New-ish Show to Catch Up On: THE GOLDBERGS

We’ve got well over a month before network shows return from their summer hiatus, but we’re just about reaching the point where decisions need to be made about catching up on shows that may have been missed (or initially passed over) last season in order to be current when things return.

And hey, there’s a lot of great TV on these days. Sometimes it’s hard to commit to a show until you’ve heard from enough people that it’s actually good/you know it will return for a second season. So, on that note, I do have a few suggestions for shows you should bump to the top of your list.

Last up? THE GOLDBERGS!

The show’s original pitch: “Before there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up and peanut allergies, there was a simpler time called the ’80s. For geeky 11-year-old Adam (Sean Giambrone) these were his wonder years, and he faced them armed with a video camera to capture all the crazy. The Goldbergs are a loving family like any other, just with a lot more yelling. Mom Beverly (Wendi McClendon-Covey) is a classic “smother,” an overbearing, overprotective matriarch who rules this brood with 100% authority and zero sense of boundaries. Dad Murray (Jeff Garlin) is gruff, hot-tempered and trying to parent without screaming. Sister Erica (Hayley Orrantia) is 17, hot, terrifying and not one to mess with. Barry (Troy Gentile) is 16, a grade-A spaz with classic middle child syndrome. Adam (Sam Giambrone) is the youngest, a camera-wielding future director who’s crushing on an older woman. Rounding out the family is beloved grandfather Al “Pops” Solomon (George Segal), the wild man of the clan, a shameless Don Juan who’s schooling Adam in the ways of love. When Pops buys a new sports car and offers his Caddy to middle child Barry, it’s enough to drive this already high-strung family to the brink of chaos.”

What the log line doesn’t tell you about season 1: There was a lot of chatter early on about the fact that the family was loud/yelled, but boiling the show down to that is such an incredible disservice to the series.

First of all, yes, occasionally the family can be loud and/or do mortifying things (and many of those things are based off THE GOLDBERGS’ creator Adam F. Goldberg’s real life/family), but the show also has showcased more heartwarming moments than practically any other show last year. (Often during the episode-closing montages which are assisted by various fabulous ’80s tunes.)

Also, I’d argue these are the best written kids/teens on any show — so often writers go for the one-dimensional sullen teen who only exists to glare at their parents, etc., but Barry, Adam, and Erica are as well-written as the rest of the characters on the show, and can Troy Gentile (Barry), Hayley Orrantia (Erica), and Sam Giambrone (Adam) can carry storylines as effortlessly as their adult counterparts.

And if you’re a pop culture nerd (which I absolutely am), the vague “1980-something” time frame for the show has already led to great references: THE GOONIES (which had a whole episode dedicated to it), SAY ANYTHING, RETURN OF THE JEDI, ALF, and TRON. (And that’s honestly barely just scratching the surface.)

What episodes THE GOLDBERGS creator Adam F. Goldberg thinks you should make sure to watch while catching up: “I was really happy with the finale. We had some touchstone episodes: the karate episode, the finale, I loved the Goonies episode, there’s some great ones that feel like [classic] GOLDBERGS episodes…and it’s great to see people rediscovering it, too.”

How you can catch up: ABC is re-airing episodes every Wednesday at 8:30 PM. Five episodes are available to stream on ABC.com, as well as Hulu and HuluPlus. Or you can purchase the any of the episodes digitally via iTunes or Amazon Instant Video. (The DVD is also available for pre-order now.)

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THE GOLDBERGS returns Wednesday, September 24th at 8:30 PM on ABC.

Related:

THE GOLDBERGS: Troy Gentile and Wendi McLendon-Covey Tease ‘A Wrestler Named Goldberg’
THE GOLDBERGS: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jeff Garlin, Troy Gentile, and Hayley Orrantia Preview ‘The Age of Darkness’
THE GOLDBERGS: Wendi McLendon-Covey Teases Bev’s Latest Smothering Antics, and Her Experience Meeting the Real Bev

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