Tag Archives: HBO

The Toy Department – Episode 349

  By toyAdmin | June 16, 2023 - 2:34 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 348, Madden and Kolsky get into the difficulties of the moving process — especially for weird old semi-hoarders — before locking into the pop culture of the week:

  • The second episode of HBO’s Idol (6:50) and how at least one of our hosts is done with it, and neither think it’s working very well at all, largely due to the presence and mediocrity of Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd)…
  • The British drama Somewhere Boy (16:40) and how it creates some extra curiosity with its storytelling style, but still may not have enough to keep the guys interested…
  • Apple TV+’s new Tom Holland show The Crowded Room (19:20) and how it uses similar style of storytelling but to better effect…
  • The new Eva Longoria-directed film Flamin’ Hot (27:15) and how it tells an inspiring story in a fun way…
  • Peacock’s new show Based on a True Story (34:05) and the appeal of its lead actors — Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets (44:45) and their incredibly charming superstar Nikola Jokic…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (52:50), including: the return of Black Mirror on Netflix, the return of The Bear on Hulu, Boots Riley’s new show I’m A Virgo and Idris Elba’s Hijack on Apple TV+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 348

  By toyAdmin | June 10, 2023 - 3:03 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 348, Madden and Kolsky are working on a Saturday, one at home and one in a hotel suite with an old man and a toddler (sorry for any weird audio stuff) but it doesn’t deter them from discussing:

  • The season finalé of Top Chef: World All-Stars (2:30) and how it ended essentially where our hosts expected, with an awful lot of good cooking on the way there…
  • HBO’s new Sam Levinson series The Idol (20:10) and how it wasn’t necessarily as provocative as expected in the first episode, but does have some intense moments of sexuality and some interesting things to say about the life of a young, female pop star…
  • The big wave surfing docu-series 100-Foot Wave (28:05) and the pure insanity of the pursuits of its main character Garrett McNamara, along with the wonder of watching people ride a mountain of water…
  • ESPN’s The American Gladiator Documentary (32:35) and how director Ben Berman basically gives the viewer two fascinating and well-told documentaries for the price of one…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Finals (39:20), which appear to be headed to an early conclusion, but that does not mean the Miami Heat don’t deserve credit for their accomplishments…
  • Homework for next week (49:35), including: revisiting The Idol after Episode 2, the movie Flamin’ Hot on Hulu, the British drama Somewhere Boy (also on Hulu), the Peacock show Based on a True Story and the Tom Holland show The Crowded Room on Apple TV+… and perhaps some NBA Finals talk as well!

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The Toy Department – Episode 347

  By toyAdmin | June 4, 2023 - 3:09 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 347, Madden and Kolsky are working on a Sunday, JUST FOR YOU, chatting about:

  • The first Paris episode of Top Chef: World All-Stars (1:35) and what a wonderful episode of the series it was, plus the guys give their thoughts on Padma’s impending departure from the show…
  • The series finalé of Succession (25:45) and how rare it is for a show to be so consistently great throughout its entire run…
  • The Apple TV+ comedy Platonic (40:25) and the delightful chemistry between Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne…
  • Another Apple TV+ comedy — High Desert (43:20) and the powerhouse performance of Patricia Arquette…
  • The HBO/Max movie Reality (47:50) and how it left both of our hosts with more questions than answers; both about its subject Reality Winner and the choices of the filmmakers…
  • Homework for next week (57:50), including: the new HBO series The Idol, The American Gladiator Documentary on ESPN+, and the surfing docu-series 100-Foot Wave on Max… PLUS the finalé of Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo… and some NBA Finals talk as well!

