Tag Archives: Chelsea FC

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 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 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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The Toy Department – Episode 427

  By toyAdmin | July 25, 2025 - 10:51 am | Uncategorized
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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…

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The Toy Department – Episode 406

  By toyAdmin | November 15, 2024 - 10:14 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 406, Madden and Kolsky spend a few minutes discussing mixtapes with an air of nostalgia before they lock into:

  • Another drama-filled episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (5:10), a lot of main character energy from Johnny Bananas and the exploits of the surprisingly persistent EliMichele…
  • The exceedingly weird and bizarrely sparse film Janet Planet (26:15) from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker…
  • The much-ballyhooed Netflix film His Three Daughters (31:00) and the powerhouse performances from the three women at its center…
  • Peacock’s new action-thriller The Day of the Jackal (37:20) and whether it might be trying to do too much at once…
  • A few thoughts on the world of soccer (44:05) from the Chelsea-Arsenal draw to the USMNT’s uninspiring victory in Jamaica…
  • Homework for next time, three weeks from now (56:00), including: WHO THE HELL KNOWS, but surely a lot of Challenge talk…

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The Toy Department – Episode 405

  By toyAdmin | November 7, 2024 - 10:41 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 405, Madden and Kolsky are on the clock and in their feelings, so it’s a sprint through:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (1:15) where everything continues to come up Bananas and Tori is making a run at the proverbial Championship Belt…
  • The return of Lioness on Paramount+ (31:55) and the remarkable productivity of Taylor Sheridan…
  • The distinctly dad-focused stand-up of Seth Myers (42:25) in his new special Dad Man Walking…
  • The politically-tinged stand-up of Hasan Minhaj (45:35) in his new special Off With His Head…
  • A clash of the titans upcoming this weekend (50:45) as Derek’s Arsenal and Kolsky’s Chelsea do battle at Stamford Bridge on Sunday…
  • Homework for next week (54:40), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the new show The Day of the Jackal on Peacock, the Netflix film His Three Daughters and the Annie Baker-directed Janet Planet on Max…

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The Toy Department – Episode 403

  By toyAdmin | October 25, 2024 - 11:45 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 403, Madden and Kolsky briefly address their respective levels of exhaustion before jumping right into:

  • A big-time Bananas episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (1:10) and what the “activation” of the ‘Nanaman means for the game moving forward…
  • Ali Wong’s new stand-up special Single Lady (31:30) and the talent to turn a divorce into an hour of comedy…
  • The return of Apple TV+ pod favorite Shrinking (37:40) and where season two seems to be taking our beloved cast of characters…
  • A smorgasbord of sports as the WNBA season ends (46:10), the NBA season begins (54:05) and the inevitable clash of Madden & Kolsky’s Premier League teams draws closer (57:50)…
  • Homework for next week (59:30), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour, Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara on Hulu and the new Billy Crystal drama Before on Apple TV+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 401

  By toyAdmin | October 4, 2024 - 10:30 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 401, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s work-cation and his exclusive property on Haven’t-Seen-Harry-Potter Island before locking in on:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (7:00) including the rapid demise of Era 1 and whether or not strategy dictates finishing them off or shifting focus…
  • Netflix’s enthralling WWE docu-series Mr. McMahon (29:15) and how to reckon with the broader cultural impact of professional wrestling…
  • The ripped-from-Kolsky’s-heart rom-com Nobody Wants This (43:10) and how Netflix has constructed a show that’s hard to imagine not loving…
  • The film Killer Heat on Amazon Prime Video (48:00) and the comfort of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s face and propensity for voice-over…
  • A few random sports thoughts (52:25) as Kolsky eulogizes his baseball fandom…
  • Homework for next week (57:45), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the Pitt/Clooney movie Wolfs on Apple TV+, the Mark Duplass show Penelope on Netflix, the documentary Will & Harper (also on Netflix) and the new HBO comedy The Franchise…

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The Toy Department – Episode 353

  By toyAdmin | August 11, 2023 - 10:03 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 353, Madden and Kolsky discuss the Kolsky family’s bizarre living (and recording) arrangements before moving on to:

  • The return of The Challenge!! It’s the second season of The Challenge: USA (2:35) and it offers a lot of promise, despite a climax-less first episode and a questionable release schedule… The guys discuss some old favorites and some new blood…
  • Max’s Steven Soderbergh-directed kidnapping drama Full Circle (28:35) and how it asks its viewers to remain engaged with obvious puzzle pieces missing…
  • The Netflix docu-series Quarterback (34:50) and just how impressive those who play the position are (even Kirk Cousins)…
  • The return of pod favorite Reservation Dogs (45:40) and how the Hulu series continues to be utterly unique on television and wildly enjoyable…
  • The premiere of season two of Winning Time on HBO (52:15) and the Magic/Kareem relationship that appears to be at its core…
  • A few thoughts on the English Premier League (58:15) and Kolsky’s potentially heartbreaking hope surrounding Chelsea’s season…
  • Homework for next week (1:04:15), including: more of The Challenge: USA Season 2, the Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone, the Wes Anderson film Asteroid City (now on Peacock) and Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football doc…

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