The Toy Department

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!!

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…

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!!!

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…

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…

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)…

In Episode 455, Madden and Kolsky navigate a new recording system as they meander through: A fish-themed episode of Top Chef (1:40), the danger of a simple error and the race to the finish with a good collection of chefs… The brilliance of The Bear’s new mini-movie Gary (25:40) and how the show’s creators continue to build beautiful, vibrant stories… BBC’s Lord of the Flies adaptation on Netflix (31:35) and how it feels like a direct page-to-screen printing of William Golding’s book… The Noah Kahan documentary Out of Body (38:25) and how it does nothing to explain the Noah Kahan phenomenon… Sports talk (44:05) with a bit of Premier League and some NBA playoff thoughts… Homework for next week (1:00:30), including: the next episode of Top Chef, the Amazon Prime movie Crime 101, the Martin Short documentary Marty: Life is Short on Netflix, Untold UK: Jamie Vardy (also on Netflix), and—naturally—more playoff hoops…

In Episode 454, Madden and Kolsky poo-poo Derek’s birthday before hustling through: The latest from Top Chef: Carolinas (1:45) where there was too much mayo for one of our hosts and too much heat for some of the chefs… Netflix’s new action show Man on Fire (19:50) and all the things it gets right… HBO’s new drama Half Man (21:15), from the creator of the highly-acclaimed Baby Reindeer, and how it’s very well done but relentlessly traumatic… Apple TV+’s new show Widow’s Bay (34:10) and whether it can truly be called a mystery or whether it’s a comedy or what the heck is generally happening here… NBA Playoff thoughts (43:10) after a wild first round and a big upset at the start of the second round… Homework for next week (1:08:35), including: the next episode of Top Chef, GARY (Hulu’s surprise drop from The Bear universe), BBC’s Lord of the Flies adaptation on Netflix, and the new Noah Kahan documentary Out of Body (also on Netflix), plus—of course—more playoff hoops…

In Episode 453, Madden and Kolsky react to another missed show countdown before diving right into: The long-awaited and pretty weird Restaurant Wars episode of Top Chef: Carolinas (1:15) and the outlook for the remainder of the season… Netflix’s new series This Is A Gardening Show (24:05), which is DEFINITELY a gardening show, but also a Zach Galifianakis show, and rather delightful if you’re into that sort of thing… The new Sandler Family comedy Roommates (29:00) and how it’s a pretty good version of a particular type of Netflix fodder… Glen Powell’s The Running Man (35:15) and how it’s a little more self-serious than our hosts would hope, particularly from director Edgar Wright… A few sports thoughts (46:20) as the NBA rolls along through the first round of playoff action… Homework for next week (56:30), including: the next episode of Top Chef, the new HBO show Half Man from the creator of Baby Reindeer, the new Apple TV+ show Widow’s Bay, Netflix’s new Man on Fire series, and much more playoff basketball…