Tag Archives: Dave Chappelle

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 371

  By toyAdmin | January 4, 2024 - 12:35 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 371, Madden and Kolsky totally forget to wish each other (or you) a Happy New Year and instead discuss the elastic nature of time before getting into:

  • A more eventful episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (3:10) that nevertheless failed to improve the entertainment value of an increasingly frustrating season…
  • The new Dave Chappelle special The Dreamer (23:20), his addiction to touching the third rail and enjoying a comedian without loving all of his jokes…
  • The utterly confounding film Saltburn (31:30) and the very specific (and wildly bizarre) visionn of Emerald Fennell…
  • The new Alexander Payne film The Holdovers (41:15) and how it’s just a really damn good movie and you should all watch it…
  • Season two of Dr. Death (44:50) and how one of our hosts is just a hard out on this type of show…
  • Homework for next week (55:20), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, finishing the Hulu series Murder at the End of the World, and two Netflix properties — the Zack Snyder movie Rebel Moon and the new Michelle Yeoh series The Brothers Sun…

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The Toy Department – Episode 308

  By toyAdmin | July 29, 2022 - 11:14 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 308, begin with a long detour into Dave Chappelle before focusing in on last week’s homework, specifically:

  • The latest from The Challenge USA on CBS (18:50) after an early trivia episode, and how the Big Brother players are stuck on Big Brother strategy while The Challenge plays out around them…
  • The Peacock comedy Bust Down (32:00) and how it’s perfectly good but not necessarily compelling to either of our hosts…
  • Issa Rae’s new project Rap Sh!t on HBO Max (35:30) and how both guys are into it, but took a second episode to get there (perhaps because they’re getting old!)…
  • Nathan Fielder’s new HBO Max show The Rehearsal (40:20) and whether the pure absurdity and over-the-top nature of it is compelling and interesting or not…
  • The Netflix action flick The Gray Man (47:20) and whether it’s good enough to be the foundation of a big-time action franchise for them…
  • Homework for next Friday (58:50), including: The Resort on Peacock, Paper Girls on Amazon Prime and the second season of Reservation Dogs on FX/Hulu, plus the next episode of The Challenge USA on CBS…

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The Toy Department – Episode 303

  By toyAdmin | June 10, 2022 - 11:39 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 303, Madden and Kolsky are tremendously delayed by an overlong pre-show discussion and Derek tempts fate by predicting a short show, so they hop in with:

  • The latest from The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (1:55) and the tragic errors from Sylvia and the Treehouse in a week of wanton stupidity…
  • The return of Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys (21:00), its eternal commitment to upping the ante in terms of gross-out violence, and its overall success as a television show…
  • Danny Boyle’s FX series Pistol (30:05), the fascinating 70’s punk world it transports you too and the cultural impact of the Sex Pistols…
  • Norm MacDonald’s posthumous comedy special Nothing Special (38:35) and how the post-show conversation featuring a collection of comedy greats helps to contextualize and appreciate Norm’s work and life…
  • Adam Sandler’s new Netflix film Hustle (46:45) and how it’s a really good dramatic film about basketball, featuring a really wonderful cast of both actors and real hoopers…
  • Homework for next Friday (58:20), including: more of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, the new HBO Max show Irma Vep, the Michelle Yeoh-starring film Everything Everywhere All At Once (now available on various VOD platforms), the new Melissa McCarthy Netflix show God’s Favorite Idiot and the new film Metal Lords (also on Netflix)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 277

  By toyAdmin | October 14, 2021 - 12:10 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 277, Madden and Kolsky are anxious to get to the Challenge, so get right down to business with…

  • Dave Chappelle’s controversial new Netflix stand-up special The Closer (1:45) and how it’s all mostly just disappointing and a little frustrating…
  • The Netflix sensation that’s sweeping the nation, Squid Game (11:00) and how it’s clearly compelling but perhaps not ESPECIALLY good…
  • A tremendous episode of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (19:05) and all the ways the game has changed heading into the season’s second half…
  • Homework for next Thursday (56:05), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, plus the return of Succession on HBO, a new Velvet Underground documentary from Todd Haynes on Apple TV+, the new film Queenpins on Paramount+ AND the MLB Playoffs AND AND the start of the NBA season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 217

  By toyAdmin | June 18, 2020 - 11:17 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 217, Madden and Kolsky somehow get into Frank Zappa’s Baby Snakes before focusing in on:

  • The Top Chef All-Stars LA finale (2:55) and its many moving moments…
  • An odd detour into the idea of the universal DH in baseball (13:15) before a return to Top Chef chatter…
  • ESPN’s 30 for 30 doc Long Gone Summer (24:40) and its perplexingly fluffy coverage of the Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa home run race of 1998…
  • Another episode of The Challenge: Total Madness (38:10), the awkwardness of the Dee edits and the (fast-approaching?) final…
  • The new Spike Lee joint Da 5 Bloods (50:00) and the greatness of Delroy Lindo…
  • Judd Apatow’s new movie The King of Staten Island (57:40) and the prospect of Pete Davidson as a leading man…
  • Dave Chappelle’s surprise special 8:46 (1:07:45) and the value of his voice at this time in America…
  • Homework for next week (1:17:35), including: another episode of The Challenge, the return of The Chi on Showtime, the debut of Perry Mason on HBO and the new season of Search Party on HBO Max…

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The Toy Department – Episode 180

  By toyAdmin | August 28, 2019 - 11:06 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 180, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky mince a minimal amount of words before discussing:

  • A couple of new albums — Sleater-Kinney’s underwhelming The Center Won’t Hold (1:05) and the triumphant Little Brother return May the Lord Watch (7:35)…
  • Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix stand-up special Sticks & Stones (12:40) and how it didn’t land great by Chappelle standards…
  • The new Showtime drama On Becoming a God in Central Florida (27:00) and the greatness of Kirsten Dunst…
  • The Australian comedy The Let Down (34:55) and how it’s only a comedy if you can identify with the infant parenting experience…
  • Homework for next week (40:00), including: the new season of MTV’s The Challenge, the new Tool album Fear Inoculum, the new Netflix show The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (plus Kolsky watching the original Dark Crystal for the first time), the new Travis Scott concert film, also on Netflix, and a little NFL preview discussion…

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The Toy Department – Episode 101

  By toyAdmin | January 9, 2018 - 4:36 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 101, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky jump right in with a new un-produced segment:

  • What Does Kolsky Think About Some Stuff (2:00): including Making a Murderer and the college football National Championship game…
  • A wild Wild Card Weekend in the NFL (24:00) and a look ahead to the divisional round…
  • Episodes 3 and 4 of Netflix’s new season of Black Mirror (36:35), one very good and one very, very bad…
  • The series debut of The Chi (49:35) on Showtime, and how excited both Madden and Kolsky are for the future of this ambitious new show…
  • The two new Dave Chappelle standup specials (55:40) on Netflix, and the difficulty Kolsky is having with processing comedy in 2018…
  • Homework for next week (1:15:05) including: watching the Oscar-buzzed films Call Me By Your Name and The Post, the Netflix show The End of the Fucking World and the continuing drama of the NFL playoffs…

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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The Toy Department – Episode 65

  By toyAdmin | April 13, 2017 - 1:16 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 65, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky waste no time in jumping into:

  • A quick status check on Better Call Saul (1:10) before putting a deeper discussion off until next week (so Madden can actually watch the season premiere)…
  • Hip hop artist Kweku Collins (7:40) and how Kolsky and Madden have fundamental differences in their musical taste…
  • Father John Misty (16:05) and his new album Pure Comedy…
  • The new IFC show Brockmire (25:25) and its potential for greatness…
  • Louis CK’s new comedy special 2017 (30:25) and his habit of boundary-pushing…
  • An Esquire article about Dave Chappelle (38:00) and how we view what comedians say…
  • A deep dive into the NBA MVP debate (45:20) and how the guys would vote if they had ballots…
  • A couple quick homework assignments for next week (1:12:55): watching the new seasons of Better Call Saul and Fargo…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… 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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The Toy Department – Episode 62

  By toyAdmin | March 23, 2017 - 1:15 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 62, Derek Madden is suffering from a physical malady but nevertheless braves the spiritual danger of recording with Matt Kolsky, and they endeavor to share opinions on:

  • Last week’s homework assignments: the new Spoon album Hot Thoughts (2:15) with some thoughts on rock music in general over the past 15 years [also a brief interlude on Drake’s new “mixtape” More Life (9:50) and a less brief interlude about the NBA (15:25)] … and ABC’s drama American Crime (25:25)…
  • Dave Chappelle (33:20) and his two new hour-long comedy specials on Netflix, as well as his place in the pantheon of comedy’s greats…
  • Podcasts! (46:05) … wherein the guys discuss various programs they enjoy, including WTF, Doug Loves Movies, Pod Save America, Celebration Rock and more…
  • Speaking of the Celebration Rock podcast, a brief discussion of Pearl Jam v. Foo Fighters (57:15)…
  • A quick check-in on Madness brackets (1:00:55) and the joy of Duke losing…
  • Another note on Drake (1:02:04), specifically a recommendation of some hilarious online writing (which you can find here: Drake Watch 1, 2 and 3)…
  • Homework for next week, including: the aforementioned Drake album (1:04:30)… Mistaken for Strangers (1:04:45), the movie about the band The National… and Netflix-available TV shows Jane the Virgin (1:05:45) and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (1:06:25)…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… 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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