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The Toy Department – Episode 343

  By toyAdmin | May 5, 2023 - 11:37 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 343, Madden and Kolsky open with a quick detour about Derek’s friend Steven Hyden and the Seattle grunge scene of the ’90s before focusing on:

  • The latest from The Challenge: World Championships (4:45) and how Sarah was saved from outing herself as a snake by Yes and Emily’s daily win, plus whether our hosts have underestimated her strategic game thus far…
  • A twisty restaurant wars on Top Chef World All-Stars (20:20) and how it didn’t stop Top Chef’s top chef from distinguishing himself as the favorite in the competition…
  • The deeply emotional HBO series Love & Death (35:35) and the heavy lifting its actors are doing over the first few episodes…
  • The Watergate comedy White House Plumbers (40:20) and how the buffoonish nature of conservative operatives…
  • The new Amazon Prime Video thriller/spy drama Citadel (45:05) and the role of action entertainment in our TV landscape…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (52:05) and just how wide open the field is with eight teams still remaining…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:05), including: Apple TV+’s new show Silo and the FX/Hulu show Class of ’09, with a healthy portion of NBA Playoffs on the side… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 341

  By toyAdmin | April 21, 2023 - 3:54 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 341, Madden and Kolsky are trying to move quickly before Derek’s voice gives out to his cold, so it’s right into:

  • The return of HBO’s Barry (1:40) and how it continues to deliver an utterly unique, genre-bending experience in its fourth season…
  • Netflix’s WWII escape drama Transatlantic (9:05) and how it’s a surprisingly fun show given the subject matter…
  • The gloriously ridiculous Cocaine Bear (15:00) and how one of our hosts gets more mileage out of dumb stuff than the other does…
  • This week on The Challenge: World Championship (21:50) where strange strategy plays and bickering partners continue to dominate the landscape…
  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (40:15) where the competition is remarkably fierce and anyone could go home at any time… but usually it’s the chef that goes too far outside their comfort zone!
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (51:50) as the first round rolls along…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:00), including: Peacock’s new show Mrs. Davis, The Diplomat on Netflix and the David Cronenberg show Dead Ringers on Amazon prime… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 340

  By toyAdmin | April 14, 2023 - 3:34 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 340, Madden and Kolsky talk a little grilled cheese before locking in on:

  • This week’s monumental episode of Succession (2:50) and all the little pieces of brilliance that went into it…
  • Hulu’s NYT J Dilla documentary (13:55) which is reasonably interesting and relatively informative but feels like it leaves a lot on the table…
  • HBO’s Music Box documentary about Jason Isbell (23:45) and how it paints a really complete emotional picture of a pretty interesting man and musician…
  • Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things (30:35), the magnetism of Kathryn Hahn and how the series brings together a multi-generational story of moms and daughters…
  • Netflix’s Beef (34:40) and the intensity of watching people attempt to express their ultimately impotent rage…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: World Championship (39:35) and a significant elimination…
  • An apparently easily-judged episode of Top Chef (58:05) and the incredibly high level of talent remaining on this season…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA (1:10:15) as we head into the playoff season…
  • Homework for next week (1:24:45), including: the return of Barry on HBO, Netflix’s new World War II show Transatlantic and Cocaine Bear (now available on Peacock)… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 338

  By toyAdmin | March 31, 2023 - 11:42 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 338, Madden and Kolsky complain about the Kolsky children’s germs and the Minneapolis weather before locking in on:

  • This week in The Challenge: World Championship (4:25) and how this season’s penchant for cliffhangers is bothering both of our hosts, despite an episode that was otherwise very entertaining…
  • The latest from Bravo’s Top Chef Season 20 (33:25), the relatively light touch of Tottenham propaganda and the tournament-style challenge that sent a very good chef to Last Chance Kitchen…
  • The return of HBO’s Succession for its final season (51:20), the fact that it is absolutely firing on all cylinders and a couple thoughts on a potential spin-off…
  • The return of Showtime’s Yellowjackets for its second season (1:03:25) and how much faith each of our hosts have in the show’s ability to stay at a high level…
  • Apple TV+’s new charming comedy The Big Door Prize (1:09:55) and how the streamer seem to consistently produce pretty good stuff…
  • A few thoughts on the totality of the first season of Shrinking (1:13:40), how well Bill Lawrence and Jason Segel seem to fit as the creators of this show and Harrison Ford’s tremendous work (especially for an 80-year-old)…
  • Paramount+’s new spy thriller Rabbit Hole (1:22:10) and how Kiefer Sutherland is right in his wheelhouse in the midst of mysterious espionage…
  • Homework for next week (1:27:15), including: Apple TV+’s new movie Tetris, the return of Dave on FXX/Hulu, Amazon Prime Video’s new show The Power and Hulu’s new sitcom Unprisoned… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 336

