The Toy Department – Episode 339

In Episode 339, Madden and Kolsky revisit Derek’s mom’s letter to Matt (which you may remember being mentioned a couple weeks ago) before getting to the business of the day:

  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (9:25) and how a home cooking challenge put some of the top restaurant chefs on the bottom…
  • This week’s action on The Challenge: World Championship (24:45) and the critical strategy mistakes made by strategy master Wes…
  • Hulu’s delightful new sitcom Unprisoned (46:10) and the positive effects of a powerhouse cast…
  • The new Amazon Prime drama The Power (54:40) and whether this is a superpower show that Derek can stomach…
  • Apple TV+’s new film Tetris (58:55) and the incredible story behind the making of one of the most popular games of all time…
  • The return of FXX’s Dave (1:04:20) and how it seems to be peaking, in part because the show is understanding itself better than ever…
  • Homework for next week (1:11:40), including: Netflix’s new series Beef, Hulu’s new series Tiny Beautiful Things and two music documentaries – Music Box’s Jason Isbel doc on HBO Max and the Hulu/New York Times doc on J Dilla… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

The Toy Department – Episode 311

In Episode 311, Madden and Kolsky have an uncomfortably specific discussion about the Kolsky family’s recent bout with hand-foot-mouth disease before shaking it off and diving into:

  • A few thoughts on the ending of AMC’s Better Call Saul (6:55) and what a truly spectacular show it turned out to be…
  • Apple TV+’s new offering Black Bird (13:55) and how Paul Walter Hauser is a uniquely dynamic performer, particularly in the sort of creepy role he inhabits here…
  • Netflix’s forgettable film offering The Man from Toronto (20:45) and just what exactly is going on with the remarkable quality of bland content on that service…
  • Amazon’s new League of Their Own show (24:05) and how it’s watchable and not bad, but just doesn’t quite come together how one might hope…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge USA on CBS (29:00) and how Leo deserves some flowers (and also maybe some sympathy for his failing businesses?) plus thoughts on the latest twist in the game…
  • Homework for TWO Fridays from now (41:50), including: HBO’s new Game of Thrones show House of the Dragon, Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings show The Rings of Power, and Netflix’s Manti Te’o doc Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist, plus the more of The Challenge USA on CBS…

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 …