The Toy Department – Episode 341

In Episode 341, Madden and Kolsky are trying to move quickly before Derek’s voice gives out to his cold, so it’s right into:

  • The return of HBO’s Barry (1:40) and how it continues to deliver an utterly unique, genre-bending experience in its fourth season…
  • Netflix’s WWII escape drama Transatlantic (9:05) and how it’s a surprisingly fun show given the subject matter…
  • The gloriously ridiculous Cocaine Bear (15:00) and how one of our hosts gets more mileage out of dumb stuff than the other does…
  • This week on The Challenge: World Championship (21:50) where strange strategy plays and bickering partners continue to dominate the landscape…
  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (40:15) where the competition is remarkably fierce and anyone could go home at any time… but usually it’s the chef that goes too far outside their comfort zone!
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (51:50) as the first round rolls along…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:00), including: Peacock’s new show Mrs. Davis, The Diplomat on Netflix and the David Cronenberg show Dead Ringers on Amazon prime… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 340

In Episode 340, Madden and Kolsky talk a little grilled cheese before locking in on:

  • This week’s monumental episode of Succession (2:50) and all the little pieces of brilliance that went into it…
  • Hulu’s NYT J Dilla documentary (13:55) which is reasonably interesting and relatively informative but feels like it leaves a lot on the table…
  • HBO’s Music Box documentary about Jason Isbell (23:45) and how it paints a really complete emotional picture of a pretty interesting man and musician…
  • Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things (30:35), the magnetism of Kathryn Hahn and how the series brings together a multi-generational story of moms and daughters…
  • Netflix’s Beef (34:40) and the intensity of watching people attempt to express their ultimately impotent rage…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: World Championship (39:35) and a significant elimination…
  • An apparently easily-judged episode of Top Chef (58:05) and the incredibly high level of talent remaining on this season…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA (1:10:15) as we head into the playoff season…
  • Homework for next week (1:24:45), including: the return of Barry on HBO, Netflix’s new World War II show Transatlantic and Cocaine Bear (now available on Peacock)… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 339

In Episode 339, Madden and Kolsky revisit Derek’s mom’s letter to Matt (which you may remember being mentioned a couple weeks ago) before getting to the business of the day:

  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (9:25) and how a home cooking challenge put some of the top restaurant chefs on the bottom…
  • This week’s action on The Challenge: World Championship (24:45) and the critical strategy mistakes made by strategy master Wes…
  • Hulu’s delightful new sitcom Unprisoned (46:10) and the positive effects of a powerhouse cast…
  • The new Amazon Prime drama The Power (54:40) and whether this is a superpower show that Derek can stomach…
  • Apple TV+’s new film Tetris (58:55) and the incredible story behind the making of one of the most popular games of all time…
  • The return of FXX’s Dave (1:04:20) and how it seems to be peaking, in part because the show is understanding itself better than ever…
  • Homework for next week (1:11:40), including: Netflix’s new series Beef, Hulu’s new series Tiny Beautiful Things and two music documentaries – Music Box’s Jason Isbel doc on HBO Max and the Hulu/New York Times doc on J Dilla… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 338

In Episode 338, Madden and Kolsky complain about the Kolsky children’s germs and the Minneapolis weather before locking in on:

  • This week in The Challenge: World Championship (4:25) and how this season’s penchant for cliffhangers is bothering both of our hosts, despite an episode that was otherwise very entertaining…
  • The latest from Bravo’s Top Chef Season 20 (33:25), the relatively light touch of Tottenham propaganda and the tournament-style challenge that sent a very good chef to Last Chance Kitchen…
  • The return of HBO’s Succession for its final season (51:20), the fact that it is absolutely firing on all cylinders and a couple thoughts on a potential spin-off…
  • The return of Showtime’s Yellowjackets for its second season (1:03:25) and how much faith each of our hosts have in the show’s ability to stay at a high level…
  • Apple TV+’s new charming comedy The Big Door Prize (1:09:55) and how the streamer seem to consistently produce pretty good stuff…
  • A few thoughts on the totality of the first season of Shrinking (1:13:40), how well Bill Lawrence and Jason Segel seem to fit as the creators of this show and Harrison Ford’s tremendous work (especially for an 80-year-old)…
  • Paramount+’s new spy thriller Rabbit Hole (1:22:10) and how Kiefer Sutherland is right in his wheelhouse in the midst of mysterious espionage…
  • Homework for next week (1:27:15), including: Apple TV+’s new movie Tetris, the return of Dave on FXX/Hulu, Amazon Prime Video’s new show The Power and Hulu’s new sitcom Unprisoned… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 337

In Episode 337, Madden and Kolsky recognize the longevity of American Dad and engage in a quick detour about British tv-watching habits before locking into today’s primary subjects:

