After a successful run of over 200 episodes, ABC’s longest-running live-action network comedy series, ‘The Goldbergs,’ bid farewell to its viewers with the conclusion of Season 10, which aired on May 3. In the final episode, ‘Bev to the Future,’ Adam (Sean Giambrone) goes with Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) to her high school reunion, where she reunites with her old flame, George (Rob Corddry).
Adam initially tries to prevent Beverly from moving on from his dad, but as the episode unfolds, he comes to accept George. The series finale leaves some storylines open-ended, leaving viewers with room for imagination. While discussing the ending of the show in an interview with the Nerds of Color earlier this year, Giambrone said when asked if he was satisfied with the finale:
“Well, I guess, for me, I like the ending. It’s kind of exciting because I remember talking about it with my family, and I was like, ‘I feel like we could go for another year because it doesn’t feel like an ending.’ Then I was explaining some of the stuff that was happening, like, ‘Oh crud, there are some kind of full circle things going on in this episode.'”
The actor continued, explaining his one wish about the ending:
“But you can kind of see potentially where each character might be going in the near future, and so I like it. I’m very excited to see it, but the one thing is I wish it could be slightly more like the ‘Seinfeldone,’ if we could have had everybody from the — I think Hayley and I, we talked about this, like have as many people throughout the whole show just all compiled into that episode would have been really cool.”
The half-hour comedy, created by Adam F. Goldberg, is based on his own childhood and family experiences during the 1980s, with a younger version of himself portrayed as the character Adam. Troubles began when Adam F. Goldberg, the series creator, departed in 2019 as he moved to Disney for a new project.
The loss of Jeff Garlin, who played a pivotal character, was another challenge. Garlin faced accusations of abusive behavior on set and was let go from the show. Another major blow was the passing of George Segal, who portrayed the beloved grandfather, ‘Pops,’ in 2021.
Falling ratings further fueled concerns. The show’s viewership declined by almost 20 percent in Season 10 compared to the previous season. Moreover, ABC found better comedy options, including the Emmy-winning hit show ‘Abbott Elementary,’ which filled the gap left by The Goldbergs.