The Toy Department – Episode 431

  By toyAdmin | September 5, 2025 - 11:30 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 431, Madden and Kolsky discuss their IRL meet-up between podcasts before getting down to brass tacks on:

  • The last two weeks of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (7:00) and the thrilling elimination that crowned the most recent episode…
  • The baffling and distinctly not funny comedy The Pickup (22:50) and how exactly we end up making things that make no sense…
  • The disappointing film The Phoenician Scheme (28:40) and whether the career of Wes Anderson has ceased to be a source of interest…
  • The excellent Freaky Tales (34:30) and its love affair with Oakland…
  • A revisiting of Apple TV+’s insane show Smoke (43:05) and how the not-especially-good-but-totally-ridiculous blueprint seems to be working for them…
  • Homework for next week (51:45), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, the Office spin-off The Paper, HBO’s new crime drama Task and the Amazon Prime teen band show The Runarounds…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 430

  By toyAdmin | August 21, 2025 - 10:47 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 430, Madden and Kolsky are chomping at the bit after a week off, so it’s right on into:

  • The last two weeks of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (1:20) and whether Johnny Bananas was right when he said “I AM the Challenge!”
  • Apple TV+’s Chief of War (24:10) and why neither of our hosts expect to keep watching…
  • Noah Hawley’s Alien Earth on FX (28:55) and how he just keeps making compelling television…
  • Peacock’s John Grisham adaptation The Rainmaker (33:30) and how it’s pretty darn good for a network-y sort of show…
  • Netflix’s documentary series America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys (39:20) and how much Kolsky loves Michael Irvin…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (53:00), including: the next two episodes of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, revisiting the Apple TV+ show Smoke and three movies —The Pickup on Amazon Prime Video, Freaky Tales on HBO Max and The Phoenician Scheme on Peacock…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 429

  By toyAdmin | August 8, 2025 - 6:22 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 429, Madden and Kolsky get into their relative appreciation of getting pounded with heavy metal before they buckle down on:

  • The new FX show Welcome to Necaxa (3:20) and how the Eva Longoria project resembles but is also very different from the Rob & Ryan project in Wrexham…
  • Kolsky’s failure to watch Chief of War (15:00) thanks to a miscommunication on last pod (so maybe it’s homework now?)…
  • Netflix’s bat-guano insane The Hunting Wives (16:30) and the utter mediocrity of its nudity-heavy nonsense…
  • The five hours of Billy Joel documentary on HBO (22:05), whether he deserved that length and where his legacy lands…
  • Amazon Prime Video’s teen drama sensation The Summer I Turned Pretty (46:35) and whether our hosts should suffer through the first season or two to get to the apparently very good third season… or are we just very old and out of touch?
  • Another exciting episode of The Challenge 41: Vets & New Threats (54:45) and an absolute banger of an elimination between two small rookie women who left everything they had in the ring…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:09:35), including: the next two episodes of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, perhaps revisiting the well-reviewed Chief of War, Noah Hawley’s new FX show Alien Earth, the John Grisham television adaptation The Rainmaker on USA/Peacock and the new Dallas Cowboys/Jerry Jones documentary on Netflix…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 428

  By toyAdmin | August 1, 2025 - 11:43 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 428, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s visit to Chicago and assign some extra homework that they forgot about before locking into:

  • The first episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (5:55) and also the weird and mostly annoying 0th episode, with lots of excitement for the season to come…
  • The reasonably enjoyable Happy Gilmore 2 (30:55), how far you can fly on the wings of cameo appearances from terrible actors and Adam Sandler’s career choices…
  • Hulu’s new show Washington Black (39:50) and the relative usefulness of fantastical historical fiction…
  • Homework for next week (44:05), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, checking in on the apparently very popular The Summer I Turned Pretty on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix’s new series The Hunting Wives, Eva Longoria’s Wrexham spinoff Necaxa and the Billy Joel documentary And So It Goes on HBO Max…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 427

  By toyAdmin | July 25, 2025 - 10:51 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 427, Madden and Kolsky chat a bit about Kolsky’s new recording setup (which did not work as well as hoped) and recent oral surgery before homing in on:

  • Netflix’s Charlize Theron action sequel The Old Guard 2 (3:40) and whether it deserves a Part 3, plus thoughts on Netflix’s ouevre…
  • Michael C. Hall’s return to old haunts on Dexter: Resurrection (10:25) and streamer’s looking for mileage on friendly, well-worn trails…
  • Amazon Prime Video’s Bosch spin-off Ballard (17:40) and how it landed with two dudes who never watched Bosch…
  • Lena Dunham’s new Netflix show Too Much (22:50) and the goofy fun of Meg Stalter, plus the difference between Netflix and HBO…
  • A few pre-season comments on The Challenge (28:15) and what our hosts are looking for in Season 41…
  • Homework for next week (38:15), including: the return of The Challenge for Season 41, the new Happy Gilmore sequel on Netflix, the British show Assassin on Amazon Prime and the Sterling K. Brown show Washington Black on Hulu…
  • Some English Premier League thoughts (40:40) before preseason gets fully underway…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 426

