Tag Archives: soccer

The Toy Department – Episode 461

  By toyAdmin | July 17, 2026 - 9:20 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 461, Madden and Kolsky begin by acknowledging a first-time occurrence in pod history as they get into:

  • Steven Soderbergh’s Full Circle (2:05) which as it turns out, our hosts watched several years ago when it was released and simply forgot about…
  • Apple TV+’s new action show Lucky (8:05) and how it has a lot of good qualities—Anya Taylor-Joy, an interesting story, some good characters—but in light of the Full Circle experience it’s hard to say whether it will be memorable…
  • The film Project Hail Mary (13:25) and how it is an absolute home run of a summer blockbuster, with an incredible acting performance from Ryan Gosling and pitch-perfect storytelling that left both our hosts in tears…
  • Some sports talk (20:25) with Derek’s disgust for the Argentine National Team and a look forward to an exciting World Cup final and Kolsky’s excitement about the Caleb Era in Chicago sports…
  • Homework for THREE WEEKS FROM TODAY (8/7), after a well deserved break (39:50), including: the newest season of The Challenge with a return to the Cuthroat format, the new Christopher Nolan film The Odyssey, the returns of beloved TV shows Ted Lasso and Special Ops: Lioness, and the new Amazon Prime show Ride or Die… Enjoy the rest of July!!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 460

  By toyAdmin | July 10, 2026 - 1:32 pm | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 460, Madden and Kolsky get in a little earthquake talk before moving on to:

  • Boots Riley’s new film I Love Boosters (3:40), the particular madcap style that he works in, and whether it has diminishing returns…
  • The somewhat disappointing Eric Andre/John Cena Netflix comedy Little Brother (18:10) and how it simply doesn’t reach the necessary level of laughs-per-minute…
  • The rather disappointing Amazon’s Legally Blonde prequel series Elle (22:25) and whether our hosts are just too old for this shit…
  • The wildly disappointing HBO series Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness (29:10) and whether it might play better in an elementary school classroom…
  • The extremely exciting (and largely not disappointing) WORLD CUP (33:25), with our hosts’ thoughts on the tournament overall and the future of American soccer specifically…
  • Homework for two weeks from now (1:5:5), including: the Ryan Gosling movie Project Hail Mary (available on Amazon), the Soderbergh-directed, Olyphant-starring series Full Circle, the Apple TV+ crime thriller Lucky, and of course some more World Cup action…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 459

  By toyAdmin | June 26, 2026 - 2:55 pm | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 459, Madden and Kolsky pay some quick attention to their upcoming schedule before getting into:

  • An extended visit to the SPORTS WORLD, where the World Cup is in full swing (1:30) and the NBA is turning from draft to trades and free agency (22:05)…
  • Colin Farrell’s Apple TV+ show Sugar (42:20), which is totally enjoyable as just a neo-noir detective show, but also happens to includ an utterly additive ALIEN TWIST… Good times!
  • Questlove’s brilliant new documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) [46:00] and the fascinating story of the band and frontman Maurice White…
  • Homework for two weeks from now (53:25), including: Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness on HBO, the John Cena/Eric Andre comedy Little Brother on Netflix, the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle on Amazon and the now-available-to-rent-at-home Boots Riley film I Love Boosters… and a HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO YOU ALL!!!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 458

  By toyAdmin | June 11, 2026 - 4:54 pm | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 458, Madden and Kolsky figured out a way to get this thing on tape, which should be enough, as they talk through:

  • The somewhat underwhelming season finalé of Top Chef (0:50) and how not leaving the Carolinas for the final felt strange…
  • The new Apple TV+ series Cape Fear (16:30) and how one of our hosts just isn’t here for this sort of thing, but the other is ALL IN…
  • A look back at a few show-favorite series that wrapped up for good in the last couple weeks: the enjoyable endpoint of The Boys (26:05), the only-sometimes-beautiful mess that was Euphoria’s last season (29:55) and the triumph of Hacks (41:30)…
  • Homework for some time in a couple weeks (48:30), which is TOTALLY UP IN THE AIR other than World Cup and NBA Finals (if necessary), but may also include the return of Colin Farrell’s Apple TV+ show Sugar…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 457

  By toyAdmin | June 3, 2026 - 2:27 pm | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 457, Madden and Kolsky missed a week, so no time is wasted before discussions of:

  • An eventful two weeks on Top Chef (1:00), which sets us up for a humdinger of a finalé next week…
  • Tatiana Maslany’s new Apple TV+ show Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (30:50) and how her magnetism is at the center of an entertaining experience…
  • Netflix’s new Duffer Brothers-produced series The Boroughs (35:00) and how there are some pretty good pieces but neither host is particularly interested in the central storyline…
  • Netflix’s new crime thriller Nemesis (39:05) and how it’s a good version of a broad, good v. evil sort of populist TV show…
  • A look at the world of sports (45:45) with the NBA set for a Spurs-Knicks Finals, Arsenal winning the Premier League (but not the Champions League!) and the World Cup on deck…
  • Homework for some time next week (1:04:20), including: the finalé of Top Chef, the new Apple TV+ series Cape Fear and Kolsky catching up on the series finalés of Hacks, Euphoria and The Boys…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 456

  By toyAdmin | May 20, 2026 - 11:28 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 456, Madden and Kolsky discuss their mutual inability to drink alcohol like in the good ole days before snapping their focus to:

  • Netflix’s documentary Untold UK: Jamie Vardy (4:10) and the absolutely incredible story of his rise to the Premier League and eventual league title with Leicester City FC…
  • Amazon Prime’s heist thriller Crime 101 (15:20) and how it’s a fun and pretty great version of a certain sort of movie…
  • A quick show detour to discuss the totality of HBO’s DTF St. Louis (20:55) and how it was a long journey to get there, but it ended up in a pretty solid place…
  • Netflix’s Martin Short documentary Marty: Life is Short (29:35) and how it does a great job of covering the public life of a venerated comedy entertainer…
  • This week’s relatively underwhelming episode of Top Chef (37:15), the ascension of Sherry and Seiger, and wondering whether we’ll ever leave the Carolinas…
  • Homework for next week (48:35), including: the next episode of Top Chef, Apple TV+’s new Tatiana Maslany show Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, the new Netflix show The Boroughs and the new hit Nemesis (also on Netflix)…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 442

  By toyAdmin | January 16, 2026 - 12:23 pm | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 442, Madden and Kolsky are FINALLY back after a LOOOOONG winter break to bring you the best in pop culture conversation, specifically regarding:

  • A couple minutes on the Toy Department Derby—Chelsea v Arsenal—that happened shortly before our return (2:30) and how nobody left satisfied…
  • The HBO documentary It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (6:50) and Kolsky’s bizarre cultural blind spot when it comes to this particular musician…
  • HBO’s other music documentary from the holidays, Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately (15:15) and how the film was less impactful despite a greater love for the band…
  • The movie F1 (30:10) and how it is essentially a classic sports film with plenty of good-looking and entertaining actors and also pretty predictable and not particularly memorable…
  • Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film Bugonia (36:10), how it differs from some of his previous work, and how much both of our hosts enjoyed it…
  • Dave Chappelle’s new special (43:40) and how he still has his fastball but he’s also still making some frustrating and disappointing choices…
  • Homework for next week (53:45), including: getting into The Night Manager (ten years late but on time for Season 2, on Amazon Prime Video), Netflix’s thriller series His & Hers, HBO’s latest Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the new 70’s spy thriller show PONIES on Peacock…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 440

  By toyAdmin | December 5, 2025 - 12:00 pm | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 440, Madden and Kolsky have a lot to discuss and very little time, so it’s right into:

  • The two episodes of TJ’s Final on The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (1:00), wrapping up an excellent 41st season with some high drama…
  • Netflix’s surprisingly delightful historical drama Death By Lightning (28:35) and the bizarre nature of history and legacy…
  • The second season of A Man on the Inside (34:50) which picks up right where the lovable first season left off…
  • The new Netflix thriller The Beast in Me (36:35) and how Claire Danes’ character (along with most of the others, frankly) is pretty unpleasant to be around…
  • Peacock’s missing child drama All Her Fault (40:15) and how it’s All Just Bad…
  • The Benedict Cumberbatch/Olivia Coleman rom/hate-com The Roses (45:05) and why one of our hosts liked it more than the other…
  • A few thoughts on last weekend’s Toy Department Derby (52:10) where Chelsea managed to fight to a draw despite going a man down in the first half…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:00:10) including: Noah Baumbach’s new Netflix movie Jay Kelly, the new Darren Aronofsky film Caught Stealing (also on Netflix), Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (yes, it’s on Netflix too), the HBO Music Box documentary It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley and the 50 Cent-produced docu-series Sean Combs: The Reckoning (say it with me—IT’S ON NETFLIX)…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 429

  By toyAdmin | August 8, 2025 - 6:22 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 429, Madden and Kolsky get into their relative appreciation of getting pounded with heavy metal before they buckle down on:

  • The new FX show Welcome to Necaxa (3:20) and how the Eva Longoria project resembles but is also very different from the Rob & Ryan project in Wrexham…
  • Kolsky’s failure to watch Chief of War (15:00) thanks to a miscommunication on last pod (so maybe it’s homework now?)…
  • Netflix’s bat-guano insane The Hunting Wives (16:30) and the utter mediocrity of its nudity-heavy nonsense…
  • The five hours of Billy Joel documentary on HBO (22:05), whether he deserved that length and where his legacy lands…
  • Amazon Prime Video’s teen drama sensation The Summer I Turned Pretty (46:35) and whether our hosts should suffer through the first season or two to get to the apparently very good third season… or are we just very old and out of touch?
  • Another exciting episode of The Challenge 41: Vets & New Threats (54:45) and an absolute banger of an elimination between two small rookie women who left everything they had in the ring…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:09:35), including: the next two episodes of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, perhaps revisiting the well-reviewed Chief of War, Noah Hawley’s new FX show Alien Earth, the John Grisham television adaptation The Rainmaker on USA/Peacock and the new Dallas Cowboys/Jerry Jones documentary on Netflix…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

The Toy Department – Episode 426

  By toyAdmin | July 11, 2025 - 10:57 am | Uncategorized
Leave a comment

In Episode 426, Madden and Kolsky spend entirely too long on Kolsky’s new cold brew coffee formula before shaking it off to discuss:

  • The police-procedural-style crime drama Dept. Q on Netflix (4:30) and why one of our hosts loved it and the other turned it off…
  • Apple TV+’s fire-crime-drama Smoke (10:05) and how, again, one of our hosts loved it and the other turned it off…
  • Some love for the newest season of The Bear (18:00) and what it looks like to make essentially perfect television…
  • Some soccer transfer talk (31:20) as the Club World Cup Final against PSG looms for Chelsea…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (44:00), including: the return of Michael C. Hall in Dexter: Resurrection, the new Charlize Theron action movie The Old Guard 2, Lena Dunham’s new show Too Much on Netflix and the Bosch spinoff Ballard on Amazon Prime Video…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS