THE GOLDBERGS Are "Kick-Ass"

Article first published as TV Review: 'The Golbergs' - 'A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party' on Blogcritics.


ABC’s The Goldbergs returned last night. In the third season premiere, “A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party,” Adam (Sean Giambrone) tries to sustain a long-distance relationship, causing friction with a rising phone bill, and Lainey (AJ Michalka) learns what it’s like to have Beverly Goldberg (Wendi McLendon-Covey) as a mother. Basically, it’s your average episode of the reliably funny, family-friendly sitcom.

I admit it; I wasn’t entirely impressed when The Goldbergs came onto the scene two years ago. It’s not that it wasn’t good, there were just so many other similar sitcoms like it at the time. Today, some have dropped off, many of them remain, but The Goldbergs is probably the best of the bunch. Every time I sit down to watch, it’s like reconnecting with a close family friend, and the show never fails to both make me feel nostalgic and elicit a few chuckles.

“A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party” highlights once again that the best characters on the show are Beverly and Murray (Jeff Garlin) Goldberg. The rest of the cast is enjoyable, too, but these two veteran comedians just know how to deliver a line and sell a joke, as well as get touching at the right moments. Whether it’s Beverly whipping out her dance moves to break up an out-of-control teen party, or Murray realizing his son is an actual person and connecting with him on an emotional level, every moment these two are on screen is magic. They both bring a number of layers to the roles, their outsize personalities overlaid upon authentic, complex make ups. They can yell or smother, but at the end of the day, you can tell that these characters really love their children.

And sometimes, it can be hard to go on loving your kids. In “A Kick-Ass Risky Business Party,” Barry (Troy Gentile), Erica (Hayley Orrantia), and Lainey are doing what countless teens have done: stage a celebration without parental supervision. While the 80s movie references and sneaking around are amusing, what makes this story hit home is that it’s really about the teens thinking they don’t need their parents, and then discovering that they do. It’s a pivotal maturation point, setting the stage for why Barry and Erica will want to have a relationship with Beverly long after they move out of the house, appreciating what she has done for them and her unconditional love.

Perhaps it’s not a new idea for a sitcom to have an outsider be parented by the core family unit, prompting the existing kids to open their eyes. But just because it’s been done before doesn’t make it any less effective, and it gives Lainey, a fun recurring character, a growth arc, too.

The third child, Adam, isn’t thinking about the price of talking long distance; he just wants to be with his girlfriend, Dana (Natalie Alyn Lind). Now, yes, this is selfish and shows an utter lack of thinking about others. But Adam is young, and he can be forgiven for this, as most people his age are the same. I absolutely love the scene where Pops (George Segal) helps Murray to understand his son, and then Murray lovingly allows Adam the phone time, beyond the ten-minute limit he ‘firmly’ set. It’s a good reminder for parents watching The Goldbergs with their kids about what it’s like to be Adam’s age, and that sometimes, you’ve got to realize what makes your kid happy and provide them the opportunity to be so.

The Golbergs may not be the very best show on television (at least in my opinon), but the show knows exactly what it is, and makes me laugh on a weekly basis, which is more than I can say for a lot of series. I keep coming back because I just have to see what happens with these characters next, and I really think Garlin and McLendon-Covey deserve to be in Emmy contention just as much as the Modern Family ensemble does. There is also a level of reality infused in the show, and one can tell it’s a personal story, which makes it all the better. If you’re not watching The Goldbergs, I definitely recommend checking it out Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Flashback With THE GOLDBERGS

Article first published as THE GOLDBERGS Review on Seat42F.

ABC’s THE GOLDBERGS is a family sitcom of the traditional variety that happens to be set in the 1980s. The Goldbergs are an average American middle-class family who love each other, but yell a lot. There’s a mother, father, grandpa, and three children, a recipe for a very typical show.

The draw, if you will, is that THE GOLDBERGS is based on the real-life family of producer Adam F. Goldberg (Breaking In, Community). The end of the pilot, “The Circle of Driving,” highlights that by showing the parallels of Goldberg’s real family and the characters in split screen. In this, the show feels very authentic and is definitely based on something true.

The problem is, there are already a gluttony of realistic family sitcoms on the air and in the annals of television history. Other writers and creators have families, too, and have gotten to the dance well before Goldberg. Should we keep the party going just as it’s breaking up? What sets THE GOLDBERGS apart from Modern Family, The Middle, or even The Cosbys? Nothing, sadly.

Now, that doesn’t mean THE GOLDBERGS is an unpleasant show. Wendi McLendon Covey (Bridesmaids, Reno 911!) is terrific as an overbearing mom and Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) makes a great out-of-touch, always-raising-his-voice dad. The child actors, Troy Gentile, Sean Giambrone, and Hayley Orrantia, are mostly unknown, but fit in well, and George Segal (Just Shoot Me!) is a wonderful grandfather. It’s a solid cast who can handle the parts and the comedy well.

There are some notable moments in “The Circle of Driving.” I like when the mother thinks that throwing away a locket given to her elder son will hurt his feelings. Pops coaches the youngest child in picking up women, and they find just the right restaurant in which to do so by the end of the half hour. We see a moment where the parents, away from their kids, demonstrate their love for one another. These are good scenes.

The issues this family faces, such as empty nest syndrome, an elderly man being forced to give up some of his freedoms, sibling rivalry, a father who doesn’t know how to show affection, an adolescent becoming obsessed with boobs, a sixteen-year-old wanting his own car, and others, are relatable. These are things we’ve all experienced, and thus will be able to smile at, knowing exactly how the characters feel.

But there is little fresh in “The Circle of Driving.” As stated before, there are many family sitcoms already out there, and all of this ground has been covered extensively. We might giggle at a stray joke, but we’re not going to celebrate the writers for being clever or award Emmys to the actors for playing a set-in-stone type. It’s a family-friendly program the clan can watch together at night, but it won’t be anyone’s favorite, must-see show.

The best chance THE GOLDBERGS have to set itself apart is that it’s a period piece. Yes, The Wonder Years already did the nostalgic, voice-over enhanced, coming-of-age story. Yet, there is a different tone here, and one could not ask for a better narrator than Patton Oswalt (Justified, United States of Tara). Making frequent references to things like REO Speedwagon, ALF, Star Wars, and Ghostbusters is appreciated, and will give the adults something to enjoy in the tame fare.

Whether THE GOLDBERGS will last or not is anyone’s guess. I can’t say that it strictly deserves to, but neither does it offend or bore. We don’t need another program of this type, but if networks are going to keep making them, at least it’s as good as this one, and not something that proves no one is trying anymore. Maybe it’s an effort to return to classic television during the heyday of the sitcom, and if so, it is a suitable project, even if it seems a doomed goal.

THE GOLDBERGS’ first episode is available now on Hulu and premieres Tuesday, September 24^th at 9 p.m. ET.