The Goldbergs: Come for the Nostalgia, Stay for the Funny

The Goldbergs has become my latest TV addiction. I started watching it because of the 80's gimmick, and half a season later, the gimmick is still going strong, but now the family has completely grown on me. And Adam Goldberg, the series creator, and youngest member of the household has become someone I completely identify with. I can point to three episodes that made me a fan.

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The first one was the Halloween episode, "Who Are You Going to Telephone?" For pretty obvious reasons, going trick or treating as a Ghostbuster is kind of cool. But having a grandfather that understands that, brings the costumes, AND dresses up with you is flat out awesome. Even if he calls them the Ghost-Fellas, it's still awesome. But the episode is deeper than that. It's about Adam having to choose between hanging out with the cool kids and being popular, or doing what he really wanted to do all along. Now there's a lesson kids... Just be yourself, and don't egg your own house...

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The second episode that hooked me was just a few weeks ago, "You're Under Foot." This episode is probably most famous for the amount of toys Adam had in his room. Honestly that room is probably very similar to what my apartment looks like NOW. Anyway, Adam had yet another decision to make, his toys or a girl. Thanks to his "idiot" siblings, he picked the girl, and donated his toys. Luckily, thanks to an over-bearing mom, he ended up with his toys back, but missed out on the girl thanks to Jetfire & Metroplex. And having this play out to Billy Joel's My Life was just icing on the cake for me.

And the last episode was indeed last week's, "The Other Smother" This episode hit home the family dynamic. While mom may be over-bearing and over-protective, and while dad may seem like he doesn't really care, the fact is both parents really have their kids best interests in mind. It's a cliched stereotype, but that doesn't mean it still can't be funny. And Wendi McLendon-Covey from Reno 911 and Bridesmaids & Jeff Garlin from Curb Your Enthusiasm really nail the parts.

The Goldbergs is as loud as the 80's were. So give it a shot, look past the loudness, and you just might find them as charming as I do. The Goldbergs airs Tuesdays at 9pm on ABC.