Tag Archives: television

The Toy Department – Episode 451

  By toyAdmin | April 15, 2026 - 6:46 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 451, Madden and Kolsky are up late for a special after-dark edition, so don’t worry if everyone sounds a little punchy as they chat about:

  • The latest from Top Chef (2:45) where a BIG BBQ challenge brought out the best in the chefs and there’s a hanging mystery heading into next week…
  • The Netflix doc UNTOLD: The Death and Life of Lamar Odom (24:10) which has a fascinating subject but doesn’t entirely come together as a documentary…
  • The new Jonah Hill-directed movie Outcome (32:15) on Apple TV+, where the camp is high, the ambitions are relatively low, and one of our hosts is very annoyed…
  • Netflix’s new Dan Levy comedy Big Mistakes (41:50) and how the frantic nature of the whole thing makes it tough to enjoy…
  • A hard pass on talking soccer (47:30), but a few thoughts on the NBA as we head into the playoffs…
  • Homework for next week (53:35), including: the next episode of Top Chef, the Apple TV+ series Margo’s Got Money Troubles, the return of Netflix’s show Beef (as an anthology series) and a WHOLE LOT of playoff basketball…

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The Toy Department – Episode 450

  By toyAdmin | April 8, 2026 - 6:33 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 450, Madden and Kolsky return from an extended, travel-filled layoff to get into:

  • The last few episodes of Top Chef: Carolinas (3:25) and how the group is seemingly not living up to its own standards over that time…
  • Apple TV+’s new sexy psychological drama Imperfect Women (26:35) and the sudden plethora of sexy psychological dramas on streaming services…
  • The third season of Lisa Kudrow’s HBO series The Comeback (37:45) and how it’s mostly more of the same (other than a clever little AI storyline) but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing…
  • The return of Amazon Prime’s “Jury Duty” with Company Retreat (41:35) and how it’s quite funny even if it can’t quite reach the hilarity of the original season…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA (44:50) as we head into the postseason…
  • Homework for next week (57:55), including: the next episode of Top Chef, AMC’s new show The Audacity, the new Dan Levy comedy Big Mistakes on Netflix, and UNTOLD: The Death and Life of Lamar Odom (also on Netflix)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 449

  By toyAdmin | March 18, 2026 - 12:04 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 449, Madden and Kolsky have a brief and unfortunate conversation about Arsenal’s star-in-the-making Max Dowman before putting soccer away to discuss:

  • The second episode of Top Chef: Carolinas (2:15), with a very high level of cooking all around and an emerging favorite, plus a few thoughts on Padma’s new show America’s Culinary Cup…
  • HBO’s new Bill Lawrence/Steve Carrell show Rooster (31:10) and its charming combination of comedy and drama…
  • Netflix’s new horny dramedy Vladimir (35:25) and the now-incredibly-overused trick of showing us a potential endpoint in the first ten minutes of a series…
  • Nicole Kidman’s new Amazon show Scarpetta (43:05) and the weird middle ground it finds between police procedural and family drama…
  • The ABA docu-series Soul Power (50:50), the wild and crazy ’70s times in basketball’s upstart league and where the show may have missed some things…
  • Homework for THREE weeks from now, April 8 (1:04:05), including: the next few episodes of Top Chef, Apple TV+’s Imperfect Women, Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat and the third season of Lisa Kudrow’s HBO series The Comeback…

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The Toy Department – Episode 448

  By toyAdmin | March 11, 2026 - 3:19 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 448, Madden and Kolsky are arriving on Wednesdays for the foreseeable future, as they respond to:

  • The premiere of a new season of Top Chef (1:50), this one in the Carolinas and off to a rip-roaring start with a very dramatic elimination challenge…
  • The final Best Picture nominee on the list, Hamnet (30:25), complete with Kolsky’s predictable distaste for the film and some general Oscar talk…
  • The new HBO show DTF St. Louis (48:50) and how it’s got all the pieces of a good show, but at least one of our hosts is struggling with all the misery on television…
  • Homework for next week (1:03:30), including: the next episode of Top Chef, the ABA docu-series Soul Power on Amazon Prime Video, HBO’s new Steve Carrell/Bill Lawrence show Rooster, the Netflix series Vladimir, and Nicole Kidman’s new show Scarpetta (also on Prime Video)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 447

  By toyAdmin | March 6, 2026 - 10:56 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 447, Madden and Kolsky address an upcoming pod schedule change before wading through:

  • The Oscar-nominated film Marty Supreme (2:20) and all of its great acting performances, plus Kolsky’s discomfort with the Safdie style…
  • The Oscar-nominated performance of Rose Byrne (13:00) in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and the distinctly not-oscar-worthy nature of the film itself…
  • A sort of combined discussion about two network sitcoms (22:00): the Tracy Morgan/Daniel Radcliffe vehicle The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, and the reboot of Scrubs from pod favorite Bill Lawrence & Co…
  • A few thoughts on Chelsea FC and premier league football (32:15), because the hosts can’t help themselves…
  • Homework for WEDNESDAY of next week (39:05), including: the premier of the new season of Top Chef, Hamnet (the final Oscar nominee for the pod), and the new HBO show DTF St. Louis…

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The Toy Department – Episode 446

  By toyAdmin | February 20, 2026 - 12:03 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 446, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss Derek’s homework apology before (angrily) diving right into:

