Tag Archives: Hulu

The Toy Department – Episode 205

  By toyAdmin | March 19, 2020 - 10:50 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 205, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are still adjusting to our strange new reality as they hop through:

  • The challenges of living in a COVID-19 world (1:00) and the potential pitfalls of working from home…
  • The return of Bravo’s Top Chef (10:45) and thoughts on all the All-Star competitors in this year’s LA-based season…
  • The season four premiere of IFC’s Brockmire (28:30) and what a marvelous delight it continues to be, regardless of whether anyone seems to be watching it…
  • Season two of Black Monday on Showtime (35:30) and whether it stands out from the pack in a crowded TV landscape…
  • The first couple episodes of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere (38:35) and what an interesting show it seems to be, though Reese Witherspoon treads familiar ground…
  • HBO and David Simon’s The Plot Against America (49:20) and how it’s really just an awful lot to digest at a time like this…
  • Homework for next week (54:40), including: another episode of Top Chef, the new Hulu movie Big Time Adolescence, the new Amazon Prime movie Blow the Man Down, check-ins on Better Call Saul and Dispatches from Elsewhere, and a quarantine streaming special — the old FX show Terriers, which is now available on Hulu…

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The Toy Department – Episode 204

  By toyAdmin | March 14, 2020 - 8:01 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 204, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are settling into life in a COVID-19 world and delve into:

  • Some thoughts on what life has been like over the last week (2:05) and what it may be like moving forward…
  • The season finale of HBO’s The Outsider (9:35) and what a great 10-episode run it had…
  • The series premiere of FX’s Hulu-specific series Devs (17:45), the mystery therein and a dramatic turn from Nick Offerman…
  • FX’s new series Dave (24:55) and how star Lil’ Dicky sucks you in and makes you laugh…
  • FX’s Better Things (28:10) and how it continues to soar as a shining example of great sitcom-style television…
  • Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This (37:15) and the charmingly distinct style of its creator…
  • The Netflix-made Lil’ Peep documentary Everybody’s Everything (42:55) and how it’s probably more for the late rapper’s fans than the general public…
  • Marc Maron’s new Netflix stand-up special End Times Fun (49:45) and his apparent mastery of his craft…
  • The HBO Sports documentary Women of Troy (53:20) and how much each guy learned about some stars in women’s basketball past…
  • Homework for next week (1:01:05), including: the return of Top Chef, the return of Brockmire on IFC, the return of Black Monday on Showtime and David Simon’s Philip Roth adaptation The Plot Against America on Amazon…

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The Toy Department – Episode 202

  By toyAdmin | February 20, 2020 - 11:04 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 202, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky discuss their feelings about camping before jumping into:

  • The new Tame Impala album The Slow Rush (4:30) and how it hit the ears of each of our hosts…
  • The new film The Photograph (16:05) and where it falls a little short of its potential…
  • The new Hulu show High Fidelity (23:10), the charm of Zoë Kravitz and when the series really locks in, plus thoughts on Hulu’s mediocre interface…
  • A check-in on TBS’ Miracle Workers (30:45) and what makes it entertaining as it really gets into its new premise…
  • The latest season of Brooklyn 99 (34:50) and how it has grown (or not) over its life as a series…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (39:45), including: Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes, the end of The Outsider on HBO, the new show Hunters on Amazon Prime, the new comedy Gentefied on Netflix, the return of Better Call Saul on AMC, the Dwyane Wade documentary Life Unfiltered on ESPN and PBS’ Miles Davis doc Birth of the Cool…

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The Toy Department – Episode 200

  By toyAdmin | February 6, 2020 - 11:35 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 200, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky eschew a special ceremony to celebrate their longevity in the interest of discussing:

  • A run-through of the major Oscars (1:50) and who the guys expect and want to win…
  • HBO’s new docu-series McMillions (25:40) and how it turns out to be a delightful tale of the most charming criminal conspiracy…
  • The docu-series Cheer on Netflix (31:45) and how appealing so many of its characters are…
  • Amazon’s new film Troop Zero (37:10) and the difference of opinion between the hosts on its worthwhileness…
  • Season two of the anthology show Miracle Workers on TBS (39:55) and whether it’s worth getting back into…
  • A few words about The Outsider on HBO (43:35) and how much both guys are enjoying it…
  • The series finale of The Good Place (46:30) and how we will never see its like again…
  • The Andrew Wiggins/D’Angelo Russel trade (56:40) breaks mid-recording and the guys discuss…
  • Homework for next week (0:0), including: Brooklyn 99’s return, the premiere of Briarpatch on USA, the new Netflix movie To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and the new movie Birds of Prey in theaters…

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The Toy Department – Episode 199

  By toyAdmin | January 30, 2020 - 11:55 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 199, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky check in on Kolsky’s radio schedule and the mood in Minnesota in the run-up to Super Bowl LIV before sprinting through:

  • The new Aaron Hernandez docu-series on Netflix (3:25) and how it leaves a little something to be desired when compared to the golden age of documentaries…
  • Comedy Central’s Awkwafina vehicle Nora From Queens (12:20) and whether it has any really redeeming qualities…
  • Tiffany Haddish’s new Netflix stand-up Black Mitzvah (17:00) and how it’s always fun to laugh with Tiffany but there’s nothing special here…
  • Guy Ritchie’s new film The Gentlemen (19:20) and how both guys had a great time at the theater…
  • Season two of Hulu’s Shrill (27:20) and how it seems to be even more enjoyable than the first season…
  • A nice, big Super Bowl LIV discussion (34:20) with both a game preview and a nice prop bet breakdown…
  • Homework for next week (1:09:30), including: the new docu-series Cheer on Netflix, McMillions on HBO, Amazon’s Troop Zero, the new season of Miracle Workers on TBS, the series finale of The Good Place and of course a Super Bowl wrap-up discussion…

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The Toy Department – Episode 191

  By toyAdmin | November 21, 2019 - 11:41 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 191, Derek Madden teases a non-existent show drama before exposing the rather dull truth, then he and Matt Kolsky basically agree on:

  • The new film Ford vs. Ferrari (2:10) and how it was somewhat unexceptional but the sort of film the guys would like to see more of…
  • The debut of The Mandalorian on Disney+ (14:45) and how the first two episodes were great, but the guys are ready for some plot…
  • The new Hulu show Dollface (24:40) and how it is utterly watchable but not especially deep or thoughtful…
  • The Netflix film Earthquake Bird (33:30) and how neither host much enjoyed it or understood the point of it…
  • A brief detour out of the Toy Department (39:15) because Madden wants to discuss the impeachment hearings, but Kolsky is not watching or interested…
  • More thoughts on The Challenge (43:50) which saw another excellent episode filled with perfect twists in the War of the Worlds II season, plus Kolsky’s analysis of old seasons as he learns some history…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (59:00), including: the new film Knives Out in theaters, the new film The Irishman on Netflix, the new film Brittany Runs A Marathon on Amazon Prime and Mike Birbiglia’s new Netflix stand-up special, plus check-ins on Watchmen and Mrs. Fletcher…

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The Toy Department – Episode 182

  By toyAdmin | September 11, 2019 - 11:17 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 182, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky share an awkward moment over who loves the podcast most before getting to it with:

  • The new Bill Burr special on Netflix (1:50) and how the guys vary in their reception of his complaints about modern society…
  • The new Amazon Prime comedy Late Night (28:30) and how Mindy Kaling wrote a good, funny movie that was executed well…
  • The premiere of the final season of HBO’s The Deuce (36:25) and David Simon’s particularly incredible TV career…
  • Hulu’s new show Wu-Tang: An American Saga (45:30) and the overwhelming quantity of Wu-Tang content in the world right now…
  • Homework for next week (54:15), including: the Dennis Rodman 30 for 30 documentary, Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik on Comedy Central, a check-in on MTV’s The Challenge and probably other stuff too…

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The Toy Department – Episode 175

  By toyAdmin | July 24, 2019 - 4:08 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 175, Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky STILL on paternity leave and STILL without a high quality microphone to record into, but nevertheless they persist with:

  • The conclusion of the second season of Big Little Lies (1:55), and whether the HBO drama had enough to justify coming back…
  • HBO’s teen drama Euphoria (14:15) and how it’s a unique and impressive work of prestige television…
  • Toy Department hits the movies, as Madden saw Stuber (25:05) and Kolsky saw the new Lion King (27:50)…
  • Hulu’s surprise early drop of the fourth season of Veronica Mars (36:15), and how it takes us right back to that Veronica Mars place in our hearts…
  • The new album Help Us Stranger by the Raconteurs (39:45) and how the influence of Brendan Benson tames the genius of Jack White in an appealing way…
  • Homework for next week (48:40), including: the premiere of Bachelor in Paradise, the return of Orange is the New Black on Netflix, and the new Amazon show The Boys (from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 160

  By toyAdmin | March 27, 2019 - 2:44 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 160, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky address a recent major life event before discussing:

  • The NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend (2:15) and what the lack of upsets means for the remainder of the event…
  • The Dirt (8:35), Netflix’s Mötley Crüe biopic, and how it moves through the life of one of rock’s wildest bands…
  • Hulu’s new comedy Shrill (27:35) and how Aidy Bryant has created a really honest and honestly hilarious show…
  • The Act (35:05), also on Hulu, the intensity of its acting performances and compelling nature of its mysteries…
  • The career of the recently retired Rob Gronkowski (40:05) and how he stacks up with the all-time greats at the tight end position…
  • Homework for next week (56:10), including: Barry and Veep on HBO, the end of Miracle Workers on TBS and the Adnan Sayed docu-series on HBO, and the premiere of What We Do in the Shadows on FX, plus Derek tries to watch US…

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The Toy Department – Episode 155

  By toyAdmin | February 20, 2019 - 9:25 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 155, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly discuss their irregular recording time before spreading out over:

  • The question of Netflix programming v. Hulu programming (1:30) and what that even means…
  • Hulu’s new middle school comedy/drama PEN15 (5:10) and how it has some appeal but falls flat in comparison to other shows covering similar territory…
  • Netflix’s new sci-fi/fantasy drama The Umbrella Academy (12:40), which Kolsky talks himself even more into as he attempts to convince Derek it’s worthwhile…
  • Hugo Blick’s Black Earth Rising (20:05), also available on Netflix, and how the high level of execution on all parts does little to make it easier to watch…
  • A check-in on Top Chef (27:45) after the fried chicken and Muhammad Ali episode…
  • Some NBA chatter (42:00) as the league heads out of the All-Star Break and into the home stretch, including whether or not the league has a player empowerment problem…
  • Homework for next week (56:55), including: actually seeing Fighting With My Family in theaters, the end of True Detective’s third season, an episode of Documentary Now (allegedly mocking Wild Wild Country), the premiere of Desus and Mero on Showtime and the new HBO Film O.G…

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