Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Goldbergs season 10, episode 11.
While The Goldbergs season 10 has a lot of issues, with the biggest problem being the family sitcom’s setting, as proven by one recent outing. The Goldbergs was originally intended to be a nostalgic family sitcom that followed its teenage protagonist Adam Goldberg as he navigated high school and the trials and tribulations of life with his wacky family. However, by the time The Goldbergs season 10 arrived, the titular family was all long out of school and this premise was starting to wear thin.
While Jeff Garlin’s exit from The Goldbergs resulted in a hasty offscreen death for his character, this wasn’t the biggest issue for the show. The Goldbergs season 10 big problem came as they tried to justify stories that involved the Goldberg siblings all interacting together when Erica was married with a baby, Barry was studying in medical school, and Adam was taking a gap year between high school and college. While it was believable that all three siblings would still live with their parents (although this plot point would make more sense in a series set in the 2020s than the 80s), The Goldbergs season 10, episode 11, “Blade Runner: The Musical,” proved that the show can’t just paper over this issue.
Why The Goldbergs Needed High School
In “Blade Runner: The Musical,” Adam went back to high school to guest direct a school play after Beverly pulled some strings to get him the job. This proved once again that The Goldbergs season 10 is struggling to work out what to do with Adam’s character now that he is out of high school. The Goldbergs season 10’s Christmas/Hannukah episode managed to dodge this issue since the holiday season was an occasion when every family member and old friend could reasonably be expected to be back in Adam’s hometown. However, on a week-to-week basis, the problem continually proves to be a major issue for the sitcom.
The 80s nostalgia of The Goldbergs made sense when Adam, Barry, and Erica were all still in high school. This gave the show a chance to explore the experience of growing up during the decade from the perspective of three teens, one a young boy, one a slightly older teen, and one an almost-adult woman. However, after 10 seasons, the real-life Goldbergs should have moved on to the 90s by now, and Erica’s life as a young mother, Barry’s life as a medical student, and Adam’s directionless early 20s aren’t illustrating anything new living in the 80s, something that the high school setting used to facilitate.
How The Goldbergs Season 10 Can Fix This Issue
For The Goldbergs season 10 to fix the show’s biggest problem, the series must first accept that this is an issue. The creators of the series need to stop trying to keep all 3 Goldberg children under the 1 roof and should instead focus on Adam’s work troubles/college plans, much like The Goldbergs used to focus on his school days. The Goldbergs already included the death of Murray, proving that the series can change its status quo when necessary. As such, The Goldbergs must repeat this feat by moving into the 90s and letting its titular heroes escape their perpetual adolescence at home.