  • The widely acclaimed Best Picture nominee The Secret Agent (1:10) and how neither of our hosts can figure out why that acclaim exists…
  • Richard Linklater’s new film Blue Moon (12:45), which was abjectly hated by one of our hosts and marginally appreciated for its good qualities by the other…
  • Ethan Coen’s 2025 film Honey Don’t (21:10) and how it simply doesn’t rise to the standard of the work he’s done with his brother…
  • The new Netflix series How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (31:05) and how Northern Irish murder mystery capers apparently appeal more to one host than the other…
  • Homework for next week (37:30), including: the Oscar-nominated films Marty Supreme and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, the Tracy Morgan show The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins on NBC/Peacock, and the Scrubs reboot on ABC/Hulu…

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The Toy Department – Episode 445

  By toyAdmin | February 6, 2026 - 11:18 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 445, Madden and Kolsky briefly address the results of the Toy Department Derby (if it can be so called) before moving into:

  • Kolsky’s dad’s recommendation, the Bert Kreischer show Free Bert on Netflix (4:15), which neither of our hosts disliked, per se, but nobody here can exactly recommend…
  • This week’s Oscar film Sentimental Value (11:25) and how Madden and Kolsky’s differing expectations may have contributed to their differing experiences with the film…
  • The good-time action flick The Wrecking Crew (24:25) and the value of having some fun at the movies…
  • The return of Shrinking (33:05), the emotional journey that makes it one of the best shows out right now, and the work of creator/showrunner Bill Lawrence…
  • Some sports thoughts (40:00) with the Super Bowl on deck and the NBA’s trade deadline just passed…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (53:10), including: the Richard Linklater film Blue Moon (with Oscar-nominated Ethan Hawke), the Best Picture-nominated Brazilian film The Secret Agent, the new-to-Netflix Ethan Coen movie Honey Don’t, and the new Netflix series How To Get To Heaven From Belfast…

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The Toy Department -Episode 444

  By toyAdmin | January 30, 2026 - 10:32 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 444, Madden and Kolsky have a breezy chat about whether or not they’ll have a breezy chat about some not-so-breezy content (does that make sense?) before having an [arguably breezy] chat about:

  • The Oscar-nominated Train Dreams (1:35) and how it does a lot of things right, even if it ultimately is more of a tone poem than a narrative film…
  • The distinctly not-a-tone-poem Netflix film The Rip (20:10) and the value of the Damon/Affleck let’s-have-a-good-time-at-the-theater attempt…
  • Amazon Prime Video’s crime thriller series Steal (28:05) and how it has all the pieces to be a good show but somehow isn’t quite coming together…
  • The new Marvel series Wonder Man (32:25), the enjoyability of a different sort of show within the context of the broader universe, and Derek’s continued distaste for MCU content…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Toy Department Derby (41:05) and the prospects of Chelsea and Arsenal…
  • Homework for next week (46:05), including: the third season of Shrinking on Apple TV+, the new Bert Kreischer sitcom Free Bert on Netflix (recommended by Kolsky’s father), the Amazon Prime Video action flick The Wrecking Crew and the Oscar contender Sentimental Value…

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The Toy Department – Episode 443

  By toyAdmin | January 23, 2026 - 10:52 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 443, Madden and Kolsky discuss the various challenges presented by the sub-zero temperatures they’re experiencing before launching into:

  • Netflix’s new dramatic thriller His & Hers (5:30), and how it fails to reach the quality of a lifetime movie despite some heavy hitters in the cast…
  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (13:20) and the wisdom of major IP properties telling small, disconnected stories…
  • The Night Manager (19:20), which came out ten years ago, but is really great and the guys needed to watch Season 1 before they could get to the brand new Season 2…
  • Peacock’s new Moscow spy series Ponies (23:55), the indelible charm of its leads and the desire for more high-quality shows like this one…
  • Some thoughts on the Oscar nominations (34:00) and what they say about the state of movies in 2026…
  • Homework for next week (44:45), including: the Oscar-nominated Train Dreams on Netflix, the new Damon/Affleck movie The Rip (also on Netflix), the Amazon Prime Video show Steal, and the new Marvel series Wonder Man…

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The Toy Department – Episode 442

  By toyAdmin | January 16, 2026 - 12:23 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 442, Madden and Kolsky are FINALLY back after a LOOOOONG winter break to bring you the best in pop culture conversation, specifically regarding:

  • A couple minutes on the Toy Department Derby—Chelsea v Arsenal—that happened shortly before our return (2:30) and how nobody left satisfied…
  • The HBO documentary It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (6:50) and Kolsky’s bizarre cultural blind spot when it comes to this particular musician…
  • HBO’s other music documentary from the holidays, Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately (15:15) and how the film was less impactful despite a greater love for the band…
  • The movie F1 (30:10) and how it is essentially a classic sports film with plenty of good-looking and entertaining actors and also pretty predictable and not particularly memorable…
  • Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film Bugonia (36:10), how it differs from some of his previous work, and how much both of our hosts enjoyed it…
  • Dave Chappelle’s new special (43:40) and how he still has his fastball but he’s also still making some frustrating and disappointing choices…
  • Homework for next week (53:45), including: getting into The Night Manager (ten years late but on time for Season 2, on Amazon Prime Video), Netflix’s thriller series His & Hers, HBO’s latest Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the new 70’s spy thriller show PONIES on Peacock…

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