The Goldbergs Behind-the-Scenes Drama Forced Studio to Kill The Show's Main Character
If there's one thing we know, no one should have to suffer from PTSD in the workplace.
ABC's The Goldbergs debuted in 2013. The show was loosely based on the childhood memories of Adam F. Goldberg, one of the producers, and was set in an alternate version of the 1980s in the Philadelphia suburb of Jenkintown.
Perhaps the fact that the story was so close to reality made it popular at first. However, nine seasons later, it got the second wave of popularity, but for all the wrong reasons.
Jeff Garlin, who portrayed Murray Moshe Goldberg, abruptly left the show in the middle of season 9. For the rest of the season, his presence was mimicked by CGI and doubles, but later in season 9, viewers learned that his character died.
The reasons for his death are unclear, but the reasons for Garlin's departure were made somewhat public.
The actor was accused of having a "pattern of verbal and physical behavior that made people uncomfortable," making him extremely difficult to work with on set.
The decision to remove Garlin and his character from the show was made after the HR investigation and hit the production team hard.
The last thing you want when working on a sitcom is to put the audience through grief twice in a row: the first time was in the season 9 premiere when George Segal Jr. died in 2021.
However, the team managed to handle the situation perfectly, and season 10 of The Goldbergs began on a rather positive note, only acknowledging the fact of Murray's death.
More importantly, the cast could finally feel positive about filming the show again, as they felt like they were finally being heard.
Wendi McLendon-Covey, who stars as mom Beverly, feels like the decision was "a long time coming". The actress shared her thoughts on the SiriusXM interview with Andy Cohen but pointed out that does not want to speak on this topic anymore.
"I'm exhausted by that topic and the PTSD of it all… I just feel like the less people know about that, the better. No one benefits from knowing anything."
Ten years after the premiere, The Goldbergs will air the show finale on Wednesday, May 3 on ABC.