By Laurie Baron
SAN DIEGO — The title The Goldbergs evokes childhood memories of the one primetime program that revolved around a Jewish family. I fondly recall Gertrude Berg as a folksy, wise, and warm maternal presence whose accented English and Jewish mannerisms contrasted sharply with the bland American characters of competing series like Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, and My Little Margie.
Despite its Jewish surname, the new series created by Adam Goldberg exhibits no kinship with its 1950s predecessor. Instead,Tthe series which is aired at 9 p.m. Tuesdays, over KGTV (Channel 10). derives from The Wonder Years with a voice-over narration by Patton Oswalt commenting retrospectively on the childhood of Adam played by Sean Biambrone. It hearkens back to the 1980s, “the age of ET, Mr. T, and MTV” when “the world was still small, no cell phones, internet, or Twitter” and “friends still lived on your street.” Adam has a Video Cam to record his parents’ foibles for posterity.
What could be the premise of a sweet reprise of The Wonder Years format quickly degenerates into superficial hackneyed stereotypes of Jewish mothers and husbands and the children they smother and occasionally help. Beverly played by Wendi McLendon-Covey controls this family like a drill sergeant armed with guilt. Adam’s adult incarnation labels her a “homemaker, a ball-breaker, who found the time to stay fit, raise the kids, and drive us all insane.”
Jeff Garlin portrays Murray Goldberg as a passive father who defers to his wife’s meddling in the lives of her children. He resolves one argument between Beverly and son Barry by timidly uttering, “I agree with whatever nonsense your mother just said.” When Bev’s not around, he denigrates his children with obscenities that are bleeped out. A running gag translates his harsh outbursts into more compassionate language.
George Segal plays Pops, the grandfather who intervenes on his grandchildren’s behalf. He takes Adam out to a waffle house to teach him how to cop a feel. When that fails, he introduces Adam to the newly opened Hooters. Pops wants to give Barry his old car against Beverly’s wishes. The gag about Pops is that he is too old to drive and gets into accidents. In the end he must cut his driver’s license into piece before he hands over the car keys to sister Erica whose trademark is always being on the phone.
The Goldbergs tries too hard to exploit the nostalgia we feel towards our childhoods, the 1980s, or The Wonder Years. While we assume this family is Jewish, there is not one explicit reference to their background. They are merely caricatures without deep roots.
I don’t watch network television. Seeing The Goldbergs made me realize how much I appreciate HBO and its cable counterparts for allowing characters to express themselves, expletives and all, and reveal their ethnic and religious identities like Larry David does in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Don’t be fooled: All that glitters is not The Goldbergs.
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Baron is professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University. He may be contacted at lawrence.baron@sdjewishworld.com