Tag Archives: FX

The Toy Department – Episode 264

  By toyAdmin | June 22, 2021 - 11:20 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 264, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky get into some NBA Playoffs issues before jumping out of the sports world and into some television to move through:

  • The latest from Top Chef: Portland (11:40), and how it took a miscarriage of justice to get us to the final three we probably wanted all along…
  • A comparison between the two new shows Physical (on Apple TV+) and AMC’s Kevin Cann F*** Himself (22:30) and how neither is entirely successful but each of our hosts has a preference for one over the other…
  • A comparison between two returning pod favorites in FX’s Dave and HBO’s Betty (34:15) and how both are wildly enjoyable and have very specific (and endearing) vibes…
  • A thorough breakdown of Entertainment Weekly’s (often misguided) list of the best Challenge contestants of all time (48:15) and where and how they went wrong in their rankings…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (1:03:25), including: more Top Chef in Portland, more NBA Playoffs action, a Netflix documentary called This Is Pop, HBO’s new special episode of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and The Choe Show on FX/Hulu…

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The Toy Department – Episode 230

  By toyAdmin | October 6, 2020 - 11:37 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 230, Madden and Kolsky compare themselves to playoff baseball before moving into the realm of popular fiction to cover:

  • The new Netflix show Sneakerheads (4:10) and how it just fails to distinguish itself in any way…
  • Showtime’s two-part movie The Comey Rule (9:40) and the hosts’ drastically differing opinions on it…
  • The start of Season 4 of Fargo on FX (31:40) and how the show retains its signature charms…
  • Amazon’s new show Utopia (54:10) and what a creative and original project it seems to be…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Finals (1:02:15) and the last couple weeks of NFL football (1:05:10)…
  • Homework for next week (1:13:45), including: Showtime’s new series The Good Lord Bird (starring Ethan Hawke), HBO Max’s original movie Charm City Kings (starring Meek Mill), AMC’s new series Soulmates, the new Netflix movie 40-Year-Old Version and the first couple episodes of The Comedy Store docu-series on Showtime… plus the potential end of the NBA Finals and Week 5 of the NFL season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 204

  By toyAdmin | March 14, 2020 - 8:01 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 204, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are settling into life in a COVID-19 world and delve into:

  • Some thoughts on what life has been like over the last week (2:05) and what it may be like moving forward…
  • The season finale of HBO’s The Outsider (9:35) and what a great 10-episode run it had…
  • The series premiere of FX’s Hulu-specific series Devs (17:45), the mystery therein and a dramatic turn from Nick Offerman…
  • FX’s new series Dave (24:55) and how star Lil’ Dicky sucks you in and makes you laugh…
  • FX’s Better Things (28:10) and how it continues to soar as a shining example of great sitcom-style television…
  • Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This (37:15) and the charmingly distinct style of its creator…
  • The Netflix-made Lil’ Peep documentary Everybody’s Everything (42:55) and how it’s probably more for the late rapper’s fans than the general public…
  • Marc Maron’s new Netflix stand-up special End Times Fun (49:45) and his apparent mastery of his craft…
  • The HBO Sports documentary Women of Troy (53:20) and how much each guy learned about some stars in women’s basketball past…
  • Homework for next week (1:01:05), including: the return of Top Chef, the return of Brockmire on IFC, the return of Black Monday on Showtime and David Simon’s Philip Roth adaptation The Plot Against America on Amazon…

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The Toy Department – Episode 185

  By toyAdmin | October 9, 2019 - 10:30 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 185, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky address the many miseries of Madden’s Minnesota existence before talking through:

  • The return of Big Mouth on Netflix (5:15), which means more hilarious puberty jokes and horny hormone monsters…
  • HBO’s Diego Maradona documentary (9:10) and how it fell flatter than both hosts expected…
  • Netflix’s Between Two Ferns movie (15:05) and whether there’s enough to Zach Galifianakis’ sarcastic interview bit to last 90 minutes…
  • Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix show The Politician (22:30) and whether the Ryan Murphy of it all just becomes too much at some point…
  • Netflix’s Sacha Baron-Cohen drama The Spy (29:15) and how a great performance and some high stakes make for an enthralling viewing experience…
  • The new season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (36:05) and how impressive its continued quality is…
  • Some thoughts on the NBA’s current debacle (38:15) involving Daryl Morey and the Chinese government…
  • Homework for next week (56:55), including: the Jesse Pinkman (of Breaking Bad) movie El Camino, an attempt to get to the theater for The Joker and the start of the fourth season of Mr. Robot…

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The Toy Department – Episode 174

  By toyAdmin | July 17, 2019 - 2:56 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 174, Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky on paternity leave and without a high quality microphone to record into, but they still manage to cover:

  • The new American version of the UK hit Love Island (2:25) and whether it makes the grade for continued enjoyment…
  • Kolsky’s dive into the old Madden favorite The Shield (17:05) and what an early ’00s classic looks like in 2019…
  • Madden’s attempt to enjoy old Kolsky favorite Deadwood (27:45) and his insurmountable western roadblock…
  • A discussion about the Emmy Award Nominations (33:35) and TV’s biggest awards program in general…
  • Homework for next week (1:01:30), including: the new Showtime docu-series Shangri-La focusing on Rick Rubin, the new Raconteurs album Help Us Stranger, hopefully getting to the new movie Stuber and catching up on HBO shows Big Little Lies (which is already ending!) and Euphoria (which is only beginning)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 162

  By toyAdmin | April 10, 2019 - 2:35 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 162, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky talk about Madden’s rough day and Minneapolis’s impending blizzard before making their way through:

  • The series finalé of FX’s You’re the Worst (3:35) and how it will go down as a personal favorite for one host and a great peak tv comedy for the other…
  • The premiere of Season 3 of IFC’s Brockmire (16:25) and its incredible hit rate of hilarity…
  • HBO’s documentary The Inventor (25:25) and the way it tells the bizarre story of Elizabeth Holmes…
  • The return of BBC America’s Killing Eve (34:55) and how excited both guys are to return to the world that Season 1 established…
  • Showtime’s The Chi (40:10) establishing itself as a well-executed premium drama as it begins its second season…
  • The first episode of FX’s Fosse/Verdon (48:35) and whether there’s more here than enthralling acting performances…
  • Some thoughts on the NBA MVP debate (54:35) between Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden and a quick preview of the playoffs (which begin this weekend)…
  • Homework for next week (1:14:45), including: GAME OF THRONES IS BACK!!! plus Billie Eilish’s new album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and watching Schitt’s Creek and Our Planet on Netflix…

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The Toy Department – Episode 161

  By toyAdmin | April 3, 2019 - 11:17 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 161, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky literally make small talk about weather before getting serious on:

  • Derek’s viewing of Jordan Peele’s Us (3:25) and whether Kolsky is being a big ol’ wimp about seeing it…
  • The TV premiere of What We Do in the Shadows (17:05) on FX, and how it compares to the film it is based on…
  • The start of the seventh season of Veep on HBO (21:00) and how the show has changed over time…
  • The return of HBO’s Barry (26:25) in a somewhat pilot-y fashion, resetting the world we got to know in Season 1…
  • The end of Miracle Workers on TBS (29:05) and how it made an enjoyable little treat…
  • The end of Season 1 of Black Monday (33:55) and whether there’s enough on the bone to bring an effective satire back for a second season…
  • The end of HBO’s documentary series The Case Against Adnan Syed (38:50) and the ongoing injustices of the story we first heard through Serial…
  • Homework for next week (54:40), including: the return of several show favorites on TV — Killing Eve, Brockmire and The Chi — plus the series finale of You’re The Worst, the series premiere of Fosse/Verdon and a few movies for the back burner: The Inventor and Native Son (both on HBO) and The Highwaymen on Netflix…

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The Toy Department – Episode 158

  By toyAdmin | March 13, 2019 - 11:11 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 158, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky talk about the onslaught of peak television before focusing in on:

  • HBO’s The Case Against Adnan Syed (3:05), the frustrations of watching authorities bungle a case and a heartfelt look at a heartbreaking story…
  • Netflix’s new docu-series Losers (15:10) and how the episodes tell heartwarming tales of human triumph from the sports world…
  • Ricky Gervais’ new show After Life (24:40), also available on Netflix, which tells the story of a heartbroken and initially somewhat charmless widower finding his way back to being human…
  • The Canadian show Workin’ Moms (29:45), ALSO available on Netflix, and how it didn’t quite connect with either of the guys despite a lot of appealing aspects…
  • A check-in on FX’s You’re the Worst (35:41), a true pod favorite, in the midst of its final season…
  • Some assorted thoughts on peak tv and upcoming shows and movies (44:20) including Crashing and Deadwood on HBO…
  • Homework for next week (49:15), including: wrapping up Crashing and trying to get Derek into Deadwood, the Ben Affleck-fronted Netflix film Triple Frontier, the return of Showtime’s Billions, a new season of Catastrophe on Amazon and the season finalé of Top Chef (and perhaps watching the show Schitt’s Creek at some point in the not-too-distant future)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 157

  By toyAdmin | March 6, 2019 - 10:56 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 157, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky tempt fate with the prediction of a short show (spoiler alert — it actually came true!!) before breaking down:

  • The return of FX’s Better Things (1:25), a pod favorite, and how its brilliance appears intact after the departure of co-creator Louis C.K…
  • The Netflix film Paddleton (8:45), how it manages to be enjoyable and distinctly Duplass-y despite a persistent sadness and what it says about the movie industry’s changing status quo…
  • The HBO film O.G. (25:05), featuring a typically tour de force performance performance from Jeffrey Wright in a clinical look at incarceration…
  • Gary Clark, Jr.’s new album This Land (34:10) and how its eclectic mix of blues-tinged genre-jumping makes for a really good album that may not do much for his popularity…
  • Homework for next week (45:10), including: The Case Against Adnan Syed on HBO, Losers and Workin’ Moms on Netflix and check-ins on HBO’s The Shop and FX’s You’re the Worst…

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The Toy Department – Episode 136

  By toyAdmin | October 2, 2018 - 10:40 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 136, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly banter about their inability to execute a short version of the podcast before long-winded discussions centering on:

  • The world of baseball (1:30) as the playoffs begin, which — in a bad sign for baseball — devolves into a brief discussion of the Atlanta Hawks…
  • An attempt to find new network television worth watching (16:00) which ends with the selection of one new drama and one new comedy that Kolsky and Madden will try out for at least two episodes…
  • The return of NBC’s The Good Place (30:25) and how incredible a job it does of playing to all audiences while also remaining incredibly smart and original in today’s network climate…
  • FX’s new Australian offering Mr. In-Between (37:10) which both guys find intriguing after an episode or two…
  • Lil Wayne’s new album (42:20) and how its highlights show off Wayne’s skills but aren’t enough to prop up 23 tracks…
  • The season finale of HBO’s Insecure (48:05) and the unique lack of particular excitement or cliffhangers…
  • Homework for next week (53:40), including: finishing Forever on Amazon, starting The Cool Kids on Fox, the return of Big Mouth on Netflix and the season finale of AMC’s 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.

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