The Toy Department – Episode 178

In Episode 178, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky discuss the weather in their respective climates before hustling through:

  • The new show BH90210 (2:55) and how interesting the idea behind it is, even for someone who didn’t watch the original 90210…
  • The return of HBO’s Succession (10:25) and how it picks up right where it left off with high-stakes billionaire family drama…
  • The end of the first season of HBO’s Euphoria (18:05) and what an incredibly unique and well-acted show it was…
  • The return of Netflix’s GLOW (27:25) and how it remains one of the most enjoyable shows to spend time with…
  • AMC’s Lodge 49’s second season premiere (34:50) and what exactly it is that Kolsky finds so charming about this show…
  • A few random thoughts on the Raiders (42:00) and Antonio Brown as Hard Knocks continues…
  • Homework for next week (46:10), including: the new movie Good Boys, the return of Netflix’s Mindhunter and the premiere of The Righteous Gemstones on HBO, plus whatever else they come up with during the week (including hopefully finishing Amazon’s The Boys)…

The Toy Department – Episode 125

In Episode 125, please excuse any audio issues on the part of Matt Kolsky, as he joins Derek Madden live (to tape) from a road trip, specifically from the side of the road near Needles, CA after a car breakdown, so they can discuss:

  • Kolsky’s absurd roadside predicament and dodgy recording situation…
  • The off-air Toy Department Experience (4:30) that took place in Chicago after an excellent Radiohead show on Friday (and some details about the concert itself)…
  • The soon-to-be-completed second season of The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu (15:15) and how it’s got some great stuff going on if you can handle the gut punch of its content…
  • A wrap-up discussion of the second season of Netflix’s GLOW (21:25), the many exciting possibilities heading into Season 3 and the greatness of Alison Brie…
  • A chat about HBO’s goal to increase content production (28:15) and what it says about the world of television…
  • HBO’s new limited series Sharp Objects (32:40) and how promising it feels after one episode…
  • Some brief thoughts on the World Cup (37:40)… until the tow truck shows up (40:50)…
  • Homework for next week (43:00), including: the Hannah Gadsby stand-up special Nanette and the new Boots Riley-directed film Sorry to Bother You plus perhaps another movie in theaters (like Ant Man & The Wasp, Jurassic World 2, The Incredibles 2, Sicario 2 or Tag)…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 124

In Episode 124, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky talk a little Fourth of July before they dive into:

  • The wild weekend of NBA free agency (4:50) including LeBron James going to the Lakers and Boogie Cousins heading to the Golden State Warriors…
  • The 2018 FIFA World Cup (19:45) and just how delightful it has been through most of the Round of 16…
  • A quick discussion of Drake’s new album Scorpion (28:15) and how the Canadian pop artist continues to disappoint…
  • The new season of GLOW (32:45), how wonderful the show is and how great a job it does of honoring the diversity and complicated nature of humanity…
  • A check-in on I’m Dying Up Here (41:05) and a chat about how it has really climbed up the TV rankings for both Madden and Kolsky…
  • A check-in on Succession (49:25) and how it presents a world of miserable, terrible people that somehow both guys still want to watch…
  • Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger (53:50) and how it differs from most superhero fare and whether Derek liked it enough to continue watching through the first season…
  • Homework for next week (1:01:40), including: HBO’s new Amy Adams-starring series Sharp Objects, more World Cup and NBA offseason discussion and some subset of films currently in theaters (like Ant Man & The Wasp, Jurassic World 2, The Incredibles 2, Sicario 2 and Tag)…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 99, Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

In Part 2 of the Two-Part Holidaytastic Spectacular Episode 99, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are back with the second half of their year-end discussions, covering:

  • The BEST OF 2017 in television (2:05), wherein Madden and Kolsky both struggle mightily to reduce their Top Ten lists to less than twenty shows…
  • The BEST OF 2017 in music (41:55), which turns out to have the most differentiation between the two hosts’ lists…
  • Homework for next week: HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR’S EVE!!! And get ready for Episode 100, which might be somehow special (and will definitely include the announcement of the Toy Department’s 2017 Spotify Playlists) and even if it’s not is a nice, big, round number…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 75

In Episode 75, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky dispense briefly with pleasantries before getting to:

  • A wonderful interview with Orange is the New Black’s Julie Lake (2:05), who plays the suddenly-front-and-center-in-the-5th-season character Angie Rice…
  • The wild NBA offseason (30:00), specifically the new high stakes created by the Warriors’ dominance, the Chris Paul trade, Phil Jackson and some of the other madness of the last few days…
  • The Bachelor(ette) franchise (44:35) and why Madden enjoys watching it and Kolsky hasn’t been able to…
  • Showtime’s new show I’m Dying Up Here (56:25) and the niche of enjoyable-but-not-overly-heavy television in today’s media landscape…
  • Netflix’s new series Glow (1:05:00) and just how much Kolsky loves it…
  • Old show favorite Orphan Black (1:13:30) and how it has run off the rails a bit despite the brilliance of lead actress Tatiana Maslany…
  • Homework for next week (1:17:50): the feature films Baby Driver and The Big Sick, plus finishing the Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu…

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 (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… 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.