The Toy Department – Episode 222

In Episode 222, Madden and Kolsky start with a discussion of babies and zoos before getting into:

  • The second week of The Challenge: Total Madness Reunion (5:00) and the general let-down of this season’s end…
  • The return of HBO’s Room 104 (21:10) and just how delightful the first episode of this season was, even if it doesn’t make the show feel essential…
  • The new Amazon Prime film Radioactive (28:20) and some of the curious choices made by the filmmakers…
  • The return of sports (32:45) with MLB already underway (for now, at least), the NBA set to start and the NFL opening training camps…
  • Homework for next week (52:45), including: the new season of Umbrella Academy on Netflix, the fifth season of the Netflix docu-series Last Chance U, the new Go-Go’s documentary on Showtime, the end of HBO’s docu-series I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and revisiting HBO’s Perry Mason…
  • The new Taylor Swift record Folklore (57:15) and how it doesn’t quite resonate with either of our hosts…

The Toy Department – Episode 142

In Episode 142, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly discuss sick days and nap time and puppies before jumping into:

  • A little check-in on the NBA (2:30) covering the recent spat between Warriors’ stars Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, plus some discussion of the Wolves’ Jimmy Butler trade…
  • Amazon’s new series Homecoming (12:40), with focus on director Sam Esmail and a very impressive cast…
  • John Leguizamo’s Netflix special Latin History for Morons (20:00), and how it hit Madden and Kolsky differently…
  • Season 2 of Room 104 (27:30), HBO’s Duplass-produced anthology series, and whether it has anything to offer…
  • Vince Staples’ new album FM! (34:10), and how it is a success as an ode to radio, though it may not have many bangers…
  • Homework for next week (40:15), including: seeing the new movies Widows and Green Book (for real this time), Netflix’s The Kominsky Method, and the new Showtime series Escape at Dannemora (with an all-star cast directed by Ben Stiller)…

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 81

In Episode 81, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky banter about their sleeping habits before having more substantive discussions about:

  • A short and only half-informed discourse on the finalé of The Bachelorette (3:45)…
  • Season 7, Episode 4 of Game of Thrones (5:45): whether its greatness vindicates those who complained about the first three episodes of this season, the creepiness of Bran and the futures of our favorite characters…
  • HBO’s new Duplass-created show Room 104 (30:00) and what exactly it is, including a brief detour into the great career of James Van Der Beek…
  • The new installment of Wet Hot American Summer on Netflix (43:00) and how they recapture the tone and excellence of the movie that may have been lost in the first tv series…
  • Live music! Both Madden and Kolsky went to see live shows this week (50:55) and they discuss their experiences seeing Bruno Mars and Robert Randolph, respectively…
  • Recorded music! Madden finally listened to the new Vic Mensa record, The Autobiography (1:01:40) and agrees that it’s a damn good hip hop album…
  • Homework for next week (1:03:50): Madden has a big weekend planned, but that means he’s riding a plane so we’re going to learn about what movies are offered on a flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco…

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.