Tag Archives: television

The Toy Department – Episode 42

  By toyAdmin | October 12, 2016 - 11:23 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 42, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly address Kolsky’s in-progress Yom Kippur fast before delving into:

  • The San Francisco Giants’ elimination from the MLB playoffs (3:50) and some discussion about baseball at large (10:20)…
  • Kolsky’s homework assignment for Madden – Netflix/Marvel’s Luke Cage (20:35) and Madden’s anti-superhero/comic book bias…
  • Madden’s homework assignment for Kolsky – the previously British and now Netflix-owned Black Mirror (32:40) and how it really inspires thought and discussion like few other television experiences…
  • HBO’s new comedy Insecure (43:50) and how it brings another original perspective to the increasingly diverse television landscape…
  • Madden’s experience at a recent Kanye West show (52:20) and the big stadium show experience in general…
  • A bit of talk about last week’s You’re the Worst (1:01:05) but MOSTLY just because it leads into Madden’s experiences at fancy, exclusive bars as a big time radio star in Los Angeles…
  • Homework for next week (1:08:05) wherein Kolsky assigns the new Solange album to Derek…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 41

  By toyAdmin | October 6, 2016 - 12:26 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 41, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a brief digression into Peaches & Herb before diving headlong into TONS of topics, including:

  • Recently-retired future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett (1:45) and how Derek Madden (wrongly) hates him with a passion and Matthew J. Kolsky (with great taste and even better judgment) rightly respects him as the all-time great that he is… (Bonus points if you can figure out who writes these descriptions…)
  • The quarter-pole of the NFL season, particularly the impressive start of the Minnesota Vikings (17:45)… This is really little more than Madden’s attempt to re-ingratiate himself to the Minneapolis community after his KG slander…
  • This past Saturday’s college football MADNESS (27:45) and Kolsky’s continued lack of interest despite the wild excitement of the finishes…
  • HBO’s new series Westworld (41:30) and how the guys feel about it after its complex and thought-provoking premiere episode…
  • Noname’s album Telefone (49:20) which Madden FINALLY listened to after being assigned it as homework… The boys discuss the album itself, their differing tastes and music in general…
  • A quick pop-in on FX’s Atlanta (58:45) and the [SPOILER ALERT] Black Justin Bieber episode…
  • Some thoughts on future homework assignments (1:04:15) and some assigned homework for next week on the way out the door…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 40

  By toyAdmin | September 21, 2016 - 11:34 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 40 (hard to believe we’ve made it this far) Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky woke up extra early to talk to you about LOTS of television things and a bit of sports, including:

  • TV sitcoms in general (2:00) and the return/premiere of a few specific ones: The Good Place (4:40) and (following some digressions, like a few minutes about high school melodrama and a couple on The Voice) Brooklyn Nine-Nine (20:20) and New Girl (21:55)…
  • A little more on the achievement that is Donald Glover and FX’s triumphant show, Atlanta (30:15)…
  • The season finale of HBO’s Vice Principals (35:00) and whether the guys are on board with the surprising end to the season… Followed by a check-in with HBO’s less edgy comedy, Ballers (38:40)…
  • Some thoughts on the new Kiefer Sutherland vehicle Designated Survivor (42:20)… Which leads to a bit of meditation on the nature of show development in this over-populated TV landscape, particularly for major networks…
  • The San Francisco Giants and their wild second-half collapse (53:15)… They’ve been BAD since the All-Star break, and the guys try to figure it all out…
  • HOMEWORK!! (1:00:05) We have learned that Derek Madden is terrible at doing his homework… And yet he continues to assign homework to others!

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 39

  By toyAdmin | September 15, 2016 - 10:47 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 39, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky return just a day late thanks to scheduling conflicts and bring you discussion of:

  • Their collective disappointment with USA’s Mr. Robot (1:15) and its apparent disinterest in moving the plot along…
  • The start of the NFL season, from Terrell Suggs’ amazing appearance on HBO’s Ballers (19:10) to the love they have for the return of regular season football (22:35) despite the discomfort some NFL issues cause to a quick look at a couple of specific teams and situations…
  • The end of the MLB season (32:10) and how it seems like almost nobody is watching it at all… Plus a little love for home-run-hitting machine Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins (41:50)…
  • A few thoughts on EPL Soccer (45:40) and it’s availability as a pregame show for NFL football…
  • CM Punk’s UFC debut (50:55) and whether he actually has any chance to make any progress in the new phase of his career…
  • FX’s new show Better Things (55:55) and how it allows Pamela Adlon to do what Louis CK did before her… and how it relates to Louie and FX’s other new show, Atlanta (57:00)…
  • An assorted mishmash of topics to end the show (1:03:15), including discussion of homework and Kolsky’s distaste for Fred Armisen…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 38

  By toyAdmin | September 8, 2016 - 1:07 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 38, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a brief discourse on geography before getting into more of what you might call their wheelhouse with discussions of:

