Tag Archives: Showtime

The Toy Department – Episode 180

  By toyAdmin | August 28, 2019 - 11:06 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 180, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky mince a minimal amount of words before discussing:

  • A couple of new albums — Sleater-Kinney’s underwhelming The Center Won’t Hold (1:05) and the triumphant Little Brother return May the Lord Watch (7:35)…
  • Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix stand-up special Sticks & Stones (12:40) and how it didn’t land great by Chappelle standards…
  • The new Showtime drama On Becoming a God in Central Florida (27:00) and the greatness of Kirsten Dunst…
  • The Australian comedy The Let Down (34:55) and how it’s only a comedy if you can identify with the infant parenting experience…
  • Homework for next week (40:00), including: the new season of MTV’s The Challenge, the new Tool album Fear Inoculum, the new Netflix show The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (plus Kolsky watching the original Dark Crystal for the first time), the new Travis Scott concert film, also on Netflix, and a little NFL preview discussion…

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The Toy Department – Episode 176

  By toyAdmin | July 31, 2019 - 11:17 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 176, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky have a quick chat about Madden’s concert-going exploits before delving into:

  • The premiere of the final season of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black (2:10), which Madden enjoyed more than Kolsky but also maybe Kolsky just needs to stick with it a little longer…
  • Amazon’s new Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg production The Boys (10:15) and how it is different than any superhero show you’ve seen and pretty damn good…
  • The Showtime documentary Shangri-LA (16:20) and its fascinating subject Rick Rubin…
  • Chance the Rapper’s new album The Big Day (31:45) and how it is long but really quite good throughout…
  • Homework for next week (40:50), including: the premiere of Bachelor in Paradise (for real this time), the return of Dear White People on Netflix, the new season of HBO’s Hard Knocks (featuring the Oakland Raiders), a new HBO show – A Black Lady Sketch Show (from Issa Rae), Whitney Cummings’ new comedy special on Netflix and the new Tarantino film Once Upon A Time in Hollywood…

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The Toy Department – Episode 172

  By toyAdmin | July 3, 2019 - 1:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 172, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly discuss their recording circumstances before jumping into the real meat:

  • The new Amazon series Too Old to Die Young (1:20) and how it really fails to come together in a meaningful way or show any particularly redeeming qualities…
  • Showtime’s new Roger Ailes show The Loudest Voice (11:35) and how its pilot delivered all the goods…
  • An extended NBA conversation (18:50) covering the free agent machinations and some thoughts on the teams that made big changes…
  • A brief conversation about USWNT soccer (55:25) trimmed down to NOT include senseless bickering about Landon Donovan’s ability (or lack thereof)…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:05), including: the new Aziz Ansari stand-up special on Netflix, Years and Years on HBO, the premiere of the American version of Love Island and — again — maybe seeing the movie Yesterday in theaters…

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The Toy Department – Episode 171

  By toyAdmin | June 26, 2019 - 8:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 171, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky cover Kolsky’s extreme dad day (fair warning — there are some baby noises) and welcome a new (mostly quiet) cohost before jumping in on:

  • Netflix’s new show The Society (7:15) which both guys found delightfully entertaining, if modest in its overall ambition…
  • HBO’s new teen thrill-ride Euphoria (12:50) and whether it is engaging enough to overcome the fact that it can be difficult to watch…
  • Ava Duvernay’s When They See Us (25:40) on Netflix, and how upsetting the story is for so many reasons…
  • AMC’s new supernatural series NOS4A2 (31:15) and whether it’s worth checking out…
  • Showtime’s City on a Hill (35:05) and its odd B-movie feel despite the high-powered production team…
  • A few thoughts on NBA free agency (40:25) and its accompanying silliness…
  • Homework for next week (51:00), including: The Loudest Voice on Showtime, Too Old to Die Young on Amazon, thoughts on the early days of the NBA’s coming free agent frenzy and hopefully the new film Yesterday…

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The Toy Department – Episode 170

  By toyAdmin | June 12, 2019 - 2:42 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 170, Derek Madden travels and Matt Kolsky braves a heat wave with no noisy fan so they can discuss:

  • The conclusion of Season 4 of Showtime’s Billions (3:10), a wrap discussion and some thoughts on where we are heading…
  • The start of Season 2 of HBO’s Big Little Lies (13:05), with thoughts on the tremendous Meryl Streep and the direction of the plot…
  • Netflix’s new season of Black Mirror (18:30), whether the show retains its ability to shock and some more excellent acting performances…
  • Some NBA Finals thoughts (39:00) after the crushing blow of Kevin Durant’s achilles injury…
  • Homework for next week (58:10), including: the conclusion of the NBA Finals, actually catching up with AMC’s new supernatural series NOS4A2, starting Euphoria on HBO and City on a Hill on Showtime, and checking out When They See Us on Netflix…

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The Toy Department – Episode 166

  By toyAdmin | May 8, 2019 - 12:48 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 166, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky discuss the advantages of listening to podcasts at 1.5x speed before honing in on:

