As The Goldbergs was two days away from wrapping Season 8’s production, the sad news of George Segal’s passing came in. The show will pay him a heartfelt tribute in the upcoming Season 9 premiere.
The news was unexpected and much couldn’t be done at the time to include an in-show tribute to the veteran actor who played the sitcom’s grandfather, Albert “Pop” Solomon.
A title card announcing the passing was aired in Season 8 instead.
The cast and crew also expressed their sorrow on social media, including Adam F. Goldberg, the creator of the show who likened the narrative to his own life.
He goes on to say, “Just like my grandfather, George was a kid at heart with a magical spark,” and that he was lucky to be a part of Segal’s legacy,
The show has had a long-standing tradition of paying movie tributes at the beginning of each season, dancing to the tunes of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Dirty Dancing, The Goonies, Say Anything, Risky Business, The Princess Bride, Caddyshack, and Top Gun.
At the Television Critics Association press tour, Wendi McLendon-Covey (who plays Beverly Goldberg) revealed that Season 9’s premier tribute will be honoring Segal for his role in the show and his works at large, as well as a movie from the 1980s.
Every time we open a season, it’s a movie tribute. We’re doing one that takes us on the journey of where to spread Pops’ ashes. It’s hysterically funny, and you’ll cry your eyes out. Sean Giambrone and I could barely get through filming. We’ll be mentioning George a lot this season.
Wendi McLendon-Covey
The show will thus allow fans as well as the on-screen/off-screen Goldberg family to bid a proper adieu to Pops, rather than just brushing over it.
As a show that has the theme of “family” at its core (dysfunctional and otherwise), it is reassuring to see death not dealt with just in a heartfelt way, but also in one that can make you smile and remember the person fondly.
The show will be back on air on ABC, September 22.
About The Goldbergs
The Goldbergs is an American period sitcom television series that premiered on ABC. The series was created by Adam F. Goldberg, inspired by his own family and childhood in the 1980s, including a younger version of himself. The show is produced by Adam F. Goldberg, Seth Gordon, and Doug Robinson.
Much like Goldberg himself, the fictional young Adam too, spends his time filming the family through their day to day activities. At the end of the episode, the real video footage from which the episode’s events were inspired is also sometimes shown.
The main cast includes Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jeff Garlin, Sean Giambrone, Troy Gentile, Hayley Orrantia and George Segal.
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