Monthly Archives: June 2026

The Toy Department – Episode 459

  By toyAdmin | June 26, 2026 - 2:55 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 459, Madden and Kolsky pay some quick attention to their upcoming schedule before getting into:

  • An extended visit to the SPORTS WORLD, where the World Cup is in full swing (1:30) and the NBA is turning from draft to trades and free agency (22:05)…
  • Colin Farrell’s Apple TV+ show Sugar (42:20), which is totally enjoyable as just a neo-noir detective show, but also happens to includ an utterly additive ALIEN TWIST… Good times!
  • Questlove’s brilliant new documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) [46:00] and the fascinating story of the band and frontman Maurice White…
  • Homework for two weeks from now (53:25), including: Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness on HBO, the John Cena/Eric Andre comedy Little Brother on Netflix, the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle on Amazon and the now-available-to-rent-at-home Boots Riley film I Love Boosters… and a HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO YOU ALL!!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 458

  By toyAdmin | June 11, 2026 - 4:54 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 458, Madden and Kolsky figured out a way to get this thing on tape, which should be enough, as they talk through:

  • The somewhat underwhelming season finalé of Top Chef (0:50) and how not leaving the Carolinas for the final felt strange…
  • The new Apple TV+ series Cape Fear (16:30) and how one of our hosts just isn’t here for this sort of thing, but the other is ALL IN…
  • A look back at a few show-favorite series that wrapped up for good in the last couple weeks: the enjoyable endpoint of The Boys (26:05), the only-sometimes-beautiful mess that was Euphoria’s last season (29:55) and the triumph of Hacks (41:30)…
  • Homework for some time in a couple weeks (48:30), which is TOTALLY UP IN THE AIR other than World Cup and NBA Finals (if necessary), but may also include the return of Colin Farrell’s Apple TV+ show Sugar…

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The Toy Department – Episode 457

  By toyAdmin | June 3, 2026 - 2:27 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 457, Madden and Kolsky missed a week, so no time is wasted before discussions of:

  • An eventful two weeks on Top Chef (1:00), which sets us up for a humdinger of a finalé next week…
  • Tatiana Maslany’s new Apple TV+ show Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (30:50) and how her magnetism is at the center of an entertaining experience…
  • Netflix’s new Duffer Brothers-produced series The Boroughs (35:00) and how there are some pretty good pieces but neither host is particularly interested in the central storyline…
  • Netflix’s new crime thriller Nemesis (39:05) and how it’s a good version of a broad, good v. evil sort of populist TV show…
  • A look at the world of sports (45:45) with the NBA set for a Spurs-Knicks Finals, Arsenal winning the Premier League (but not the Champions League!) and the World Cup on deck…
  • Homework for some time next week (1:04:20), including: the finalé of Top Chef, the new Apple TV+ series Cape Fear and Kolsky catching up on the series finalés of Hacks, Euphoria and The Boys…

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