Tag Archives: comedy

The Toy Department – Episode 379

  By toyAdmin | February 29, 2024 - 9:18 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 379, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s busy schedule and Matt’s various maladies before jumping into:

  • The first of two reunion episodes for The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (2:20) and how one week probably would have been enough to cover everything if they had just limited some of the shouting matches…
  • The Vince Staples Show (19:00) and how it’s difficult not to see it as a second-rate version of our beloved Atlanta…
  • Apple TV+’s new show Constellation (22:40) and whether it is compelling enough to stick around for answers to the its many mysterious questions…
  • The Oscar-nominated Anatomy of a Fall (25:45) and how it is very French and pretty good but not necessarily on par with some of its opponents in the Best Picture category…
  • Homework for next week (32:05), including: the conclusion of the reunion for The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, Hulu/FX’s Shogun, the remaining two Best Picture nominees — Zone of Interest and Poor Things — and the new Apple TV+ comedy The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin…

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The Toy Department – Episode 377

  By toyAdmin | February 15, 2024 - 11:51 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 377, Madden and Kolsky have an in-depth Kylian Mbappe discussion before pressing record, then address Kolsky’s terrible Valentine’s Day before locking in for:

  • The first episode of TJ’s Final on The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (1:50) and the cathartic joy of seeing Jay sent home with nothing to show for his embarrassing display over the course of the season…
  • Jon Stewart’s return to The Daily Show (33:20) and whether it’s a worthy pursuit in the depressing chaos of 2024…
  • The new season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud, covering Truman Capote v. The Swans (45:35) and another chapter in the seemingly weekly serial Why Are We Doing This???
  • Apple TV+’s fashion/WWII show The New Look (53:00) and how it distinguishes itself in this current TV landscape simply by feeling like it has something worthwhile to say…
  • Some final thoughts on Super Bowl LVIII (57:45) and whether Kyle Shanahan bears the brunt of responsibility for another 49ers defeat on the biggest stage in sports…
  • Homework for next week (1:09:50), including: the (hopefully) thrilling conclusion of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, two Oscar-nominated films — Oppenheimer and Past Lives — and on a lighter note, the Taika Waititi film Next Goal Wins (now on Hulu)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 333

  By toyAdmin | February 23, 2023 - 6:32 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 333, Madden and Kolsky are on a deadline, so they jump straight into:

  • Part 1 of The Challenge: Ride or Dies Reunion (1:20) and all the many dramatic spats therein…
  • Netflix’s new teen crime series Fakes (18:25) and how it’s going for a quirky-and-lovable style that it simply doesn’t execute as well as some recent British comedies of a similar ilk…
  • Marc Maron’s new HBO stand-up special From Bleak to Dark (25:30) and how he is operating at an incredibly high level as a comedian…
  • Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical film The Fabelmans (30:00) and how it is exceptionally well-executed but not particularly ambitious or interesting beyond it being the story of a very famous filmmaker…
  • Homework for next week (36:20), including: Oscar-nominated The Woman King (now on Netflix), Amazon Prime’s new thriller-comedy The Consultant and the return of Party Down on Starz… PLUS the second reunion episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department – Episode 331

  By toyAdmin | February 10, 2023 - 3:52 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 331, Madden and Kolsky do a quick debrief on their long time apart before shifting into gear to discuss:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (1:40) where we seem to be past the halfway point of TJ’s Final and there are LOTS of incidents and accidents to discuss…
  • A quick check-in on The Last of Us (33:40) to acknowledge the excellence of Episode 3…
  • Peacock’s new Natasha Lyonne vehicle Poker Face (35:10) and how her charm carries the viewer to an awful lot of fun…
  • Hulu’s superpower show Extraordinary (38:45) and how it really is extraordinarily enjoyable, with excellent writing and some delightful young unknown performers…
  • Apple TV+’s Bill Lawrence/Jason Segel joint Shrinking (44:05) and how the combination of its two creators makes for an oddly enjoyable cocktail, plus — Harrison Ford…
  • The Netflix rom-com You People (51:30) and how there’s not much Rom and Eddy Murphy is largely wasted but it’s not so terrible in the end…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl LVII (1:00:55) and the recently passed NBA Trade Deadline (1:05:10)…
  • Homework for next week (1:16:25), including: four movies — TÁR (streaming on Peacock), Wakanda Forever (streaming on Disney+), Meet Me in the Bathroom (streaming on Showtime and Paramount+) and Somebody I Used to Know (streaming on Amazon)… and OF COURSE the last episode (we think) of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department – Episode 303

