Tag Archives: Detroit Pistons

The Toy Department – Episode 455

  By toyAdmin | May 13, 2026 - 2:06 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 455, Madden and Kolsky navigate a new recording system as they meander through:

  • A fish-themed episode of Top Chef (1:40), the danger of a simple error and the race to the finish with a good collection of chefs…
  • The brilliance of The Bear’s new mini-movie Gary (25:40) and how the show’s creators continue to build beautiful, vibrant stories…
  • BBC’s Lord of the Flies adaptation on Netflix (31:35) and how it feels like a direct page-to-screen printing of William Golding’s book…
  • The Noah Kahan documentary Out of Body (38:25) and how it does nothing to explain the Noah Kahan phenomenon…
  • Sports talk (44:05) with a bit of Premier League and some NBA playoff thoughts…
  • Homework for next week (1:00:30), including: the next episode of Top Chef, the Amazon Prime movie Crime 101, the Martin Short documentary Marty: Life is Short on Netflix, Untold UK: Jamie Vardy (also on Netflix), and—naturally—more playoff hoops…

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The Toy Department – Episode 454

  By toyAdmin | May 6, 2026 - 1:45 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 454, Madden and Kolsky poo-poo Derek’s birthday before hustling through:

  • The latest from Top Chef: Carolinas (1:45) where there was too much mayo for one of our hosts and too much heat for some of the chefs…
  • Netflix’s new action show Man on Fire (19:50) and all the things it gets right…
  • HBO’s new drama Half Man (21:15), from the creator of the highly-acclaimed Baby Reindeer, and how it’s very well done but relentlessly traumatic…
  • Apple TV+’s new show Widow’s Bay (34:10) and whether it can truly be called a mystery or whether it’s a comedy or what the heck is generally happening here…
  • NBA Playoff thoughts (43:10) after a wild first round and a big upset at the start of the second round…
  • Homework for next week (1:08:35), including: the next episode of Top Chef, GARY (Hulu’s surprise drop from The Bear universe), BBC’s Lord of the Flies adaptation on Netflix, and the new Noah Kahan documentary Out of Body (also on Netflix), plus—of course—more playoff hoops…

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The Toy Department – Episode 453

  By toyAdmin | April 29, 2026 - 1:21 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 453, Madden and Kolsky react to another missed show countdown before diving right into:

  • The long-awaited and pretty weird Restaurant Wars episode of Top Chef: Carolinas (1:15) and the outlook for the remainder of the season…
  • Netflix’s new series This Is A Gardening Show (24:05), which is DEFINITELY a gardening show, but also a Zach Galifianakis show, and rather delightful if you’re into that sort of thing…
  • The new Sandler Family comedy Roommates (29:00) and how it’s a pretty good version of a particular type of Netflix fodder…
  • Glen Powell’s The Running Man (35:15) and how it’s a little more self-serious than our hosts would hope, particularly from director Edgar Wright…
  • A few sports thoughts (46:20) as the NBA rolls along through the first round of playoff action…
  • Homework for next week (56:30), including: the next episode of Top Chef, the new HBO show Half Man from the creator of Baby Reindeer, the new Apple TV+ show Widow’s Bay, Netflix’s new Man on Fire series, and much more playoff basketball…

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The Toy Department – Episode 452

  By toyAdmin | April 22, 2026 - 12:25 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 452, Madden and Kolsky are HAVING A WEIRD DAY, independently and also together, complete with technological difficulties as they attempt to fully attend to:

  • The most recent episode of Top Chef (1:05), featuring weird departures and weirder returns and the weirdest quickfire challenge…
  • The return of the Netflix series Beef (23:30) for its second season, and what distinguishes the anthology-style series from its first go-round…
  • Apple TV+’s new Elle Fanning vehicle Margo’s Got Money Troubles (28:15), its somewhat unexpected delights, and how Apple seems to be doing much of its best work in the complicated comedy zone…
  • Sports thoughts—on Chelsea and Arsenal competing in Premier League misery (34:35) and a so-far-so-good first round of NBA Playoff action (42:25)…
  • Homework for next week (47:00), including: the next episode of Top Chef, the new Netflix series This Is A Gardening Show (with Zach Galifianakis), the new movie Roommates (also on Netflix), Glen Powell’s The Running Man on Amazon Prime, and much more playoff basketball…

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The Toy Department – Episode 451

  By toyAdmin | April 15, 2026 - 6:46 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 451, Madden and Kolsky are up late for a special after-dark edition, so don’t worry if everyone sounds a little punchy as they chat about:

  • The latest from Top Chef (2:45) where a BIG BBQ challenge brought out the best in the chefs and there’s a hanging mystery heading into next week…
  • The Netflix doc UNTOLD: The Death and Life of Lamar Odom (24:10) which has a fascinating subject but doesn’t entirely come together as a documentary…
  • The new Jonah Hill-directed movie Outcome (32:15) on Apple TV+, where the camp is high, the ambitions are relatively low, and one of our hosts is very annoyed…
  • Netflix’s new Dan Levy comedy Big Mistakes (41:50) and how the frantic nature of the whole thing makes it tough to enjoy…
  • A hard pass on talking soccer (47:30), but a few thoughts on the NBA as we head into the playoffs…
  • Homework for next week (53:35), including: the next episode of Top Chef, the Apple TV+ series Margo’s Got Money Troubles, the return of Netflix’s show Beef (as an anthology series) and a WHOLE LOT of playoff basketball…

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The Toy Department – Episode 211

  By toyAdmin | April 30, 2020 - 11:32 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 211, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky literally discuss the weather and their pets before navigating through:

  • This week’s episode of Top Chef (2:20) and Leanne’s impressive cockroach impersonation…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: Total Madness (15:05) and the incredible level of danger this season’s challengers are facing…
  • Episodes 3 & 4 of the Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls documentary The Last Dance (31:25) and the Bulls’ epic battles with Detroit…
  • The season finale of Jason Segel’s Dispatches from Elsewhere (47:10) and what to take away from a bizarre adventure…
  • Mindy Kaling’s new Netflix creation Never Have I Ever (54:10) and whether it distinguishes itself in a crowded landscape of high school-based entertainment…
  • A very special quarantine episode of Parks & Recreation (57:30) and how much fun it is to hang with the characters we love so much…
  • The HBO movie Bad Education (1:01:15) and whether good performances can elevate a story without a lot to like…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:45), including: new episodes of Top Chef & The Challenge, two more episodes of The Last Dance, Hulu’s new show Normal People, HBO’s new skater show Betty, and Upload on Amazon Prime, plus the return of Billions on Showtime…

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