  By toyAdmin | March 17, 2023 - 3:11 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 336, Madden and Kolsky chat about Kolsky’s crowded house before distracting him with:

  • A few thoughts on the Oscars (1:50) and what was a largely satisfying — if unremarkable — experience…
  • The return of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso (8:40), the heel turn of Nate the Great and what is in store for the final season…
  • A wrap-up of the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us (16:20) and what an excellent season of television it turned out to be…
  • Netflix’s Luther film (26:30) and how it is essentially just a longer episode of Luther, which is perfectly good!
  • The second week of Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo (30:55), the rise of May and the fall of Dawn…
  • A rather lackluster episode of The Challenge: World Championship (51:15) and the impending (and insane) Wrath of KellyAnne…
  • Homework for next week (1:07:15), including: Amazon Prime Video’s new Donald Glover comedy/drama/thriller/horror show Swarm, Bob Odenkirk’s new AMC show Lucky Hank and the Disney movie Chang Can Dunk… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 333

  By toyAdmin | February 23, 2023 - 6:32 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 333, Madden and Kolsky are on a deadline, so they jump straight into:

  • Part 1 of The Challenge: Ride or Dies Reunion (1:20) and all the many dramatic spats therein…
  • Netflix’s new teen crime series Fakes (18:25) and how it’s going for a quirky-and-lovable style that it simply doesn’t execute as well as some recent British comedies of a similar ilk…
  • Marc Maron’s new HBO stand-up special From Bleak to Dark (25:30) and how he is operating at an incredibly high level as a comedian…
  • Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical film The Fabelmans (30:00) and how it is exceptionally well-executed but not particularly ambitious or interesting beyond it being the story of a very famous filmmaker…
  • Homework for next week (36:20), including: Oscar-nominated The Woman King (now on Netflix), Amazon Prime’s new thriller-comedy The Consultant and the return of Party Down on Starz… PLUS the second reunion episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department – Episode 331

  By toyAdmin | February 10, 2023 - 3:52 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 331, Madden and Kolsky do a quick debrief on their long time apart before shifting into gear to discuss:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (1:40) where we seem to be past the halfway point of TJ’s Final and there are LOTS of incidents and accidents to discuss…
  • A quick check-in on The Last of Us (33:40) to acknowledge the excellence of Episode 3…
  • Peacock’s new Natasha Lyonne vehicle Poker Face (35:10) and how her charm carries the viewer to an awful lot of fun…
  • Hulu’s superpower show Extraordinary (38:45) and how it really is extraordinarily enjoyable, with excellent writing and some delightful young unknown performers…
  • Apple TV+’s Bill Lawrence/Jason Segel joint Shrinking (44:05) and how the combination of its two creators makes for an oddly enjoyable cocktail, plus — Harrison Ford…
  • The Netflix rom-com You People (51:30) and how there’s not much Rom and Eddy Murphy is largely wasted but it’s not so terrible in the end…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl LVII (1:00:55) and the recently passed NBA Trade Deadline (1:05:10)…
  • Homework for next week (1:16:25), including: four movies — TÁR (streaming on Peacock), Wakanda Forever (streaming on Disney+), Meet Me in the Bathroom (streaming on Showtime and Paramount+) and Somebody I Used to Know (streaming on Amazon)… and OF COURSE the last episode (we think) of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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