  • Donald Glover’s new Amazon Prime Video horror show Swarm (6:30) and just how bizarre the first couple/few episodes are…
  • The new AMC/Bob Odenkirk show Lucky Hank (18:30) and how it seems to be a sort of meditation on middle age and mediocrity that happens to take place at a middling university, which both our hosts are on board for…
  • Disney+’s teen flick Chang Can Dunk (22:20) and how it’s a near-flawless execution of a high school basketball dramedy…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: World Championship (27:40) and the remarkable talent level of the remaining teams…
  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (48:15) and how even pub food turns into a beautiful thing in the hands of a remarkable group of chefs…
  • Homework for next week (1:03:45), including: the return of Succession on HBO & Yellowjackets on Showtime, the new Paramount+ spy thriller Rabbit Hole and Apple TV+’s The Big Door Prize… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…
  • A few thoughts on Major League Baseball (1:06:05) and the rule changes heading into the start of the 2023 regular season…

The Toy Department – Episode 336

In Episode 336, Madden and Kolsky chat about Kolsky’s crowded house before distracting him with:

  • A few thoughts on the Oscars (1:50) and what was a largely satisfying — if unremarkable — experience…
  • The return of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso (8:40), the heel turn of Nate the Great and what is in store for the final season…
  • A wrap-up of the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us (16:20) and what an excellent season of television it turned out to be…
  • Netflix’s Luther film (26:30) and how it is essentially just a longer episode of Luther, which is perfectly good!
  • The second week of Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo (30:55), the rise of May and the fall of Dawn…
  • A rather lackluster episode of The Challenge: World Championship (51:15) and the impending (and insane) Wrath of KellyAnne…
  • Homework for next week (1:07:15), including: Amazon Prime Video’s new Donald Glover comedy/drama/thriller/horror show Swarm, Bob Odenkirk’s new AMC show Lucky Hank and the Disney movie Chang Can Dunk… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 335

In Episode 335, Madden and Kolsky address Kolsky’s complaint about Bravo’s programming schedule deception and Derek’s potential relationship with Padma before launching into:

  • The debut episode of Top Chef Season 20 (5:25), the old favorites who have returned as All-Stars and the exciting crop of international chefs who have joined the proceedings…
  • The premiere of Paramount+’s The Challenge: World Championship (31:50), a very impressive field of contestants (other than the Argentine contingent) and how the partnerships shaped up after the first night of episodes…
  • The Oscar-nominated film Women Talking (55:40) and how a great cast and heavy premise don’t quite get to the point of making a particularly interesting or exceptional viewing experience…
  • The surprisingly enjoyable and well-executed Daisy Jones and the Six on Amazon Prime Video (1:04:35) and how sometimes just doing an established thing at a really high level is enough to be a really good show…
  • Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part II (1:07:40) and how it’s a lot like Part 1 — which is to say incredibly stupid and pretty damn funny, though one of our hosts enjoyed it more than the other…
  • Homework for next week (1:11:15), including: the end of the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us, the premiere of the final season of Apple’s Ted Lasso and the Luther movie on Netflix… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 334

In Episode 334, Madden and Kolsky toy with the concept of a baseball discussion they are not yet ready to have before getting into today’s business:

  • The conclusion of The Challenge: Ride or Dies Reunion (2:50) and a look ahead to next week’s debut of The Challenge: World Championship…
  • The return of Party Down on Starz (18:40) and how it is just as laugh-out-loud funny as it ever was, with some exciting new guest appearances to boot…
  • The Oscar-nominated film The Woman King (23:00) and how — like most of this year’s nominees — it left our hosts wanting more and wondering if there was a standout film to be had in the bunch…
  • Amazon Prime’s incomprehensible thriller-comedy The Consultant (27:00) and whether anything has ever made less sense…
  • Homework for next week (34:55), including: the Oscar-nominated Women Talking (rentable for streaming), Hulu’s The History of the World Part II from Mel Brooks and company, and the fake-band bio-series Daisy Jones and the Six… PLUS the premiere of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND the premiere of Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 333

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…

The Toy Department – Episode 332

In Episode 332, Madden and Kolsky get stuck in a lengthy discussion of playing FIFA and watching the English Premiere League before focusing in on the topic(s) at hand:

  • The season finalé of The Challenge: Ride or Dies (15:10) and the crowning of two new champs in Devin and Tori, plus a look forward to the jam-packed future of The Challenge Universe…
  • The critically celebrated film Tár (58:00) and just what exactly it has to offer other than a predictably incredible performance from Cate Blanchett…
  • The Ryan Coogler-directed superhero film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (1:03:55) and how it doesn’t live up to its predecessor but still makes for a pretty good time…
  • Showtime’s new 90s/00s indie rock scene documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom (1:08:35) and how it has some great shots and archived footage but not enough information about its subjects…
  • The Dave Franco-directed Somebody I Used to Know (1:21:05) and the magnetic lead actor energy of his wife and star Allison Brie…
  • Homework for next week (1:26:50), including: the Oscar-nominated Spielberg film The Fabelmans, a new Netflix series called Fakes and Marc Maron’s new HBO special From Bleak to Dark… PLUS the reunion episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…