In Episode 425, Madden and Kolsky wish everyone a Happy Juneteenth before jumping into a holiday recording with:
The excellent documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin on Netflix (2:50) and how it tells a fascinating and compelling story about a great rock band…
The harmless Amazon Prime film Deep Cover (12:45) and why it seems to be getting so much love…
The Netflix series Tires (15:50) and a general discussion about Shane Gillis…
A few NBA thoughts on the way out (23:05) as our hosts just want everyone to get to the offseason safely…
Homework for THREE weeks from now (28:50), including: the newest season of The Bear on FX, the new Apple TV+ show Smoke and probably some other stuff to be determined later…
In Episode 424, Madden and Kolsky are aiming for a short show, so it’s more or less right into:
A predictable but nevertheless emotional finalé for Top Chef: Destination Canada (1:30) and the remarkable run of Tristen Epps…
The Bong Joon Ho film Mickey 17 (15:35) and how it just never totally comes together or manages to live up to a very appealing trailer…
Amazon Prime’s new thriller The Better Sister (23:05) and streamers’ new obsession with the family-drama-murder-thriller niche…
A couple quick NBA thoughts on the way out (31:10) as the Pacers-Thunder Finals has been thrilling and surprising…
Homework for next week (38:45), including: the Amazon Prime film Deep Cover, the Netflix series Tires in its second season and the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin (also on Netflix)…
In Episode 423, Madden and Kolsky make haste with pleasantries and hustle their way through:
The penultimate episode of Top Chef: Destination Canada (2:25) where one of Kolsky’s beloved Chicago chefs headed home from Milan…
The HBO Max film Mountainhead (7:25) and the Succession team’s take on the tech bro-pocalypse…
Hulu’s new 20-somethings-in-the-city sitcom Adults (16:35) and whether our hosts are too old to reasonably evaluate it…
Apple TV+’s frivolous new show Stick (23:35) and the ever-confounding question of what Apple TV+ is doing as a studio…
A few thoughts on the NBA Finals (29:40) after a remarkable Game 1 upset by Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers…
Homework for next week (40:20), including: the final finalé of Top Chef: Destination Canada, the Bong Joon Ho film Mickey 17 on HBO Max, a discussion on Sinners now that Derek can see it at home, and the thriller series The Better Sister on Amazon Prime…
In Episode 422, Madden and Kolsky have a quick Chelsea FC digression before they dive on in to:
A semifinal to remember on Top Chef: Destination Canada (4:05) and how the scenery and cookery combined with emotional moments for a tremendous episode of television…
The new Max show Duster (17:50) and how it makes you wonder why we haven’t seen more of Josh Holloway…
The disappointing new Guy Ritchie movie Fountain of Youth (22:50) and how it could have come to exist…
The enjoyable and well-executed Black Bag (28:40) and how Steven Soderbergh is always good for 90 minutes of quality…
Apple TV+’s new comedy Murderbot (33:40) and Alexander Skarsgård’s hilarious turn as an android with a television addiction…
Two more really good episodes of Black Mirror (36:35) featuring a tour de force from Paul Giamatti and a satisfying sequel to USS Callister…
Homework for next week (49:55), including: the finalé of Top Chef: Destination Canada, the new HBO Max film Mountainhead, the new Apple TV+ show Stick and Hulu’s new 20-something sitcom Adults…
In Episode 421, Madden and Kolsky return after too long of a break to get into a wealth of pop culture, some of it very excellent, at least whatever they can remember of:
The last few weeks of action on Top Chef: Destination Canada (2:55), where a top dog almost fell and the competition is fierce heading into the semi-finals…
The first of the week’s two mediocre action flicks, Havoc (16:25) and how it succeeds in little other than being extremely overly self-serious…
The second MAF, Viola Davis’s G20 (20:05) and how it at least understands what it is and wins within its limits…
Episodes 3 and 4 of the new Black Mirror season (24:00) and how they better fit the brief of the show than the first two did, much to Kolsky’s delight…
The second season of Andor (33:10), which places it among the best works in the entire Star Wars canon…
A check-in on The Last of Us (39:35), which has taken a couple of pretty dramatic turns over the course of the season…
The new season of Natasha Lyonne’s Poker Face (46:05) and what a joy it is to have her (and the guest stars) in our lives again…
The new Netflix series The Four Seasons (48:55) and how it made two aging men laugh and also think a lot about their lives and decisions…
Homework for next week (57:15), including: the semifinals on Top Chef: Destination Canada, the last two episodes of Black Mirror’s new season, the new JJ Abrams show Duster on (HBO) Max, the new Guy Ritchie movie Fountain of Youth on Apple TV+, the Steven Soderbergh film Black Bag on Peacock and the new Apple TV+ series Murderbot…
In Episode 420, Madden and Kolsky get into some dentistry (and periodontistry?) before circling around to:
The latest from Top Chef: Destination Canada (3:55), where Tristen Epps is absolutely clobbering the competition…
A check-in on season four of Hacks (19:10) which is just a genuinely great television show with two excellent leads…
Nathan Fielder’s HBO madness The Rehearsal (22:45) and how spectacularly it confounds Kolsky…
Another season of Black Mirror on Netflix (31:15)… or is it Black Mirror? The guys discuss…
A couple of quick NBA playoff thoughts (38:15) after a couple games in the first round…
Homework for next week (56:50), including: another episode of Top Chef: Destination Canada, some more of Black Mirror’s new season, season two of Andor and two action flicks: G20 on Amazon Prime and Havoc on Netflix…
In Episode 419, Madden and Kolsky are squeezing a taping into a naptime, so it’s right on into:
A couple of NBA Playoff thoughts (3:55) as we head into the first weekend of action…
The last episode of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals (16:45), the appropriate winners and some thoughts on the season as a whole…
A surprising elimination on Top Chef: Destination Canada (27:00) and the stranglehold that Tristen seems to have on the competition even with the emergence of a new regular high finisher…
The new FX/Hulu series Dying for Sex (39:45), the tremendous lead performances and the overall quality of the network’s output…
Apple TV+’s latest offering Your Friends and Neighbors (43:20) and the difficulty of a generally detestable protagonist…
The HBO/Max sensation The Pitt (51:45) and Noah Wylie’s return to the emergency room…
Homework for next week (58:45), including: another episode of Top Chef: Destination Canada, a check-in on the latest season of HBO’s Hacks after four episodes, the first two episodes of Black Mirror’s most recent season and the second season of The Rehearsal…
In Episode 391, Madden and Kolsky are back from an unplanned hiatus (thanks to Derek’s unnamed coworkers) to dive deep into:
The last two episodes of Top Chef (2:05) including a cheese-and-fishy quickfire, great chefs cooking scared in the pre-final and a final cook that saw three great chefs do their thing…
The the end of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (22:40) including a purge, a rad paintball shooting challenge to kick off TJ’s Final, a friend-ly twist to end it and a big win for a bigger legend…
The HBO docu-series Ren Faire (36:05) and whether the Succession comparisons go deeper than the obvious surface narrative…
The intense and emotional Godzilla Minus One (44:00) and whether it transcends the standard monster-flick label…
Bob Marley: One Love (49:15) and the life and legacy of reggae music’s GOAT…
The Glen Powell/Richard Linklater team-up Hit Man (55:45) and what a winning rom-com it ends up being…
A few thoughts on the end of the NBA season (1:00:30) and the championship-winning Boston Celtics…
Homework for next week (1:10:55), including: Hannah Einbinder’s stand-up special (on Max), the documentary Brats on Hulu, Ophan Black: Echoes on AMC, Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, the Dev Patel feature Monkey Man (now on Peacock) and the return of The Boys on Amazon Prime Video…
In Episode 390, Madden and Kolsky talk a TEENSY bit about the NBA Finals matchup before moving out of the sports world and into:
The last Wisconsin episode of the current season of Top Chef (7:35), the chefs who made it to the final four and the interesting choice for the location of the season’s end…
A topsy turvy week of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (22:05) that saw a strong competitor head home and leaves a lot of questions as TJ continues to threaten a final…
Hulu’s new Donald Sterling/V Stiviano show Clipped (39:10) and whether the fall from “grace” of a racist piece of garbage makes worthy television entertainment…
Netflix’s bizarre Benedict Cumberbatch drama Eric (52:10) and what on Earth it’s trying to do…
The triumphant return of Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts (57:15) where the only reasonably complaint is there’s not enough of this show!!!
Disney+’s new Star Wars adventure The Acolyte (59:35) and what it says about what the studio’s approach to one of the biggest intellectual properties in entertainment…
Homework for next week (1:05:45), including: new episodes of Top Chef Wisconsin and The Challenge All-Stars 4, a few movies — Hit Man (on Netflix), Godzilla Minus One (also on Netflix) and Bob Marley: One Love (on Paramount+) — and the HBO docu-series Ren Faire…
In Episode 389, Madden and Kolsky talk about Derek’s travels in the name of ROCK before attempting to swiftly get through:
A triumphant return on Top Chef Wisconsin (6:30) and how the chef’s stack up as we head towards the final few episodes and a likely imminent location change…
The departure of a heavy hitter on The Challenge All-Stars 4 (27:35) and where it leaves the leaderboard of the competition…
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in The Fall Guy (40:25) and Kolsky’s love for the action-rom-com genre…
Another swing at American history from Apple TV+ with The Big Cigar (48:00) and the performance of show favorite Andre Holland as Huey P Newton…
Homework for next week (53:50), including: new episodes of Top Chef Wisconsin and The Challenge All-Stars 4, the new Donald Sterling Clipper show Clipped on Hulu, the return of Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts, the new Star Wars adventure The Acolyte (on Disney+) and Netflix’s Benedict Cumberbatch vehicle Eric…
