ABC’s ‘The Goldbergs’ ends tonight after 10 years and countless Philly references
The Philly-based television show premiered in 2013 and is currently the longest-running live-action network comedy on air.
Grab your tissue boxes and prepare your goodbyes. The Philly-set sitcom The Goldbergs is airing its final episode on Wednesday night.
The ABC series premiered in 2013 and is the longest-running live-action network comedy currently on air. It will end after 10 seasons.
Created by Jenkintown native Adam F. Goldberg, the show follows a fictionalized version of a young Goldberg (played by Sean Giambrone) coming of age in the Philly region during the 1980s. Local fans were rewarded with frequent regional references like Ron Hextall, Quaker prep schools, and Willow Grove Park.
“It’s a great show [and] it always has been, especially for someone like me who grew up in Bucks and Montco County mostly [my] whole life,” said Warrington resident James Mussallem, 36, who reports on movie and TV news as Movie Deaths on social media.
The series caps off with episode 22, titled “Bev to the Future,” which sees Adam taking Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) to her high school reunion and characters Barry (Troy Gentile) and Joanne (Beth Triffon) pull out all the romantic stops to prove their relationship isn’t just for show.
While his mother and older brothers appeared in the semi-autobiographical series, Goldberg had hoped to make his first cameo for the show’s final episode.
“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 I’ve been with since I was 18,” Goldberg wrote in a tweet. “But following my life and home videos takes lots of time/communication/effort, so the new team scrapped that concept and instead wrote stories/characters that were pure fiction midway season 7.”
The Goldbergs was a programming staple on ABC during its decade-long run.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the network attempted to turn the show into a franchise (similar to the family comedy Black-ish) but Schooled — The Goldberg’s 90s spin-off, executive produced by Goldberg — lasted only two seasons.
The Goldbergs suffered dwindling ratings and lost two cast members in its final years. Actor George Segal died in 2021 due to surgery complications. That same year, writers killed off Jeff Garlin, who played Murray Goldberg, following misconduct allegations against him.
Goldberg told The Inquirer in 2018 he was shocked to see how Philadelphians embraced the series.
“I was kind of just writing for my family and friends,” Goldberg said. “But it ended up kind of like speaking to the whole city.”
Staff writer Nick Vadala contributed to this report.
The Goldbergs series finale airs at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.