  • The third-to-last episode of Game of Thrones (4:40) and how its many critics are our surest sign of social decay…
  • The Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (32:05) and how its treatment of the Ted Bundy story makes for an odd and ultimately unsuccessful ride…
  • The new Netflix show Dead to Me (37:55) and how the charm of its lead actresses and some pitch perfect camp make it an extremely enjoyable experience…
  • A check-in on three show favorites: Billions on Showtime (42:05), Barry on HBO (49:00), and AMC/BBC America’s Killing Eve (55:05)…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (59:00), specifically the Warriors-Rockets series…
  • Homework for next week (1:03:50), including: HBO’s Chernobyl, the return of Sneaky Pete on Amazon, the return of Easy on Netflix, another episode of Game of Thrones and LOTS MORE NBA playoff action…

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The Toy Department – Episode 162

  By toyAdmin | April 10, 2019 - 2:35 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 162, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky talk about Madden’s rough day and Minneapolis’s impending blizzard before making their way through:

  • The series finalé of FX’s You’re the Worst (3:35) and how it will go down as a personal favorite for one host and a great peak tv comedy for the other…
  • The premiere of Season 3 of IFC’s Brockmire (16:25) and its incredible hit rate of hilarity…
  • HBO’s documentary The Inventor (25:25) and the way it tells the bizarre story of Elizabeth Holmes…
  • The return of BBC America’s Killing Eve (34:55) and how excited both guys are to return to the world that Season 1 established…
  • Showtime’s The Chi (40:10) establishing itself as a well-executed premium drama as it begins its second season…
  • The first episode of FX’s Fosse/Verdon (48:35) and whether there’s more here than enthralling acting performances…
  • Some thoughts on the NBA MVP debate (54:35) between Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden and a quick preview of the playoffs (which begin this weekend)…
  • Homework for next week (1:14:45), including: GAME OF THRONES IS BACK!!! plus Billie Eilish’s new album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and watching Schitt’s Creek and Our Planet on Netflix…

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The Toy Department – Episode 161

  By toyAdmin | April 3, 2019 - 11:17 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 161, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky literally make small talk about weather before getting serious on:

  • Derek’s viewing of Jordan Peele’s Us (3:25) and whether Kolsky is being a big ol’ wimp about seeing it…
  • The TV premiere of What We Do in the Shadows (17:05) on FX, and how it compares to the film it is based on…
  • The start of the seventh season of Veep on HBO (21:00) and how the show has changed over time…
  • The return of HBO’s Barry (26:25) in a somewhat pilot-y fashion, resetting the world we got to know in Season 1…
  • The end of Miracle Workers on TBS (29:05) and how it made an enjoyable little treat…
  • The end of Season 1 of Black Monday (33:55) and whether there’s enough on the bone to bring an effective satire back for a second season…
  • The end of HBO’s documentary series The Case Against Adnan Syed (38:50) and the ongoing injustices of the story we first heard through Serial…
  • Homework for next week (54:40), including: the return of several show favorites on TV — Killing Eve, Brockmire and The Chi — plus the series finale of You’re The Worst, the series premiere of Fosse/Verdon and a few movies for the back burner: The Inventor and Native Son (both on HBO) and The Highwaymen on Netflix…

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The Toy Department – Episode 159

  By toyAdmin | March 20, 2019 - 12:22 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 159, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky literally talk about weather before moving into the world of pop culture to break down:

  • The upcoming NCAA Tournament (1:35) and Kolsky’s decision not to fill out a bracket…
  • The season finalé of Top Chef (9:30), with thoughts on food, contestants, judges and (of course) Padma…
  • Netflix’s new movie Triple Frontier (21:05) and whether it’s worthy of its cast…
  • The return of Showtime’s Billions (26:25) and how well it has developed a big cast of interesting characters…
  • The premiere of the final season of Catastrophe (32:00) on Amazon and whether it is still breaking new ground in season four…
  • The series finale of Pete Holmes’ HBO show Crashing (35:30) and how the guys would have liked to see more…
  • Homework for next week (43:50), including: the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt on Netflix, plus two Hulu shows — The Act and Shrill, and LOTS of college basketball…

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The Toy Department – Episode 156

  By toyAdmin | February 27, 2019 - 11:23 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 156, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky rap briefly about Kolsky’s bizarre schedule before delving into:

  • Some debriefing on Sunday’s 91st Academy Awards (1:20) including winners, losers and over-reactors…
  • The premiere of the third season of Documentary Now on IFC (30:30) and what turned out to be a hilarious take on Wild Wild Country…
  • A wrap-up discussion of HBO’s True Detective Season 3 (37:00) and why Derek really didn’t like it at all…
  • The new film Fighting With My Family (46:55) and how it was a charming, if not entirely true-to-life, look at the early life and career of WWE’s Paige…
  • The first episode of Desus & Mero in their new home on Showtime (56:35) and how both guys think it can be a huge success and will make an interesting test case for new-look late night television…
  • Homework for next week (1:01:55), including: actually seeing the new HBO film O.G, the return of Pamela Adlon’s Better Things on FX, and the Netflix movie Paddleton (plus whatever else pops up during the week)…

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