- For other uses, see The Goldbergs (disambiguation).
The Goldbergs is an American television period sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 24, 2013 and concluded on May 3, 2023. The series was created by Adam F. Goldberg and stars Wendi McLendon-Covey, Sean Giambrone, Troy Gentile, Hayley Orrantia, Sam Lerner and formerly Jeff Garlin, George Segal, and A.J. Michalka. The show was produced by Adam F. Goldberg, Seth Gordon, and Doug Robinson. It is based on Goldberg's childhood and family in the 1980s, complete with a childhood version of himself.
Premise[]
The Goldbergs is set in the 1980s in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. The show is loosely based on the showrunner's childhood, during which he videotaped events, many of which are reenacted throughout the program. It shows the reality of the '80s through a young boy's eyes.
The series stars Jeff Garlin as patriarch Murray and Wendi McLendon-Covey as matriarch Beverly. Their two older children are Erica (Hayley Orrantia) and Barry (Troy Gentile). The youngest child, Adam (Sean Giambrone), documents his family life with his video camera. Beverly's father, Albert "Pops" Solomon (George Segal), is frequently around to provide advice or to help out his grandchildren (often behind his daughter's back).
The present-day "Adult Adam" (Patton Oswalt) narrates every episode as taking place in "1980-something".
Many references to real-life Philadelphia-area businesses are made, including the Wawa, Inc. convenience store chain, Gimbel's department store, Willow Grove Park Mall, and Kremp Florist of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
Main Cast[]
- Sean Giambrone as Adam Goldberg
- Patton Oswalt as Narrator
- Wendi McLendon-Covey as Beverly Goldberg
- Hayley Orrantia as Erica Goldberg
- Troy Gentile as Barry Goldberg
- Sam Lerner as Geoff Schwartz (seasons 5-10)
Former Main Cast[]
- Jeff Garlin as Murray Goldberg (seasons 1-9)
- George Segal as Albert Solomon (seasons 1-8)
- A.J. Michalka as Lainey Lewis (seasons 3–4; recurring seasons 1–2 & 5–6, guest seasons 7–10)
Episodes[]
- Main article: Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired (U.S. dates) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Season premiere | Season finale | |||
1 | 23 | September 24, 2013 | May 13, 2014 | |
2 | 24 | September 24, 2014 | May 13, 2015 | |
3 | 24 | September 23, 2015 | May 18, 2016 | |
4 | 24 | September 21, 2016 | May 17, 2017 | |
5 | 22 | September 27, 2017 | May 16, 2018 | |
6 | 23 | September 26, 2018 | May 8, 2019 | |
7 | 23 | September 25, 2019 | May 13, 2020 | |
8 | 22 | October 21, 2020 | May 19, 2021 | |
9 | 22 | September 22, 2021 | May 18, 2022 | |
10 | 22 | September 21, 2022 | May 3, 2023 |
Production[]
Development[]
The fourth season premiered on September 21, 2016. In May 2017, ABC renewed the series for a fifth and sixth season. The fifth season of the series premiered on September 27, 2017. After that, the sixth season of the series premiered on September 26, 2018. On May 11, 2019, the series was renewed for a seventh season, which premiered on September 25, 2019. On May 21, 2020, the series was renewed for an eighth season, which premiered on October 21, 2020. On May 14, 2021, the series was renewed for a ninth season, which premiered on September 22, 2021. On April 19, 2022, the series was renewed for a tenth season, which premiered on September 21, 2022[1]. On February 23, 2023, it was announced that the series would end after ten seasons, with the series finale airing on May 3, 2023. [2]
Casting[]
The project originally received a script commitment from Fox in August 2011. After Adam Goldberg's previous show, Breaking In, was canceled, he did not want to wait for another pilot season to arrive and moved it to ABC, who agreed to immediately produce it. On January 11, 2013, Wendi McLendon-Covey was cast as the pilot's lead. Jeff Garlin and George Segal later joined the cast. On December 15, 2021, it was announced that Garlin had departed the series after nine seasons due to multiple misconduct allegations and HR investigations.
Filming[]
The pilot episode was directed by Seth Gordon. On May 10, 2013, ABC picked up the show to series to air in the 2013–14 American television season. It was picked up for a full season order on November 1, 2013. The program is filmed on a series of stages at Sony Pictures Studios. In March 2020, Sony stopped production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed on August 25, 2020.
Music[]
The show's theme song, "Rewind," was written at Goldberg's request by I Fight Dragons, his favorite band, specifically for the show. A soundtrack, featuring songs performed on the show by the cast members, was released on December 6, 2017.
Spin-off (Schooled)[]
In November 2016, it was first reported that ABC was developing a spinoff that would center around recurring character Rick Mellor, played by Bryan Callen. On January 10, 2017, Wendi McClendon-Covey's character was reported as appearing in the script in a guest appearance. The script was ordered to pilot on February 2, 2017.
On March 16, 2017, it was confirmed that Nia Long had been cast as the female lead in the role of Lucy Winston. At the same time, it was confirmed that Tim Meadows would reprise his recurring role from The Goldbergs as Andre Glascott. Jay Chandrasekhar was also confirmed to direct.
On May 17, 2017, ABC passed on the spin-off, despite it reportedly testing very well - going as far to test better than the pilot of the original series. At the same time, Adam F. Goldberg revealed the title of the failed spin-off - "Schooled".
On January 8, 2018, it was announced that the pilot would air as a special episode of The Goldbergs on January 24, 2018, under the episode title The Goldbergs: 1990-Something. Along with Nia Long as Lucy Winston and Tim Meadows as teacher-turned-principal Andre Glascott (who is also revealed to be Lucy's brother), the pilot also starred Rachel Crow as Lucy's rebellious teenage daughter Felicia, and Summer Parker as Felicia's bubbly younger sister Gigi, with Octavia Spencer narrating as the present-day Felicia.
After the pilot aired, Goldberg had expressed hope that the airing would prompt discussions with ABC that could lead to the series being picked up. Three months later, on April 16, 2018, it was announced that ABC had officially picked up the spinoff, Schooled, for a 13-episode season slated to air in the 2018-2019 season. It was also announced that AJ Michalka would reprise her role as Lainey Lewis from The Goldbergs in the new show, but Nia Long would not return to the project due to becoming a regular cast member on the CBS drama series NCIS: Los Angeles. Schooled premiered on January 9, 2019, and was renewed for a second season on May 11, 2019.
On May 21, 2020, it was announced that Schooled had been cancelled after two seasons.
Trivia[]
- It was long debated which season of The Goldbergs would be the last, but it was speculated that it might end when Adam Goldberg graduates from high school, thus ending his childhood. However, with Adam graduating at the conclusion of season 9, this turned out not to be the case. The series concluded after 10 seasons.
- In every season poster, Adam has his eyes closed, no matter what he is doing.
External links[]
- The Goldbergs on Wikipedia
- The Goldbergs on Television Wiki