  By toyAdmin | June 10, 2022 - 11:39 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 303, Madden and Kolsky are tremendously delayed by an overlong pre-show discussion and Derek tempts fate by predicting a short show, so they hop in with:

  • The latest from The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (1:55) and the tragic errors from Sylvia and the Treehouse in a week of wanton stupidity…
  • The return of Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys (21:00), its eternal commitment to upping the ante in terms of gross-out violence, and its overall success as a television show…
  • Danny Boyle’s FX series Pistol (30:05), the fascinating 70’s punk world it transports you too and the cultural impact of the Sex Pistols…
  • Norm MacDonald’s posthumous comedy special Nothing Special (38:35) and how the post-show conversation featuring a collection of comedy greats helps to contextualize and appreciate Norm’s work and life…
  • Adam Sandler’s new Netflix film Hustle (46:45) and how it’s a really good dramatic film about basketball, featuring a really wonderful cast of both actors and real hoopers…
  • Homework for next Friday (58:20), including: more of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, the new HBO Max show Irma Vep, the Michelle Yeoh-starring film Everything Everywhere All At Once (now available on various VOD platforms), the new Melissa McCarthy Netflix show God’s Favorite Idiot and the new film Metal Lords (also on Netflix)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 270

  By toyAdmin | August 3, 2021 - 11:06 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 270, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky talk a little about the crowded sports calendar before turning their focus to:

  • The return of Behind the Music (7:15) and whether the now-MTV property is doing enough with new content to be worth watching…
  • The new Iliza Schlesinger Netflix movie Good on Paper (17:40) and how it’s a relatively original twist on what is basically a romantic comedy format…
  • The new HBO Max comedy special Tig Notaro: Drawn (22:20) and whether the animation gimmick adds to Tig’s particular brand of stand-up…
  • The surprisingly compelling Peacock show Dr. Death (28:10) and how the lead actors and a shocking true story help create an engrossing experience…
  • Homework for next THURSDAY (37:15), including: the return of The Challenge!!! — Spies, Lies and Allies debuts on Wednesday and the guys will go deep on next week’s THURSDAY pod, plus HBO Max’s goofy new dating show FBOY Island, the new Suicide Squad movie (also on HBO Max) and hopefully an episode or two of Apple TV+’s Joseph-Gordon Levitt vehicle Mr. Corman…

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The Toy Department – Episode 210

  By toyAdmin | April 25, 2020 - 2:47 pm | Uncategorized
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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…

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The Toy Department – Episode 183

  By toyAdmin | September 18, 2019 - 10:34 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 183, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly address Madden’s recent travels before flying through:

  • Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik on Comedy Central (2:10) and how he combines a podcast-like chat show with his signature evil humor…
  • ESPN’s new 30 for 30 on Dennis Rodman (8:05) — called Dennis Rodman: For Better or Worse — and the incredible story it tells…
  • Amazon’s trippy new series Undone (22:10), the effect of the animation style and the magnetism of Rosa Salazar…
  • A check-in on MTV’s The Challenge (29:35) which is absolutely thriving right now and providing peak reality entertainment…
  • A brief detour into social media (42:05) and sports commentary…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now, after an off-week (45:00), including: Netflix’s Sacha Baron-Cohen drama The Spy, new network TV shows Stumptown and Mixed-ish, the return of The Good Place and NOT watching Shane Gillis on SNL…

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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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