Tag Archives: Peacock

The Toy Department: Episode 313

  By toyAdmin | September 16, 2022 - 3:07 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 313, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss their varying vaccination adventures before pushing viruses aside to share views on:

  • The conclusion of The Challenge USA on CBS/Paramount+ (2:20), how the baffling finish to the final struck our hosts and where are they at on the Challenge Universe’s expansion plans… plus a little tease for the new season of the flagship (21:55) which is right around the corner…
  • The brilliantly entertaining Bad Sisters (25:40) and how Apple TV+ continues to produce quality content, whether folks are watching it or not…
  • Peacock’s new movie Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul (29:50) and how it comes up short of both expectations and the talent of its leading actors…
  • Showtime’s new series American Gigolo (34:45), the pure unbridled sexiness of Jon Bernthal and whether the guys believe in this series after just one episode…
  • Homework for next Friday (39:30), including: the return of Atlanta on FX for its final season, Hulu’s new comedy Reboot, Patton Oswalt’s new stand-up special We All Scream and the new Star Wars series Andor on Disney+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 309

  By toyAdmin | August 5, 2022 - 11:43 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 309, Madden and Kolsky are eager to get into their pop culture topics today, including:

  • The latest episode of The Challenge USA (1:20) and how Tyson continues to separate himself from the competition despite a questionable strategy for elimination nominations…
  • The second season of FX/Hulu’s Reservation Dogs (22:40) and how it transports the viewer right back to its totally unique and wonderful world…
  • The Peacock mystery/thriller The Resort (28:45) and how it just didn’t quite live up to our hosts’ expectations, despite a delightful cast and interesting premise…
  • The surprisingly excellent Paper Girls (34:35) and how the Amazon Prime time travel show has some wonderfully developed young characters…
  • Homework for next Friday (42:05), including: at least the first episode of Season 2 of Industry on HBO Max, the new season of All or Nothing on Amazon Prime (featuring Arsenal), the new Netflix series The Sandman (based on a Neil Gaiman comic) and Disney+’s I Am Groot, plus the next episode of The Challenge USA on CBS…
  • A brief detour into the state of Disney+ television properties (48:15), particularly Marvel and Star Wars… (and you want want to miss the out-take from our pre-show meeting)

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The Toy Department – Episode 308

  By toyAdmin | July 29, 2022 - 11:14 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 308, begin with a long detour into Dave Chappelle before focusing in on last week’s homework, specifically:

  • The latest from The Challenge USA on CBS (18:50) after an early trivia episode, and how the Big Brother players are stuck on Big Brother strategy while The Challenge plays out around them…
  • The Peacock comedy Bust Down (32:00) and how it’s perfectly good but not necessarily compelling to either of our hosts…
  • Issa Rae’s new project Rap Sh!t on HBO Max (35:30) and how both guys are into it, but took a second episode to get there (perhaps because they’re getting old!)…
  • Nathan Fielder’s new HBO Max show The Rehearsal (40:20) and whether the pure absurdity and over-the-top nature of it is compelling and interesting or not…
  • The Netflix action flick The Gray Man (47:20) and whether it’s good enough to be the foundation of a big-time action franchise for them…
  • Homework for next Friday (58:50), including: The Resort on Peacock, Paper Girls on Amazon Prime and the second season of Reservation Dogs on FX/Hulu, plus the next episode of The Challenge USA on CBS…

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The Toy Department – Episode 270

  By toyAdmin | August 3, 2021 - 11:06 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 270, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky talk a little about the crowded sports calendar before turning their focus to:

  • The return of Behind the Music (7:15) and whether the now-MTV property is doing enough with new content to be worth watching…
  • The new Iliza Schlesinger Netflix movie Good on Paper (17:40) and how it’s a relatively original twist on what is basically a romantic comedy format…
  • The new HBO Max comedy special Tig Notaro: Drawn (22:20) and whether the animation gimmick adds to Tig’s particular brand of stand-up…
  • The surprisingly compelling Peacock show Dr. Death (28:10) and how the lead actors and a shocking true story help create an engrossing experience…
  • Homework for next THURSDAY (37:15), including: the return of The Challenge!!! — Spies, Lies and Allies debuts on Wednesday and the guys will go deep on next week’s THURSDAY pod, plus HBO Max’s goofy new dating show FBOY Island, the new Suicide Squad movie (also on HBO Max) and hopefully an episode or two of Apple TV+’s Joseph-Gordon Levitt vehicle Mr. Corman…

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The Toy Department – Episode 262

  By toyAdmin | June 8, 2021 - 11:31 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 262, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky plunge immediately into this week’s content, because Kolsky has a take he’s been anxious to share about:

  • The new Peacock series We Are Lady Parts (1:20) which is Kolsky’s clubhouse leader for SHOW OF THE YEAR in 2021…
  • Some thoughts on The Challenge: All Stars reunion (10:10) and what the future of the franchise may hold…
  • The latest from Top Chef: Portland (20:50) and the heavy hitters heading down the stretch of the competition…
  • Netflix’s new Zack Snyder film Army of the Dead (31:55) and just how terrible it actually is…
  • Bo Burnham’s new Netflix comedy special (41:35) and the incredibly creative and innovative style that captures the essence of our year of pandemic life…
  • A few sports thoughts (55:05), covering the NBA Playoffs, health vis a vis rest and some USMNT soccer talk…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (1:01:01), including: more Top Chef in Portland (and probably more NBA Playoffs action), the new Netflix show Startup, the new Michael B Jordan movie Without Remorse on Amazon Prime, the new HBO Max show Starstruck and the return of HBO’s Betty (a pod favorite… plus, Madden and Kolsky will break down EW’s list of the best Challenge contestants of all time…

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The Toy Department – Episode 260

  By toyAdmin | May 25, 2021 - 12:38 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 260, Madden and Kolsky are attempting a short episode per scheduling needs, so they dive immediately into:

  • The new Tina Fey/Peacock show GIRLS5EVA (1:20) and how the one episode available to non-subscribers isn’t quite enough to draw in our non-subscriber host…
  • The new HBO Max show Hacks (6:05) and the greatness of Jean Smart…
  • Angelina Jolie’s movie Those Who Wish Me Dead (11:35) and just how little sense any aspect of it makes…
  • Season 3 of Netflix’s Master of None (19:20) which focuses almost entirely on Lena Waithe’s character Denise and her wife, and continues to be an intriguing made-for-streaming art film sort of piece…
  • The latest from Top Chef: Portland (30:35), which is heading down the home stretch with a ton of talent in play after a completely unique restaurant wars…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (45:10), including: more Top Chef in Portland, the end of HBO’s Mare of Easttown, the new film Plan B on Hulu and the Friends reunion on HBO Max… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: All Stars FINALÉ on Thursday night!!!
  • A few NBA thoughts (47:40) as the Playoffs have commenced…

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The Toy Department – Episode 258

  By toyAdmin | April 27, 2021 - 10:44 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 258, Madden and Kolsky dive right into the deep end of pop culture topics with a shocking admission from Derek as they discuss:

  • The latest in Top Chef () including Madden quitting on Last Chance Kitchen and the difficulty of finding oneself as a chef on a reality competition show…
  • A few thoughts on a lackluster Oscars broadcast (31:15) and what it means for the future of the show…
  • The new Peacock sitcom Rutherford Falls (47:35) and how it’s pretty good, and pretty reminiscent of Parks & Rec, but not perhaps good enough to support a Peacock subscription…
  • The new Bob Odenkirk movie Nobody (55:10) and how it’s basically John Wick for an audience that demands more from the scenes between the fights…
  • Homework for some Tuesday to come (58:45), including: more episodes of Top Chef in Portland and streaming some Banshee on HBO Max… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents reunion AND the first season of The Challenge All Stars on Thursday!!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 237

  By toyAdmin | December 4, 2020 - 11:23 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 237, Madden and Kolsky are back after a LOOOOONG Thanksgiving break with LOTS to talk about (after a brief recounting of Kolsky’s COVID test):

  • A preview of THE CHALLENGE: DOUBLE AGENTS (3:30) which premiere’s next week on MTV, and which this podcast will cover IN DEPTH…
  • The end of The Undoing on HBO (19:20) and how miserably, ridiculously bad it was…
  • Kevin Hart’s new Netflix stand-up special (24:40) and the difficulty of being funny while incredibly rich…
  • Showtime’s John Belushi documentary (26:50) and its exciting new insight into the personality and humanity of a complicated public figure…
  • Another new HBO Max series, I Hate Suzie (33:45) and its interesting genre-blending style…
  • The HBO Max series Two Weeks to Live (38:10) starring the irresistibly charming Maisie Williams…
  • The 2020 reboot of Saved By The Bell (41:20) and how impressive the execution is…
  • The bizarre intrigue of Netflix’s sword-making reality show Forged in Fire (46:05) and the fascinating question of WHERE DO THEY FIND THESE PEOPLE???…
  • Homework for TUESDAY of next week (53:05), including: the return of Big Mouth on Netflix, the new movie Mank on Netflix and HBO Max’s new Kaley Cuoco vehicle The Flight Attendant…
  • A few sports thoughts on the way out the door (55:20) with the NFL and college sports in full COVID swing and the NBA ready to start shortly…

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The Toy Department – Episode 221

  By toyAdmin | July 23, 2020 - 11:23 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 221, Madden and Kolsky convene for a less tipsy but possibly more tired morning recording session to discuss:

  • The first part of the Challenge: Total Madness reunion on MTV (1:20), the many twists and turns of a fascinating season and what — if anything — is left for part two…
  • The new Peacock app show Brave New World (34:10) and how it falls just short of compelling…
  • The new HBO documentary Showbiz Kids (41:00) and how it presents perhaps the first complete look at the experience of being a child star…
  • HBO Max’s new series Expecting Amy (50:45) and how wonderfully candid and open Amy Schumer is about her pregnancy and marriage…
  • A couple pieces of breaking news about sports team names (57:35) featuring Seattle hockey and Washington, D.C. football…
  • Homework for next week (1:02:35), including: the final reunion episode of The Challenge, the beginning of the MLB and NBA seasons, the Marie Curie movie Radioactive on Amazon Prime, the W Kamau Bell show on CNN — United Shades of America and the return of Room 104 on HBO…

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