  • College football (2:05) wherein Madden makes Kolsky explain why he doesn’t really care all over again…
  • Netflix’s new show The Get Down (11:37) and how Madden utterly failed his podcast partner by neglecting to watch the show and then forcing Kolsky to convince him to watch it…
  • Bojack Horseman (22:00) and how Madden watched this cartoon instead of watching The Get Down like he was supposed to – which leads to a brief discussion of Kolsky’s general non-cartoon fan existence…
  • FX’s new show Atlanta (31:30) which is something Madden and Kolsky can finally agree on – it’s great, and Donald Glover is great, and the boys explain how and why…
  • Some upcoming television shows (38:45) from Pamela Adlon and FX’s Better Things to HBO’s Westworld and High Maintenance, among others…
  • Homework for everyone (48:25): check out the new album Telefone by Chicago’s No Name…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 36

  By toyAdmin | August 24, 2016 - 11:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 36, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky present you with a VERY special episode of the Toy Department podcast, featuring:

  • USA’s Mr. Robot (3:45) and whether it went completely off the rails with its most recent episode… SPOILER ALERT!!
  • HBO’s The Night Of (10:20) and whether IT went completely off the rails with its most recent episode… SPOILER ALERT!! (though not as spoiler-y as the Mr. Robot spoiler, probably)… and also just some of the things that make the show great…
  • Frank Ocean’s new album(s) (19:00) and what the new style of album releases means for music…
  • THE FIRST MAJOR INTERVIEW IN TOY DEPARTMENT HISTORY!!! (24:30) Kolsky sat down with history-making sports broadcaster Kate Scott (@katetscott), who recently became the third woman ever to do play-by-play for an NFL game. 45-plus good minutes with a tremendously talented and accomplished individual!!

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 35

  By toyAdmin | August 19, 2016 - 5:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 35, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with Madden’s impending death via Metallica (you’ll see) before getting into:

  • The idea of a single band or artist (like the aforementioned Metallica) transcending their genre to the point that they fully represent it (3:15)… And whether the genre of “rock” has faded to the point where it needs a representative artist (11:00)…
  • Movies!! Madden went and saw Sausage Party (17:00)… while Kolsky went to the drive-in (20:15) and checked out Suicide Squad (21:10) and Bad Moms (26:15)…
  • The HBO Show Vice Principals (29:30), which has kicked things up a gear and gotten Madden engaged…
  • The new Netflix show The Get Down (33:30), which neither Madden nor Kolsky have watched yet… But they discuss the show’s creator, Baz Luhrmann, and assign the pilot to each other for homework…
  • More Netflix with a final breakdown of this season of Orange is the New Black (38:30)… No spoilers in this text, but there ARE spoilers in the discussion so BEWARE!!
  • HBO’s The Night Of (50:11) and its latest episode, which may have raised some questions about the truth and the background of the main character…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 34

  By toyAdmin | August 10, 2016 - 11:22 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 34, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a recounting and reviewing of their weekend at Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco, and then discuss:

  • Netflix’s new show Stranger Things (14:30) and the guys’ differing opinions on the experience… and a little compare/contrast with the other big summer show, HBO’s The Night Of…
  • The latest episode of USA’s Mr. Robot (29:10) and how the show seemed to maybe, possibly figure some things out about itself in last week’s episode…
  • The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio (44:00), with some discussion of the TV ratings and NBC’s broadcast choices as well as the viewing interests of Madden and Kolsky… which somehow develops into a US Women’s Soccer debate (56:00)…
  • And while they’re on the soccer subject, a little bit of an English Premier League preview (1:01:40), by which we mean Kolsky asks Madden how to properly watch the EPL and gets scolded for choosing Chelsea as his team…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 33

  By toyAdmin | August 4, 2016 - 7:15 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 33, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly celebrate each other and their partnership before diving RIGHT in to discuss:

  • Madden’s trip to Lollapalooza, Madden & Kolsky’s impending meeting at SF’s Outside Lands, and some of the general issues at and around music festivals in general (2:00)…
  • A series of TV topics – from HBO’s new comedy Vice Principals (17:45) to the problems that Peak TV presents for the consumer (24:25) [which includes a couple minutes on Stranger Things at 27:25] to some thoughts on Roadies (35:35)…
  • Jason Bourne, the latest installment in the Bourne series of films (43:00), and Kolsky’s frustration with the current state of the action movie, and movies in general…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 30

  By toyAdmin | July 13, 2016 - 10:36 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 30, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky threaten to do a “mini” episode of The Toy Department… but it was an empty threat, because after opening with a discussion of the summer doldrums, they spend about an hour talking about:

  • MLB’s Home Run Derby and All-Star game (4:15) and why it doesn’t really work as entertainment anymore… Plus a little bit of general All-Star discussion…
  • Last week’s homework assignment, which was the premiere of the new HBO drama The Night Of (17:10) and why you should be excited about the show’s future…
  • Kolsky’s obsession with the band Phish (26:00) – just HOW obsessed he is, why he is obsessed and why Madden thinks he’s pretty much just a stupid hippie for being so obsessed… Which naturally leads to a discussion of how the guys got into music early in their lives, and about showmanship in music performance…

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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