The Toy Department – Episode 246

In Episode 246, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss Kolsky’s persistent physical malady before focusing on the pop culture of the week:

  • The new Amazon Prime show Flack (4:10), its star Anna Paquin and a level of watchability that led both hosts to watch all six episodes this week…
  • The second special episode of Euphoria (9:30) and how wonderful and original that show feels heading into its second season…
  • The French show Lupin (19:40), which is enjoyable and charming in some ways but doesn’t totally come together…
  • The film The Little Things (27:45) and, among other things, whether it’s possible for Rami Malek to be convincing as a relatively normal human being…
  • A little Super Bowl LV chat (38:35) focused primarily on some good-value prop bets to make your party-less Super Sunday a little more entertaining…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (57:50), including: the new Sam Levinson/Zendaya/John David Washington film Malcom & Marie on Netflix, ESPN’s new 30 for 30 film Al Davis vs. The NFL, the Ted Danson network sitcom Mr. Mayor and the new Marvel series WandaVision on Disney+; plus a Super Bowl wrap-up and more NBA basketball… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

The Toy Department – EMERGENCY OSCAR PREVIEW

This un-numbered episode finds Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky scrambling to a recording device to talk Oscars before Sunday’s ceremony… after tragically forgetting to mention them in the regular weekly pod. Enjoy!!

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 54

In Episode 54, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky return after a week off due to Kolsky’s infirmity to discuss MANY pressing issues, including:

  • Brent Musburger’s sudden retirement announcement (1:45) and his legacy as one of our greatest sports broadcasters…
  • Matt Ryan’s place in the NFL’s quarterback pantheon (8:10) and his MVP candidacy, as we head towards next weekend’s Super Bowl 51…
  • A favorite show of the show, The Good Place (17:35), and how it flipped its own narrative on its head in the season finalé… SPOILER ALERT: This conversation will spoil said finalé, so if you want to skip it, the short version is – Madden and Kolsky both liked it!!
  • HBO’s new series The Young Pope (24:10) and whether the visual spectacle of its first few episodes makes it worth sticking with as it finds its footing from a narrative perspective…
  • 2016 in Movies (33:50), viewed through the perspective of Tuesday’s Oscar nominations… Including thoughts on La La Land, Deadpool, Hidden Figures, Moonlight, Lion and Fences, among others…
  • Some homework for next week (59:15): trying to get Derek to watch La La Land and/or Lion and/or Hell or High Water… and an episode of Blackish (specifically – Season 3, Episode 12, entitled Lemons)…

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.