The Goldbergs season 10 returned from Winter break this week with a delightful, musically-enhanced episode that underscored Adam's journey to moviemaking. "Blade Runner: The Musical" opened with a bang, delivering yet another fun dance sequence that doubled as a story beat when Adam (Sean Giambrone) was told he simply wasn't cut out for performance. Naturally, his mother Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) had the perfect remedy: setting her son up to direct a musical production at her school.
Of course, The Goldbergs never lets anything turn out as disastrously as it might have otherwise, but Adam still struggles to reconcile his lofty dreams with the reality that has settled before him. While all the kids have stayed closer to home than ever since the death of The Goldbergs patriarch, this week's episode highlights that Adam must spread his wings to succeed—and that Beverly is ready to support him. But where that will take him, and how close he will get to his cinematic goals, has yet to be seen.
Screen Rant spoke to Giambrone about the events of "Blade Runner: The Musical" and the state of Adam's story so far in The Goldbergs season 10. The enthusiastic actor shared some hints as to how far Adam will fly from Beverly's nest, the ways in which his relationship with Carmen has broadened his perspective, and what a blast it's been working his dancing muscles at the diner.
Sean Giambrone Talks The Goldbergs Season 10
Screen Rant: First, Adam got roasted a bit online for the Christmas-Hanukkah episode. What is Adam's secret to being forgiven so quickly?
Sean Giambrone: Yeah, really! I don't know. It seems like he's figured out some techniques of communicating afterwards. But he doesn't always think beforehand, so he gets himself into some serious, sticky situations that I don't know how he gets out of.
Now that you have been Adam for 10 years, do you feel protectiveness over the character? Are you ever debating with the creators, especially Adam F. Goldberg, like, "I know it's your life, but my Adam wouldn't do this?"
Sean Giambrone: I gotta think about that. That's a funny question. Definitely, over the years, I've always been surprised with different storylines and situations Adam's had. But I think the writers have a good sense of who this character is, and most of the time it's in line with [my ideas]. But hopefully, through his mistakes, I won't make some of those same ones in my real life. Because he's definitely been learning a lot over this decade.
Now that Adam has patched things up with Carmen, who is adorable, what can you tease about them in the future? And what is your own personal experience of working with Isabella Gomez, who is also adorable?
Sean Giambrone: It's been a real dream. It's just been wonderful to work with her. She's a really lovable person, and she's known some of the crew from a previous project. The casting crew has stuck around for a while together, so it's a really fun, family feel on set. She knows a lot of them, and she moves around effortlessly and gets everyone going too, so it's been a wonderful addition both off and on camera. She's just really talented, and she makes it really easy to work with her. Sometimes she's really helping me out, and I'm not even realizing it.
Story-wise, the diner has been a lot of fun. We've been doing a lot of performances and a lot more dancing than I was expecting I'd ever do in my life. My parents did a lot of disco and line dancing, so they may hopefully have passed it on through genetics, and I can do some of that too. We're definitely gonna be playing around in the diner more, and hopefully I keep learning how to be a better dancer.
Speaking of the diner, we got another performance there in midseason premiere. How did you approach that performative side of Adam, especially in an episode where the struggle is whether he's really meant for this?
Sean Giambrone: It's kind of a pivotal thing because, as the seasons have gone on, it's more of a fictional character than directly from Adam [F. Goldberg]'s life. The real Adam had big success writing his own plays early on and stuff in high school, and then he was making movies and stuff. Here, we're getting a chance to see what this character of Adam's next step might look like. He's taken a detour during this season, so Beverly is kind of helping him get back on track and get his creative side going again. It was an exciting episode, doing the Blade Runner musical.
When I saw that it was a Blade Runner musical, I immediately needed it in my life. What was your reaction to seeing some of those song lyrics on the page, and what was your vision for the production?
Sean Giambrone: Oh, I couldn't believe it. Over the years, we've had some legendary writers on the show, and I've become a big fan of it too. When Barry sang the Ferris Wheel song, I loved that. And same with this one. Seeing what they can come up for a Blade Runner musical, and then the choreography by Christine Lakin is always the most fun thing. I was very excited to get to watch what was going to happen that day.
This episode is very much about Adam getting his spark back in his progress towards the industry, if you will. What can we expect as the season goes on, in terms of that storyline and Adams career?
Sean Giambrone: We're gonna see more episodes of him still trying to balance the family stuff while also reminding himself what his passion is. There's some more episodes coming up that have him playing around in different ways with the moviemaking realm, and there's some episodes with his friends. It's always fun to see some of my friends in really wild-looking costumes.
That reminds me that I loved the episode where you got to visit Dave Kim in college. Are we going to get to branch out a little more with Adam and fly a little further from Beverly's nest?
Sean Giambrone: Yeah, I think the relationship with Carmen is helping bridge that gap a little bit with Beverly. Beverly is learning to let go by talking with Carmen and stuff, as we've seen in previous episodes. But we will get another fun Dave Kim episode coming up, and it is always a good time.
I must know: how many babies make up Muriel? And more importantly, how does Erica as a mother change the dynamic on set? Will we be getting more uncle adventures for Adam, or the JTP and Barry?
Sean Giambrone: Okay, there were two smaller babies for the newborns, just for the one episode. But now we have this set of twins named Sequoia and Serenity. They're great names, and they're just the most peaceful babies. They'll have a crying scene or something like that, and it's almost like they know they're acting because they'll stop immediately after.
It's great seeing the whole cast, especially Hayley [Orrantia] and Sam [Lerner], with the baby. They have this parent energy going, where they just really care and know how to make the baby feel comfortable. And everyone's voice just goes up when either baby gets on set.
There's definitely some uncle moments. I think there's a very "Uncle" episode coming up. I have scenes with the baby, but it's not quite an uncle adventure yet. That's been a huge addition, though, and it's exciting to have that new dynamic for Erica. She started off as this rebel girl, and having her as a mom now? It's such a huge arc that happened, which is really fun to see.
We have been through so many adventures with The Goldbergs, but how much further do you see the show going? Are you hoping to stick around until Adam himself has kids?
Sean Giambrone: I would be so game for that. This group is the most wonderful thing, and I love them. I feel like each year, I really am excited about what they've been writing—especially this year. Yeah, I'd be totally happy thinking we're in 1980-something, and I'm a dad now. It's only a decade, but I'll be 13 years older.
About The Goldbergs Season 10
The Goldbergs are back! Our iconic '80s family returns for a larger-than-life tenth season. The gang's all here, with some surprise guest appearances, and they're funnier and more heartfelt than ever before. Our favorite Jenkintown family continues to navigate a classic decade, filled with hi-jinks, heart, and hilarity. As life unfolds with new challenges, the Goldbergs continue to remind us that there is no bond greater than family and there is nothing they can't handle with the support of one another.
New episodes of The Goldbergs season 10 air on Wednesdays at 8:30pm ET on ABC.