Tag Archives: Hulu

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 339

  By toyAdmin | April 7, 2023 - 2:51 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 339, Madden and Kolsky revisit Derek’s mom’s letter to Matt (which you may remember being mentioned a couple weeks ago) before getting to the business of the day:

  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (9:25) and how a home cooking challenge put some of the top restaurant chefs on the bottom…
  • This week’s action on The Challenge: World Championship (24:45) and the critical strategy mistakes made by strategy master Wes…
  • Hulu’s delightful new sitcom Unprisoned (46:10) and the positive effects of a powerhouse cast…
  • The new Amazon Prime drama The Power (54:40) and whether this is a superpower show that Derek can stomach…
  • Apple TV+’s new film Tetris (58:55) and the incredible story behind the making of one of the most popular games of all time…
  • The return of FXX’s Dave (1:04:20) and how it seems to be peaking, in part because the show is understanding itself better than ever…
  • Homework for next week (1:11:40), including: Netflix’s new series Beef, Hulu’s new series Tiny Beautiful Things and two music documentaries – Music Box’s Jason Isbel doc on HBO Max and the Hulu/New York Times doc on J Dilla… 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 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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The Toy Department – Episode 322

  By toyAdmin | November 18, 2022 - 12:33 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 322, Madden and Kolsky discuss the Kolsky-family-induced pivot in their recording situation before transitioning seamlessly into:

  • The new Hulu/FX show Fleishman is in Trouble (2:15) and how engaging the story and acting performances are…
  • Sylvester Stallone’s new show Tulsa King (10:20) and what a surprising delight it turned out to be…
  • The Sam Rockwell film See How They Run (18:30) and how our hosts have VERY different views of the movie, plus thoughts on the recent trend of colorblind casting…
  • The definitely not good Don’t Worry Darling (33:05) and how it fails to do justice to an extremely talented cast…
  • The latest episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies (40:40) including the incredible performance of Jordan and the emotional display from Laurel, plus the idiocy of Jay (and Michele)…
  • Homework for TWO Friday’s from now (1:04:05), including: the Netflix documentary Stutz, the new Hulu show Welcome to Chippendales, the Netflix show Wednesday from Tim Burton, the FIFA Uncovered documentary on Netflix and OF COURSE the next TWO episodes of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department – Episode 312

  By toyAdmin | September 9, 2022 - 11:59 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 312, Madden and Kolsky have just a little slander for the recently departed Queen of England before locking into pop culture to go through:

  • The intrigue and excitement from several weeks of The Challenge: USA (5:35), some of the questionable strategic decision-making and the show’s place and role in the larger Challenge universe…
  • The new HBO fantasy epic House of The Dragon (35:40) and how it has engaged our hosts despite a somewhat narrow purview through the first three episodes…
  • Amazon’s big fantasy swing with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (42:55) and how it hits a solid double for Kolsky but strikes out hard for Madden…
  • The delightful documentary series Welcome to Wrexham (49:55) and how it’s much more than just a show about a downtrodden football club (aka soccer team)…
  • Hulu’s new drama The Patient (59:20) and how the lead actors are thriving and the show is throwing cliffhangers at you…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:04:25), including: Madden’s audible into Bad Sisters on Apple TV+, the new Peacock movie Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, and Showtime’s new American Gigolo series, plus the conclusion of The Challenge USA on CBS/Paramount+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 309

  By toyAdmin | August 5, 2022 - 11:43 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 309, Madden and Kolsky are eager to get into their pop culture topics today, including:

  • The latest episode of The Challenge USA (1:20) and how Tyson continues to separate himself from the competition despite a questionable strategy for elimination nominations…
  • The second season of FX/Hulu’s Reservation Dogs (22:40) and how it transports the viewer right back to its totally unique and wonderful world…
  • The Peacock mystery/thriller The Resort (28:45) and how it just didn’t quite live up to our hosts’ expectations, despite a delightful cast and interesting premise…
  • The surprisingly excellent Paper Girls (34:35) and how the Amazon Prime time travel show has some wonderfully developed young characters…
  • Homework for next Friday (42:05), including: at least the first episode of Season 2 of Industry on HBO Max, the new season of All or Nothing on Amazon Prime (featuring Arsenal), the new Netflix series The Sandman (based on a Neil Gaiman comic) and Disney+’s I Am Groot, plus the next episode of The Challenge USA on CBS…
  • A brief detour into the state of Disney+ television properties (48:15), particularly Marvel and Star Wars… (and you want want to miss the out-take from our pre-show meeting)

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The Toy Department – Episode 306

  By toyAdmin | June 30, 2022 - 11:16 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 306, Madden and Kolsky are sneaking in a late-night Thursday recording before they each go on (very different) vacations, so it’s right into:

  • The penultimate episode of The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (1:50) and how it sets up for a very exciting finalé (despite the unforgiven transgression of the previous episode)…
  • The new Apple TV+/Maya Rudolph show Loot (19:15) and how it’s a delightful comedy with a heart that really lets its lead actress shine…
  • The 90-minute dick joke Beavis & Butthead Do the Universe (23:25) and what reason there was for making this film besides Paramount+’s thirst for “new” content…
  • The Disney film Rise (28:20) and the absolutely unbelievable and wildly inspiring story of the Antetokounmpo brothers…
  • The return of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building (35:50) and how the show remains very enjoyable, though it might not have a particularly long shelf life at its current speed…
  • Some thoughts on a turbulent week in the NBA (40:50) and potential destinations for Kevin Durant after his trade request in Brooklyn…
  • Homework for Friday, July 22 (1:01:30), including: the end of The Challenge All-Stars 3 and the beginning of the newest entry in the franchise – The Challenge USA on CBS… Have a great summer break, everybody!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 305

  By toyAdmin | June 24, 2022 - 11:06 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 305, Madden and Kolsky begin with some personal sadness before moving on to the beautiful distractions of:

  • A totally unacceptable ending to this week’s episode of The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (3:10) and all the drama that would have made it a great episode if not for that travesty…
  • The new Netflix comedy God’s Favorite Idiot (21:25) and how it charmed both of our hosts and seems like a real keeper…
  • The two spy drama/thrillers The Old Man and Slow Horses (25:35), how they are both good but The Old Man seems to stand above and apart…
  • The 30-minute restaurant drama The Bear (35:00) and how its uniqueness and attention to detail make it a tremendously interesting show…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Draft (42:45) and the disappointing television coverage thereof…
  • Homework for next Friday (50:05), including: potentially the finalé of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, the new Disney+ film Rise about the Antetokounmpo brothers, the new movie Beavis & Butthead Do the Universe on Paramount+, the return of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building and the new Maya Rudolph show Loot on Apple TV+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 301

  By toyAdmin | May 27, 2022 - 11:55 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 301, Madden and Kolsky are dealing with the world in their own ways and also by focusing on the toy department of life, specifically:

  • The return of the Kids in the Hall (2:25) and how their stuff is just as good and funny as it was the first time around…
  • A check-in on Better Call Saul (10:55), the guys’ reactions to the first half of the final season and expectations for the final six episodes…
  • The Hulu series Conversations with Friends (23:50) and how it is from the same vein as Lenny Abrahamson’s previous series Normal People, which is to say very deep and interesting…
  • The latest from The Challenge: All Stars 3 (35:30) after an epic elimination and an unwelcome addition to the cast…
  • The penultimate episode of Top Chef: Houston (51:00) and the incredibly high level of cookery that has characterized the last few weeks…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA (59:55) as we head towards a likely Finals matchup between the Celtics and Warriors…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:13:00), including: the finalé of Top Chef: Houston, more of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, the Rhys Darby stand-up special Mystic Time Bird on Amazon Prime, the HBO Max show Our Flag Means Death and Disney+’s new Obi-Wan Kenobi show…

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The Toy Department – Episode 298

  By toyAdmin | May 6, 2022 - 11:20 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 298, Madden and Kolsky are back after a two-week break to deliver the pop culture commentary you’ve become accustomed to, covering:

  • Hulu’s Jon Krakauer adaptation Under the Banner of Heaven (1:50) and how its spooky darkness does not detract from its quality…
  • The return of HBO Max’s Kaley Cuoco vehicle The Flight Attendant (10:35) and how it remains a lot of fun despite being somewhat ridiculous…
  • The start of season three of HBO’s Barry (17:05) and how original and creative the show continues to be…
  • HBO’s new David Simon show We Own This City (20:25) and how it is, in many ways, The Wire — The Later Years, but is also incredibly well-done…
  • Showtime’s new show The Man Who Fell to Earth (29:05) and how it’s pretty damn entertaining and features some BIG and very enjoyable acting performances…
  • The latest in Top Chef: Houston (33:40), whether the right chef was eliminated and who has distinguished themselves as favorites heading into the final few episodes…
  • A few preliminary thoughts on the upcoming premiere of The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (52:20) and all the excitement that awaits our hosts and all the dedicated Challenge fans out there…
  • Homework for next Friday (58:30), including: more Top Chef: Houston, along with THE PREMIERE of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, the new Showtime show I Love That For You, the new Paramount+ show The Offer and the return of Made for Love on HBO Max…

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