The Goldbergs has been going strong for six seasons on ABC, and most of that has been because of creator / executive producer/ showrunner Adam F. Goldberg steering the '80s-set comedy ship. That's about to change though, as word has come down that Goldberg is leaving his showrunner post ahead of Season 7.
Word came down recently that while Adam F. Goldberg will leave showrunning on The Goldbergs behind, he'll be sticking around as executive producer, which should make fans very happy, seeing as how the series is based on his own childhood. According to Deadline, fans will also be happy to know that The Goldbergs seems to be in good hands with new showrunners Alex Barnow and Chris Bishop. Both have been with the show since day one, and they both have deals with Sony Pictures TV, which produces the sitcom.
Speaking of Sony Pictures TV, it's suspected that Adam F. Goldberg leaving his showrunner position is likely due to him leaving the company for an overall deal with ABC Studios, where it's believed that he will focus on development for Disney TV Studios. Alex Barnow and Chris Bishop, meanwhile, each have their own deals with Sony that will take them into 2021.
While finding out that Goldberg is leaving the day to day responsibilities of running the show he created behind him is quite a surprise, it's at least good to know that the series has probably been left in very good hands with Bishop and Barnow. As fans of the long-running family comedy know by now, any old regular showrunner can't just take over The Goldbergs. Oh, no. This show is special, dude.
As I mentioned earlier, The Goldbergs takes place, adorably, in "1980-something" and is based on the experiences that Adam F. Goldberg had growing up as a slightly awkward and nerdy kid obsessed with movies and TV, particularly anything in the fantasy /sci-fi / horror / comedy genres. The TV version of young Adam builds a lot of his life around making fan films and recreating his favorite visual entertainment, usually to hilarious effect.
Because TV Adam (and, for that matter, IRL Adam) find these things so important, The Goldbergs goes to great lengths to not only show off what life in general was like in the 1980s, but to pay homage to some of the bigger pop culture moments that took place in that crazy, Cabbage Patch doll and Back to the Future obsessed decade.
In six seasons, The Goldbergs has celebrated Star Wars Day with a perfectly '80s misunderstanding, had over-protective mom Beverly meet Freddie Krueger, given audiences a Die Hard-themed Christmas episode and crossed over with the movie The Wedding Singer (which came out in the 1990s, but was set, you guessed it, in the '80s). And none of that even covers the spot-on nature of Beverly's hair or crazy ass sweaters and jumpsuits. Basically, if you miss any part of the 1980s, The Goldbergs should be your show.
Seeing as how the new showrunners have been with The Goldbergs from the start, and Adam F. Goldberg is still executive producing, I'm hopeful that the nutty 1980s family shenanigans won't be changing anytime soon.
We can all see how Season 7 of The Goldbergs shakes out when the show returns to ABC on September 25 at 8 p.m. EST. For more on what you can watch (with far fewer '80s references) in the coming months, check out our 2019 fall premiere guide.
