Tag Archives: Hulu

The Toy Department – Episode 297

  By toyAdmin | April 22, 2022 - 11:27 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 297, Madden and Kolsky have been extremely busy since we last spoke, but managed to find time to watch:

  • The start of the final season of Better Call Saul (2:55), its continuing tremendous qualities and just how thrilling the show has become…
  • A few thoughts on the controversy surrounding the HBO Max show Winning Time (12:50), and specifically the unhappy reactions of the people the characters are based on…
  • Some thoughts on two different season 2’s — Netflix’s Russian Doll and Hulu’s Woke (21:43), how one is more successful than the other and why…
  • HBO Max’s new Ansel Elgort vehicle Tokyo Vice (28:25) and how it is a surprisingly interesting and compelling show about a very richly drawn early-2000’s Tokyo…
  • Apple TV+’s latest show ROAR (34:10) and how it’s a really well-executed set of feminist fables starring some of the best women in acting right now…
  • Top Chef: Houston’s restaurant wars (39:55), featuring a chef who only tastes salt and arguably the greatest restaurant wars restaurant in Top Chef history…
  • A few early thoughts on a WIDE OPEN NBA Playoffs (55:20) after a few games in the first round…
  • Homework for TWO Fridays from now (59:30), including: more Top Chef: Houston, along with the return of The Flight Attendant on HBO Max, the return of Barry on regular HBO, the new David Simon show We Own This City (ALSO on HBO), Showtime’s new show The Man Who Fell to Earth and Hulu’s Jon Krakauer adaptation Under the Banner of Heaven…

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The Toy Department – Episode 295

  By toyAdmin | April 1, 2022 - 2:59 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 295, Madden and Kolsky spend a couple minutes on the pitfalls of parenting before hustling through:

  • This week’s episode of Top Chef: Houston (2:00), and epic barbecue challenge and who’s thriving so far this season…
  • The return of Donald Glover’s Atlanta (15:30) and how it continues to be one of the best and most unique things on television…
  • Amy Schumer’s new Hulu show Life & Beth (22:30) and how the first two episodes are not particularly compelling but there’s hope for the future with Michael Cera still yet to show up…
  • A few minutes on The Oscars (25:00) without a mention of the slap…
  • HBO Max’s new DC-based series DMZ (31:25) and how Rosario Dawson in a post-apocalyptic war zone makes for very compelling television entertainment…
  • Homework for next Friday (35:45), including: more Top Chef: Houston, along with the new Marvel series Moon Knight, the HBO Max rom-com Moonshot and the new Netflix movie The Bubble…
  • Some thoughts on the upcoming Final Fours (40:15), particularly the big UNC-Duke matchup…

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The Toy Department – Episode 294

  By toyAdmin | March 25, 2022 - 2:23 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 294, Madden and Kolsky briefly address Derek’s disappointment with US Soccer before moving through:

  • Reaction to last night’s Top Chef: Houston episode (2:30), the remarkable technical skills needed for the doppelgänger challenge and who’s in the driver’s seat moving forward…
  • The absurdity of the psycho-erotic thriller Deep Water (25:25) and just how little sense the whole messy mess made…
  • The wonderful and rightfully Oscar-nominated CODA (32:15) and how this little movie charmed it’s way to big success…
  • HBO Max’s new Jake Johnson showcase Minx (41:50) and what a fun ride it is…
  • The Big Mouth spinoff Human Resources (46:40) and how it’s funny enough to watch but missing a lot of the original’s best features…
  • The latest in real-life-entrepreneur-gone-bad television, Hulu’s The Dropout (49:35), and how Amanda Seyfried’s phenomenal work is not enough to suck in one of our hosts…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:02:30), including: more Top Chef: Houston, along with the return of Donald Glover’s Atlanta on FX, the new Hulu show Life and Beth (starring Amy Schumer and Michael Cera), and HBO Max’s new limited series DMZ (starring Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 291

  By toyAdmin | March 4, 2022 - 5:56 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 291, Madden and Kolsky return from a Kolsky-forced hiatus to celebrate (or denigrate) all the pop culture they consumed while away, specifically:

  • The premiere of Top Chef Houston (2:25) and who the guys fell in love with in the first episode, plus thoughts on the first elimination and potential favorites to win…
  • The second season of The Righteous Gemstones (23:15) and how Madden is enjoying a slight shift in content…
  • The end of AppleTV+’s The Afterparty (24:55) and how ultimately it’s just a really good hang, even if it’s not always laugh-out-loud funny…
  • Season two of Euphoria (29:00) and how both hosts love this completely insane and wildly unbelievable show…
  • A quick take on The Girl Before (45:30) and how its particular brand of psychosexual melodrama is less than totally appealing…
  • A few thoughts on the Oscar-nominated film The Power of the Dog (47:00) and how neither host found it enjoyable, but for very different reasons than Sam Elliott…
  • Netflix’s new sensation Inventing Anna (52:15) and how it’s a very Shonda Rhimes show with some great acting and a fascinating story to tell…
  • The utterly “meh” Soderbergh joint Kimi (53:30) and how somehow it’s an empty enough effort to make both hosts indifferent towards Zoe Kravitz…
  • Potential future homeworks (55:30) Superpumped: The Battle for Uber and the Apple TV+ show Severance, directed by Ben Stiller; but those go on the back burner for now because we have…
  • Homework for next Friday (57:10), including: HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, the Oscar-nominated movie Nightmare Alley, the return of the original Law & Order and the new Prime Video cartoon The Boys Presents: Diabolical…

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The Toy Department – Episode 290

  By toyAdmin | February 11, 2022 - 11:47 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 290, Madden and Kolsky get straight into the content because Derek is having a tough day and Matt doesn’t want to make it worse:

  • Netflix’s new Aziz Ansari stand-up special Nightclub Comedian (2:50) and how it has it’s hilarious moments but isn’t particularly personal or essential…
  • Hulu’s new show Pam & Tommy (19:30) and how it is incredibly well-cast and highly entertaining but seems to be focused more on the specific story of the sex tape than the relationship in general…
  • The new Netflix series Murderville (35:35) and how mileage may vary but Marshawn Lynch is spectacular…
  • The Amazon series Reacher (45:25) and how it’s a hell of a good time…
  • Some NFL prop bets (49:30) to prepare you for Sunday’s big game…
  • Thoughts on the NBA trade deadline (1:06:35) especially the James Harden/Ben Simmons trade…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:24:00), including: getting into some Oscars content with The Power of the Dog on Netflix, plus the new HBO Max show The Girl Before, the new Soderbergh film Kimi (also on HBO Max) and the new Netflix series Inventing Anna (starring Julia Garner)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 289

  By toyAdmin | February 4, 2022 - 11:57 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 289, Madden and Kolsky have a somber philosophical rumination about dogs getting old before snapping out of it and getting into:

  • The film The Last Duel (4:25) and the difference between the hosts’ opinions on whether it’s worth watching…
  • Apple TV+’s new comedy The Afterparty (17:55) and how the deep roster of comedy talent makes for a great time…
  • The new Freeform sitcom Single Drunk Female (25:15) and how the first couple episodes really lean on the charm of the lead actress…
  • Netflix’s new Kristen Bell-led satire The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window (29:15) and whether it is caught in-between parody and satire…
  • A check-in with The Book of Boba Fett (33:50) and how the Disney+ series seems to be leveling up in its last couple of episodes…
  • Some NFL talk (43:00) as the league goes through multiple scandals at once…
  • A few quick thoughts on USMNT soccer (1:12:05) and the decision to play in freezing cold Minnesota…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:17:25), including: the new Aziz Ansari stand-up special Nightclub Comedian, Hulu’s new show Pam & Tommy, the new Netflix series Murderville and the new Reacher series on Amazon Prime…

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The Toy Department – Episode 288

  By toyAdmin | January 25, 2022 - 11:34 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 288, Madden and Kolsky have a little laugh about the sadness of missing The Challenge before getting networky with:

  • The underwhelming How I Met Your Father on Hulu (2:20) and how it’s super networky, despite being a streaming-only show, and mediocre-at-best…
  • The more enjoyable Abbott Elementary on ABC/Hulu (8:25) and where it succeeds, though mileage may vary person to person on really loving it…
  • Fox/Hulu’s Pivoting (13:15) and the irrepressible charm of its cast…
  • The new Duplass joint Somebody Somewhere on HBO (20:25) and how nice it is to have the brothers back in their sincere, heartwarming wheelhouse…
  • The beginning of the final season of Netflix’s Ozark (29:00) and how the stakes just keep getting higher on a really great TV program…
  • Some thoughts on arguably the greatest weekend of NFL playoff football ever (40:55) and where we’re headed now that it’s down to the final four…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (59:15), including: Single Drunk Female on Freeform/Hulu, the film The Last Duel (now on HBO Max), The Afterparty on Apple TV+ and Netflix’s new Kristen Bell show The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window… plus hopefully another great weekend of NFL Playoffs!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 274

  By toyAdmin | September 9, 2021 - 12:12 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 274, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss Kolsky’s plan to head off marital distress at the pass with a football babysitter before moving to more pop-culture-relevant concerns, including:

  • The new season of American Crime Story on FX/Hulu — Impeachment (3:15) and how one episode may not be enough to say a lot more than “there’s some good acting here…”
  • Netflix’s John David Washington film Beckett (11:15) and how it is mediocre enough to make the hosts wonder why Denzel’s very talented son isn’t getting better material to work with…
  • A few quick thoughts on the return of Billions on Showtime (14:40) and how it continues to be the fun-times-with-bad-billionaires favorite that it has been for several seasons…
  • LOTS of stuff from The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (16:20) and how the rookies have now turned on each other as vets continue to cruise along, plus lots of great Devin moments and a heartbreaking injury disqualification…
  • Homework for next Thursday (47:05), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, plus HBO’s new show Scenes from a Marriage, Hulu’s new comic-book based show Y: The Last Man, the debut of Top Chef: Family Style and plenty of response to the start of the NFL season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 273

  By toyAdmin | September 2, 2021 - 1:41 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 273, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky chat a little about QB depth charts before getting into the weeds with:

  • The Hulu film Vacation Friends (3:15) and how the highly enjoyable cast of John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner makes it a highly enjoyable watch…
  • Hulu’s new show Only Murders in the Building (8:55) and how Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez draw viewers in to a hijinks-filled murder mystery story…
  • The Nicole Kidman-led Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu (14:40) and the incredible cast that holds it up as its central mystery develops…
  • ALL THE LATEST on The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies (25:30) and the tragically stupid strategic decisions of Fessy, plus Burns of the Week and Episode MVP!!!
  • Homework for next Thursday (58:50), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, plus the new Netflix film Beckett (starring John David Washington) and the new American Crime Story on FX/Hulu (focusing on the impeachment of Bill Clinton)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 272

  By toyAdmin | August 26, 2021 - 1:22 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 272, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are interrupting Kolsky’s family bonding leave to nitpick with each other about:

  • Netflix’s new Sandra Oh vehicle The Chair (1:45) which is entertaining and features a charming performance from the lead actress but also troubles one of our hosts from a thematic perspective…
  • The documentary Untold: Malice at the Palace (27:20) and how it does a great job of telling the story and addressing the may angles of a singular moment in sports history…
  • FX’s new triumph Reservation Dogs (37:20) and how quickly it sucks you in to a story about characters who feel extremely real…
  • The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies is through another week (41:40) and these rookies can’t get their heads out of their rears…
  • Homework for next Thursday (1:08:35), including: more of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, plus a bunch of things on Hulu — the new Lil Rel/John Cena movie Vacation Friends, the Nicole Kidman show Nine Perfect Strangers and the Steve Martin/Martin Short collab Only Murders in the Building…

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