The Toy Department – Episode 135

In Episode 135, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with some chatter about Kolsky’s new show and some other sports radio before transitioning into:

  • The state of the NFL (6:25) and Madden’s continued attempts to stop giving the league his money…
  • Jimmy Butler’s demand to be traded from the Timberwolves (19:05) and how it reflects on him, the team and the coach in charge of the whole mess; plus some thoughts on the NBA in general…
  • Netflix’s new limited series Maniac (36:25) and whether it makes enough sense to be enjoyable…
  • A season wrap-up discussion on Netflix’s Ozark (43:45) and how it remains one of the most entertaining shows available despite a confusing decrease in critical support…
  • The new film The Predator (52:10) and whether it’s good enough to cross into broad, popular appeal…
  • The new album Master Volume (1:00:05) by Canadian band The Dirty Nil, and how it sounds like a band on the verge of doing really cool things…
  • Homework for next week (1:08:40), including: the return of The Good Place on NBC, picking a new network show to try out, FX’s new show Mr. In Between and finishing up this season of HBO’s Insecure…

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 134

In Episode 134, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky belabor their show introduction before jumping headlong into:

  • Amazon’s new streaming show Forever (2:15) and why they guys’ views on it differ so extremely…
  • Hulu’s new Sean Penn vehicle The First (27:05), where Penn plays a very muscular (former?) astronaut and brings a dramatic weight that is not necessarily enjoyable…
  • Some thoughts on (probably) bad new shows (34:15) including A Million Little Things and Rel, plus plenty of re-made “classics”…
  • A check-in on Derek’s active-ish (40:00) NFL boycott and the league’s many problems, starting with its commissioner…
  • Season 2 of Netflix’s American Vandal (49:20) and how the mock-umentary is still immensely enjoyable despite somewhat diminishing returns on the concept…
  • A quick check-in on Season 2 of Ozark (54:55) and how both guys are having a blast with it despite a less glowing critical reception than Season 1…
  • Homework for next week (1:02:05), including: finishing the aforementioned season of Ozark, the premiere of Maniac on Netflix, the album Master Volume by The Dirty Nil and an attempt to get to the theater for the new Predator movie…

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 133`

In Episode 133, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a digression into the greatest mistakes in Oscars history before focusing in on:

  • The return of NFL football (6:50) and Derek’s non-financial-contributor philosophy for the season, plus some early returns…
  • A mid-season check-in on AMC’s Better Call Saul (16:25) which is one of the best shows going and has really ratcheted up the intensity without losing anything in the acting and writing…
  • Showtime’s new show Kidding (24:00) starring Jim Carrey and directed by Michel Gondry, and how the pilot does a good job of setting up a show with a ton of potential…
  • The return of The Deuce (31:00) on HBO, and how both guys trust it to come through despite an oddly stagnant time jump…
  • A wrap-up discussion on Season 6 of Orange is the New Black (36:30) and how truly exceptional it can be in its best moments…
  • Homework for next week (49:10), including: several new shows — Forever (starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen) on Amazon Prime, The First (starring Sean Penn) on Hulu; plus the return of American Vandal on Netflix…

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 132

In Episode 132, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are at it early thanks to Kolsky’s new radio schedule, covering:

  • Amazon’s new show Jack Ryan (2:15) and how terribly flat it falls for both guys…
  • The return of Netflix’s Ozark (10:15), the engaging and exciting nature of the characters and the great acting performances it creates space for…
  • The new film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (16:35) and how Netflix has a huge hit on its hands in the delightful romantic comedy…
  • Drew Michael’s new standup special on HBO (25:30), the ways it is original and interesting, and where it fails to stand out…
  • Nearer My God (36:50), the new album from the indie rock band Foxing, and how both guys think it is one of the year’s best…
  • The return of the NFL (44:15), Derek’s decreasing interest in the league and some thoughts on how the season will turn out…
  • Homework for next week (1:10:05), including: Showtime’s new Jim Carrey/Michel Gondry collab Kidding, the return of The Deuce on HBO, a wrap-up of Orange is the New Black (Season 6) and a check-in on Better Call Saul…

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.