The Goldbergs moves to a new night and a better timeslot for its Season 2 premiere TONIGHT (September 24) at 8:30PM on ABC, following The Middle.
This summer at the party capping off ABC’s portion of the TCA Press Tour, we spoke to the man whose family inspired the show, the show’s creator, the real Adam F. Goldberg. Be warned, that like TV’s Adam Goldberg, we got a little geeky with some of the questions. With that said, hopefully the Goldnerds out there will enjoy this one as much as we enjoyed talking to the man. The show’s Executive Producer, Doug Robinson, also joined in the fun. Enjoy:
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: Certain elements of the show like the Sports Illustrated football phone – did you have one?
ADAM F. GOLDBERG: A lot of it is real, and a lot of it is wish fulfillment. It’s one or the other. In that case, Barry dreamed of getting the football phone. Every time that commercial would come on, he’d be like “Ahh! I want it so bad!” So of course that was wish fulfillment about the freaking out that Barry did. That was real, but it was all about him waiting for the phone.
He wanted the phone [when we were done shooting]. I never thought of sending it to him. I have to send it to him.
KSITETV: What is your brother’s reaction to the TV version of Barry Goldberg?
GOLDBERG: He goes back and forth. Here’s the thing: I think if any character is most real to the real person, it’s Barry, and people have a hard time believing that. I think it’s like holding up a mirror, and sometimes it’s hard for him. [Executive Producer Doug Robinson interjected, and said that at Upfronts, the real Barry Goldberg came to him demanding that it be shown that Barry is a good athlete.]
Another one recently was that he was complaining about the show, and how I make a fool of him sometimes, and then we are throwing around a football, and he, in the same sentence, said that if Mom would have let him, he could have become a NFL receiver, but she stifled his dreams. So that says everything. I am like “that is something I think we’ve said on the show.”
KSITETV: Have you heard from people like the real Dave Kim about the show?
GOLDBERG: He couldn’t be happier. He loves it. We did hang out. He did throw a party and everyone wrecked his house.
KSITETV: I’ve always had a Goldbergs continuity question: Murray owns a furniture shop; is that correct?
GOLDBERG: Yes. Correct.
KSITETV: So how could he not find the perfect recliner after Beverly got rid of it?
GOLDBERG: Now, the great thing about this question is that I’m standing with the man [Doug Robinson] who was so adamant that we address this issue. My Executive Producer brought it up at least a dozen times to the very end, and I said “no one will notice.” And here we are right now. So I think – what I didn’t realize at that point in the show – was that people were becoming fans. So it’s an adjustment we have to make, that you can’t just kind of sell out a character for a story.
DOUG ROBINSON: But it’s also the genius of Adam Goldberg, because what I tell everyone, when they ask me that question is, the reason this show works, is because he will let things like that go, but when it comes to what toys are going to be on the set, the toy episode, he literally went through every toy on the set, what year they were from… but the reality of it is that he’s such a fan of pop culture, and it’s so influenced who he was growing up and who he is today, that that genuine love of all of those things come through on the show, and I think people appreciate the show for that realness that he brings to it. Not only with the toys, but with his family, so things like what chair he would have gotten sort of will get by. And I’ll say “you know, we might have to address that.”
GOLDBERG: And I’ll go “ahh!” But if it were up to Doug, it would have been a full-page conversation. But he was correct, because here we are right now. You made his whole month.
KSITETV: Can you tease any stories you have dreamed up for Season 2 so far?
GOLDBERG: I’m allowed to tease one, because it doesn’t involve copyrights that we’re struggling to get approvals for. We’re doing a Royal Wedding episode. Princess Di was a big deal for my mom, who bought commemorative plates and stayed up until 4 in the morning to watch it. It’s a great episode about how she gives everything to her family and wants to feel like a princess and wants Murray to renew his vows, and he is like “what the hell is that, and no.”
KSITETV: Is she going to get a Princess Di haircut?
GOLDBERG: That’s amazing, and probably now we should do that.
The Goldbergs season premiere airs tonight at 8:30PM on ABC!
