What happened on the final episode of ‘The Goldbergs’
The final episode of The Goldbergs went heavy on the 80s nostalgia with an episodic tribute to Back to the Future.
That’s it, folks. The curtains have closed on ABC’s The Goldbergs. The show, set in Philly in the 1980s, went heavy on nostalgic pop culture references for its entire ten-year run, and ended the series with an episode deeply influenced by one of the biggest 80s classics, Back to the Future.
The hit sitcom was created by Jenkintown native Adam F. Goldberg, who based the show loosely on his life growing up in the region . The show was the longest-running live-action network comedy during its time on air, ending Wednesday night after 10 seasons.
The show signed off with the episode “Bev to the Future,” with the character Adam (played by Sean Giambrone and sporting a Marty McFly-esqe jacket) taking Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) to her high school reunion.
» READ MORE: ABC’s ‘The Goldbergs’ ends tonight after 10 years and countless Philly references
Beverly is hesitant to go at first, but after a few nudges, she calls her friends up to get her ready for the night’s festivities and to potentially rekindle with her ex-boyfriend from high school, George, played by Rob Corddry.
While Beverly undergoes a two-hour hair spray session, her older son Barry (Troy Gentile), decked in a Flyers shirt, and his girlfriend Joanne (Beth Triffon) seek to
prove the seriousness of of their relationship. They invite her parents Lou and Linda (Ken Lerner and Mindy Sterling) and their siblings Erica (Hayley Orrantia) and Geoff (Sam Lerner) to a dinner party.
Once they arrive, Lou and Linda are welcomed by a suit and top hat-wearing Barry and Joanne, wielding a fake British accent and newfound interest in mortgage rates. Unfortunatly, Joanne and Barry realize they forgot to prepare dinner for the actual dinner party, forcing them to order and serve chicken wings from a restaurant.
At Beverly’s high school reunion, she spots George and the two immediately hit it off. But Adam, still wrestling with the death of his father Murray, (played by Jeff Garlin before his exit in 2021) attempts to sever any connection between them.
For his final attempt, Adam grabs a guitar in hopes of capturing the classic moment Fox’s Marty McFly plays Chuck Barry’s “Johnny B. Goode” in Back to the Future. But Adam lacks any musical ability, which angers George and forces Beverly to confront her son, telling him how he ruined her special night.
To make it up to Beverly, Adam goes to Pop Pop (played by Judd Hirsch) for advice. He takes him to the garage and unveils a DeLorean, and Adam drives off to catch up with George before he goes back to Rochester, New York.
After their unsuccessful dinner party, Joanne and Barry decide to embrace their peculiar ways and take their relationship to new heights by eloping. It’s still a secret to most of the family, so they’re stuck figuring out how they will tell their loved ones the news – if ever.
Toward the end of the 22-minute episode, Adam apologizes to Beverly and welcomes George into their home .
As the episode comes to a close, the words “Dedicated to a decade of The Goldbergs” are placed on the ending crawl. And while not as ceremonious an ending as Goldberg originally planned, the ending briefly flashed back to the show’s best moments and characters, including a good-bye from the late George Segal who passed away in 2021 due to surgery complications.
Following the show’s finale, Goldberg tweeted about a new show he’s working on – The Muppets Mayhem, set to premiere on Disney+ on May 23.