While The Goldbergs series finale was mostly just another average episode for the series, the family sitcom missed an opportunity to revisit one classic comedy trope in its last outing, The Goldbergs changed a lot since the sitcom debuted in September 2013. In its early seasons, The Goldbergs was a warm-hearted family comedy that mined humor from creator Adam Goldberg’s recollections of his ‘80s childhood. There was a lot of nostalgia for the decade in early episodes of The Goldbergs and the show was never particularly grounded, but the characters were relatable despite their flaws and many of the show’s plots had roots in Goldberg’s real life.
However, from The Goldbergs season 7 onwards, the real-life Goldberg became less involved with the series. As a result, the sitcom moved further from its original premise. Even the real Beverly Goldberg didn’t like The Goldbergs season 10 and it is easy to see why. Characters like Barry, Beverly, and Adam began the series as likable sitcom heroes but eventually became over-the-top caricatures with little connection to reality. In the early seasons of The Goldbergs, Beverly’s pushy parenting style prompted a lot of laughs but, by the time Adam was 20 years old, her treatment of her adult son just seemed weird.
The Goldbergs Series Finale Could Have Revealed It Was All A Pitch By Adam
However, The Goldbergs series finale could have made up for this problem with a classic twist. Since the sitcom centered around the childhood exploits of Adam Goldberg, the show’s real-life producer, and his attempts to become a filmmaker, The Goldbergs series finale could have capitalized on this setup with a classic reveal. The Goldbergs series finale should have ended with the revelation that the whole series was all a story adult that the real Adam Goldberg was pitching, a la 30 Rock or Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. This would have accounted for the cartoony wackiness of later seasons and tied together the show’s story.
This idea seems to align with what Goldberg himself told Pop Culture References he wanted to do with the show’s finale. Per Goldberg, “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.” While this doesn’t explicitly confirm that Goldberg would have revealed the series was all his pitch for the series in-universe, this seems like the cleanest way for The Goldbergs series finale to wrap everything up. Unfortunately, Goldberg’s idea was thrown out when new showrunners took over.
The Goldbergs Series Finale Could Have Explained Inconsistencies
The Goldbergs was already infamous for growing more cartoony and over-the-top in its later seasons, so revealing that it was all just a pitch that Goldberg made up would have explained this inconsistency. Not only that but revealing that the real-life Goldberg was the one narrating the show as he pitches it to a network could have resulted in the real versions of his fictionalized friends and family showing up to question their portrayal on the series. This sort of trippy meta humor would have made for a memorable season finale, something akin to Nick Kroll’s unlikely appearance as himself in the season 5 finale of his semi-autobiographical series Big Mouth.
Not only did The Goldbergs season 10 finale leaves a lot of plot holes unfilled, but the episode also felt more like a standard late-season outing than an earlier episode of the sitcom. An ending for The Goldbergs that incorporated the real-life Adam would have felt more akin to the nostalgic early seasons, where Adam’s recollections of the decade shaped the series. In contrast, The Goldbergs series finale barely even featured Adam’s siblings, and Adam’s storyline concerned only his connection to his mother Beverly. In the end, The Goldbergs forgot who the show’s story was really about, something that a role for the real Adam would have ameliorated.
The Goldbergs Series Finale Wasn’t Meant To Be The End
Since The Goldbergs season 10, episode 22, “Bev to the Future,” wasn’t intended to be the finale, the outing was a solid but unspectacular effort that left the series feeling unfinished. Even Beverly’s Goldbergs story felt rushed in the episode, despite the outing ostensibly centering around her love life. Beverly lost her husband Murray in The Goldbergs season 10 premiere and seemed destined to end the series single, only to meet Rob Corddry’s George in the final episode. This widower was an old flame of Beverly’s, but there was no sufficient screen time to set up George as anything more than a guest star, leaving The Goldbergs feeling frustratingly unfinished.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
