The Toy Department – Episode 463

In Episode 463, Madden and Kolsky’s summer of mess continues with a JAM PACKED episode, following an unexpected off-week (and a censored show intro) with an attempt to squeeze in conversations about:

• Chirstopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (3:45) which both hosts enjoyed when they watched it weeks ago and have been chomping at the bit to discuss since…
• The return of Apple TV+’s comedy gem Ted Lasso (11:50), the brilliance of the story they chose to tell and how some people need to chill out about some of its perceived feminist flaws…
• Amazon Prime’s new buddy action-dramedy Ride or Die (21:10), a fun show driven by the enjoyability of the Hannah Waddingham/Octavia Spencer relationship at its center…
• The continuing excellence and sometimes confounding politics of Special Ops: Lioness (23:45) and how the new season brings much more of the same…
• The last two weeks of The Challenge: Cutthroat (34:55), where the veteran players are struggling to compete physically and some of the newer players are having off-the-field slip-ups…
• A few thoughts on the Premier League (45:10) as the 2026-27 season begins with Derek’s Arsenal squad as the clear favorites and Kolsky’s Chelsea in hot pursuit…
• Homework for next week (52:50), including: more of The Challenge: Cutthroat, HBO’s new DC Universe show Lanterns (written by Damon Lindelof), a very special episode of The Simpsons called Yellow Mirror (on Disney+), Apple TV+’s documentary The Dynasty: UConn Huskies, and the Anne Hathaway/Michaela Coel film Mother Mary on HBO Max (plus the Hulu show Furious, since we forgot to discuss it this week)…