The Toy Department – Episode 300!!

In Episode 300 (!!!) Madden and Kolsky have too much to talk about for idle banter, so it’s directly into:

  • The series finale of Ozark (0:45) which has Kolsky DEEP in his feelings…
  • The return of Hacks on HBO Max (28:20) and the specific lane that it fills to great effect…
  • The new album A Light for Attracting Attention (32:05) from The Smile, the newest project from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood (featuring a tremendous drummer named Tom Skinner)…
  • Kendrick Lamar’s new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (36:30) and how Kendrick continues to make compelling, interesting, deep music, warts and all…
  • The latest from The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (54:15), the mystery of potential replacement players and how some competitors need to lock in or go home…
  • The last Top Chef: Houston episode before a venue change (1:10:55), and the no-good-very-bad week that ended one lovable chef’s run…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:25:05), including: more Top Chef: Houston, more of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, Amazon’s new The Kids In The Hall series, the Hulu series Conversations with Friends and a check-in on Better Call Saul after its mid-season finale…

The Toy Department – Episode 299

In Episode 299, Madden and Kolsky open with a disturbingly detailed discussion of the horrors of vomiting (sorry about that), before moving on to less disgusting topics, including:

  • The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (3:15), how they seem to have really found the sweet spot for the “Senior Circuit,” and the prospects for what looks to be a highly entertaining and dramatic season…
  • The latest from Top Chef: Houston (26:40), or perhaps we should say Top Chef: Galveston, and how the top three chefs continue to distinguish themselves from the rest…
  • The new Showtime show I Love That For You (42:35) and how it just doesn’t feel like a fully realized television program as much as an SNL skit stretched to 30 minutes…
  • The new Paramount+ offering The Offer (46:15) and how it was a pleasant surprise as a really wonderful and entertaining show…
  • The return of Made for Love on HBO Max (51:30), which feels a lot like a slightly less essential extension of Season 1…
  • Homework for next Friday (58:30), including: more Top Chef: Houston, more of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, new music from Kendrick Lamar and The Smile, the return of Hacks on HBO Max and the end of Ozark on Netflix…