  By toyAdmin | July 11, 2025 - 10:57 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 426, Madden and Kolsky spend entirely too long on Kolsky’s new cold brew coffee formula before shaking it off to discuss:

  • The police-procedural-style crime drama Dept. Q on Netflix (4:30) and why one of our hosts loved it and the other turned it off…
  • Apple TV+’s fire-crime-drama Smoke (10:05) and how, again, one of our hosts loved it and the other turned it off…
  • Some love for the newest season of The Bear (18:00) and what it looks like to make essentially perfect television…
  • Some soccer transfer talk (31:20) as the Club World Cup Final against PSG looms for Chelsea…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (44:00), including: the return of Michael C. Hall in Dexter: Resurrection, the new Charlize Theron action movie The Old Guard 2, Lena Dunham’s new show Too Much on Netflix and the Bosch spinoff Ballard on Amazon Prime Video…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 425

  By toyAdmin | June 19, 2025 - 10:00 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 425, Madden and Kolsky wish everyone a Happy Juneteenth before jumping into a holiday recording with:

  • The excellent documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin on Netflix (2:50) and how it tells a fascinating and compelling story about a great rock band…
  • The harmless Amazon Prime film Deep Cover (12:45) and why it seems to be getting so much love…
  • The Netflix series Tires (15:50) and a general discussion about Shane Gillis…
  • A few NBA thoughts on the way out (23:05) as our hosts just want everyone to get to the offseason safely…
  • Homework for THREE weeks from now (28:50), including: the newest season of The Bear on FX, the new Apple TV+ show Smoke and probably some other stuff to be determined later…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 424

  By toyAdmin | June 13, 2025 - 11:32 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 424, Madden and Kolsky are aiming for a short show, so it’s more or less right into:

  • A predictable but nevertheless emotional finalé for Top Chef: Destination Canada (1:30) and the remarkable run of Tristen Epps…
  • The Bong Joon Ho film Mickey 17 (15:35) and how it just never totally comes together or manages to live up to a very appealing trailer…
  • Amazon Prime’s new thriller The Better Sister (23:05) and streamers’ new obsession with the family-drama-murder-thriller niche…
  • A couple quick NBA thoughts on the way out (31:10) as the Pacers-Thunder Finals has been thrilling and surprising…
  • Homework for next week (38:45), including: the Amazon Prime film Deep Cover, the Netflix series Tires in its second season and the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin (also on Netflix)…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 423

  By toyAdmin | June 6, 2025 - 10:54 pm | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 423, Madden and Kolsky make haste with pleasantries and hustle their way through:

  • The penultimate episode of Top Chef: Destination Canada (2:25) where one of Kolsky’s beloved Chicago chefs headed home from Milan…
  • The HBO Max film Mountainhead (7:25) and the Succession team’s take on the tech bro-pocalypse…
  • Hulu’s new 20-somethings-in-the-city sitcom Adults (16:35) and whether our hosts are too old to reasonably evaluate it…
  • Apple TV+’s frivolous new show Stick (23:35) and the ever-confounding question of what Apple TV+ is doing as a studio…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Finals (29:40) after a remarkable Game 1 upset by Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers…
  • Homework for next week (40:20), including: the final finalé of Top Chef: Destination Canada, the Bong Joon Ho film Mickey 17 on HBO Max, a discussion on Sinners now that Derek can see it at home, and the thriller series The Better Sister on Amazon Prime…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 422

  By toyAdmin | May 30, 2025 - 12:35 pm | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 422, Madden and Kolsky have a quick Chelsea FC digression before they dive on in to:

  • A semifinal to remember on Top Chef: Destination Canada (4:05) and how the scenery and cookery combined with emotional moments for a tremendous episode of television…
  • The new Max show Duster (17:50) and how it makes you wonder why we haven’t seen more of Josh Holloway…
  • The disappointing new Guy Ritchie movie Fountain of Youth (22:50) and how it could have come to exist…
  • The enjoyable and well-executed Black Bag (28:40) and how Steven Soderbergh is always good for 90 minutes of quality…
  • Apple TV+’s new comedy Murderbot (33:40) and Alexander Skarsgård’s hilarious turn as an android with a television addiction…
  • Two more really good episodes of Black Mirror (36:35) featuring a tour de force from Paul Giamatti and a satisfying sequel to USS Callister…
  • Homework for next week (49:55), including: the finalé of Top Chef: Destination Canada, the new HBO Max film Mountainhead, the new Apple TV+ show Stick and Hulu’s new 20-something sitcom Adults…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS