The Toy Department – Episode 321

In Episode 321, Madden and Kolsky are fighting the clock again, this time thanks to Kolsky’s mediocre parental planning, so it’s straight to the important business of the day:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (2:55) after a Laurel-heavy episode filled with embarrassingly bad strategy from many of the less-experienced players…
  • The new Apple TV+ movie Causeway (31:40) and whether Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry’s performances are enough to carry a very quiet, rather simple film…
  • Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (36:35) and how Daniel Radcliffe’s incredible commitment to the Weird Al role combined with a wildly silly but quite clever script makes for a heck of a fun time…
  • The new Netflix sitcom Blockbuster (43:40) and whether it’s even possible to make a sitcom that’s creative and original…
  • A few thoughts on the World Cup (47:25) with the tournament less than two weeks away and the US roster recently announced…
  • Homework for next Friday (53:35), including: the new Hulu/FX show Fleishman Is In Trouble, HBO Max’s new Sam Rockwell vehicle See How They Run, the new Sylvester Stallone show Tulsa King on Paramount+, the movie Don’t Worry Darling (now available on HBO Max) and OF COURSE the next episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

The Toy Department – Episode 169

In Episode 169, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky once again threaten their plans for a short podcast with the broadcaster jinx, before speeding through:

  • HBO’s Deadwood movie (1:30) and how it ties a nice bow on one of the great under-appreciated TV series of all time, plus some discussion of Vulture’s all-time HBO show rankings…
  • The Elton John biopic Rocketman (10:20) and how it succeeds in many ways despite apparently fitting into categories neither host particularly enjoys…
  • The Amazon series Good Omens (21:45) and how it feels like the writers and creators failed to flesh out their elevator pitch…
  • The Netflix show How To Sell Drugs Online Fast (25:15) and how it turns out to be of German origin but not entirely terrible…
  • Netflix’s new rom-com Always Be My Maybe (28:45) and how charming it is despite being rather rote…
  • A wrap on the second season of Killing Eve (37:45) and whether the show still has the promise of its first season…
  • Some quick NBA thoughts (44:10) in the middle of a compelling, if slow-moving, Finals series…
  • Homework for next week (50:30), when there may or may not be a podcast, including: the new season of Black Mirror on Netflix, the return of Big Little Lies on HBO, AMC’s new vampire series NOS4A2 and the conclusion of Billions …