid-season check-in on the NBA (55:50), including thoughts on the “collapsing” Cavs, Thibodeau’s T-Wolves and the Baby Bulls…
  • Homework for next week (1:10:25) including: Derek actually watching Mudbound and I, Tonya, plus everyone checking out the new Paul Thomas Anderson joint Phantom Thread to prepare for the Oscars, and checking back in on Showtime’s The Chi after four episodes…

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 17

In Episode 17, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky begin with a discussion of the Golden State Warriors’ record-breaking season, and do some of the 2016 W’s v. ’95-96 Bulls debate, followed by a brief discussion of LeBron’s Instagram SNAFU (24:30) and some chatter about Kobe Bryant’s retirement tour (30:10). Then it’s TV talk, from The People v. OJ Simpson (37:00) to podcast-favorite Better Call Saul (43:40). They wrap with rock and roll (52:15) as they address Bruce Springsteen’s decision to skip his concert in North Carolina and the idea of protest music in general. And of course there’s some homework to be assigned (1:04:10) before the final bell…

Oh, 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.

The Toy Department – Episode 9

In Episode 9, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a little breakdown of the media madness surrounding the Super Bowl – mostly because Kolsky is stranded in a sea of Super Shenanigans… Then it’s a discussion of the great new TV series The People vs. OJ Simpson, and the success of FX in general (5:30) plus a minute or two about another new FX show, Zach Galifianakis’ Baskets. Of course today’s pod also includes a long Super Bowl Prop Bets segment (25:00) – you’re covered if you want to bet on earthquakes or whether Peyton Manning retires immediately after the game. Make sure you listen for your homework assignment(s) and stay tuned for the exciting tease ahead to next week’s episode!!

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes (and you really should), just CLICK HERE!!  We are also part of the Google Play library of podcasts (and hopefully will have a link to that soon)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.