The creator of The Goldbergs reveals his original plan for ending the family sitcom. After an impressive run, which lasted for ten seasons, The Goldbergs concluded on May 3. In the episode, titled “Bev to the Future”, Adam (Sean Giambrone) accompanies Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) to her high school reunion. That’s where Bev meets George (Rob Corddry), her old high school sweetheart. Adam attempts to stop Bev from moving on from his dad. As the episode progresses, however, Adam comes around to accepting George. The series finale has other developments that seem open-ended because The Goldbergs season 10 wasn’t planned as the end.
Writer and producer Adam Goldberg, on whom the sitcom is based, spoke to Pop Culture References about his upcoming Muppets series and revealed how he would have ended The Goldbergs. The creator, who stepped away from his role as showrunner of the ABC comedy in 2019 to focus on developing other projects, says he had an “epic plan” and finally answers the question he says that he gets asked most often. In the quote below, Goldberg also addresses the changes that were made by “the new team“:
I had an epic plan to bring back every single real person in the series for a penultimate finale, finally revealing myself on the show while also segueing into a potential new chapter of my life with my real wife I’ve been with since I was 18. But following my life and home videos takes lots of time/communication/effort so the new team scrapped that concept and instead wrote stories/characters that were pure fiction midway season 7. But I focused on my new Muppet show out May 10th. Best experience of my career and a show I’m proud of!
The Goldbergs Declined After The Creator’s Exit
In the past, Goldberg has retweeted articles that directly criticize The Goldbergs, with headlines wondering about what happened to the show and deriding its lack of focus. A major complaint of The Goldbergs in recent years, like other long-running shows, was that the titular family became parodies of themselves and lost what made them relatable. This is often exemplified in the fact that the characters became dumber or how, for example, Bev’s trait as an overprotective mother became exaggerated even further.
The Goldbergs did have bright spots and strong sections in later years. But as Goldberg indicated, a major issue that was mentioned by audiences was how it moved away from its central conceit. The home video setup that grounded the plots had vanished by the eighth installment, with the series diverging from its origins. As a nod to those origins, though, the finale does include an opening that mentions Adam’s history with home movies.
In any case, now that the finale has debuted, The Goldbergs can be assessed in its totality. Though a slump is inevitable for most veteran sitcoms, the 1980s-set family comedy delivered plenty of great episodes that can stand up to rewatches and revisits down the line. That is one of the marks of a successful show.
Source: Pop Culture References
