The Toy Department – Episode 351

In Episode 351, Madden and Kolsky get right into things after some apologies for not completing their homework, covering:

  • Netflix’s new mediocrity The Out-Laws (1:10) and how the new Netflix creative model seems to be flailing at best and outright failing at worst…
  • Marvel’s new series Secret Invasion (9:35) and how, once again, one of our hosts liked the Marvel stuff better than the other (lol) along with a discussion of Disney+ and its major properties…
  • A rave review for season two of The Bear (26:00) and just how few TV shows are operating at that high of a level…
  • A wrap-up of season six of Black Mirror (32:45) and how the new season doesn’t quite follow the traditional Black Mirror formula, to varying degrees of appreciation from our hosts…
  • A few minutes on The Challenge and Top Chef (49:30), the two show favorites that will be returning relatively soon…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (55:30), including: the new Negro Leagues documentary The League (available to rent digitally), the Wilt Chamberlain doc Goliath on Showtime/Paramount Plus, the BJ Novak movie Vengeance on Amazon Prime Video, the return of Justified on Hulu and the Wham! documentary on Netflix…

The Toy Department – Episode 350

In Episode 350, Madden and Kolsky discuss the moving process for Kolsky’s family and the generally unsettled nature of his life before zeroing in on:

  • Whether or not it’s worth slowing yourself down (3:50) and savoring the shows you love, even if they are available all at once…
  • Season 2 of Hulu’s The Bear (6:40) and how absolutely excellent it is, thanks to the incredible narrative tension and wonderful acting throughout…
  • The return of Black Mirror on Netflix (14:00) and how it’s not quite the Black Mirror you might remember, but remains quite effective…
  • Boots Riley’s new Amazon Prime show I’m A Virgo (23:15) and how it is pretty direct and even heavy-handed with some of its thematic messaging, but also fantastical and enjoyable and really very funny…
  • Idris Elba’s plane thriller Hijack on Apple TV+ (31:30) and the delight of high-quality popcorn programming…
  • The television industry’s need for better decision-making on which shows to make binge-able (35:20) and how our hosts are available to fill that need if necessary…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (40:20), including: finishing Black Mirror on Netflix and also The Bear on Hulu, the new Marvel show Secret Invasion on Disney+, the return of The Afterparty on Apple TV+ and the new Netflix film The Out-Laws…

The Toy Department – Episode 304

In Episode 304, Madden and Kolsky begin with a Toy Department pod tradition, breaking off into a sports topic for an insanely long time, as they get into:

  • The Warriors’ latest NBA Championship (1:00), wherein Derek allows Kolsky to do 30 minutes of the show he would have done today if he was still on the radio…
  • HBO Max’s new show Irma Vep (33:15) and how it isn’t exactly bad but also isn’t particularly interesting or exciting, despite the great work of Alicia Vikander…
  • The new Netflix teen/high school dramedy Metal Lords (38:55) and how much both hosts loved it…
  • The widely acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All At Once (44:00) and how our hosts had EXTREMELY different experiences watching it…
  • The latest from The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (54:10) as we start to careen towards the final, and how the players’ various strategies are panning out…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:14:45), including: more of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, Derek will actually watch (and we will discuss) the new Netflix comedy God’s Favorite Idiot, two FX shows — the spy drama The Old Man (starring Jeff Bridges) and the restaurant comedy The Bear, plus the Apple TV+ show Slow Horses…