Why Some Long-Time Fans Stopped Watching The Goldbergs
ABC's long-lived sitcom "The Goldbergs" has suffered an unusually tough 9th season. The show lost George Segal, who passed away on March 24, 2021, necessitating the show killing off Albert "Pops" Solomon. Then Jeff Garlin was removed from the series in the wake of a disciplinary investigation by ABC. This forced "The Goldbergs" to get creative as it dealt with paterfamilias Murray Goldberg's sudden disappearance. When Erica (Hayley Orrantia) finally married Geoff Schwartz (Sam Lerner), the show used a combination of a stand-in, CGI, and unused vocal takes to craft an image of Murry that went viral on Twitter thanks to its uncanny valley nature (via The Daily Dot).
Aside from these real-life dictated developments, the Goldberg kids are growing up and changing. Aside from marrying Geoff, Erica returned to college, while Adam (Sean Giambrone) prepares for his own collegiate adventure, and Barry (Troy Gentile) gets ready for medical school. But these aren't the only reasons some fans of "The Goldbergs" have been abandoning ship on a sitcom they've been watching for years. How do fans who hang out at "The Goldbergs" subreddit feel about the show's latest season?
Fans blame the show's writing and Adam F. Goldberg's departure for a low-quality Season 9
At least one fan posting to "The Goldbergs" subreddit believes they've pinpointed the show's problem. "I'm 100% sure it has something to do with Adam F. Goldberg leaving the show but even the last two seasons weren't as bad as this," said u/jeeblesss. The series is famously based on Adam F. Goldberg's childhood, but the producer departed "The Goldbergs" in 2019, per Deadline.
Others point to the Flanderization of Beverly Goldberg (Wendy McLendon-Covey) as an issue. "I think Beverly especially has become an unwatchable parody of the character. I love Wendy, but I stopped watching around the Thanksgiving episode," said u/jrp1420. "Beverly went from being the funniest to most unbearable character. The way she was basically ruining Adam's life just so she could be 'more involved' before her graduated made me so mad," agreed u/sidneygray1.
Still, more fans pointed to the overuse of Erica and Geoff as a reason why they've stopped watching. "I feel like it jumped the shark last year when it became the Geoff and Erica show," said u/tspangle88. Pointing to the show's lack of continuity with real life, u/Super_Description169 said, "The best episodes were the tribute episode, "The William Penn Years" and "The Rose Kissy Thing" and even in the tribute episode, they botched it. Pops was not cremated in real life." They also noted, "They haven't used the real stories since Season 7 because the new showrunners won't consult Adam."
Even though this set of fans seems displeased with the current state of "The Goldbergs," there are still enough viewers tuning in to warrant more episodes. The show was recently renewed for a 10th season, per TVLine.