One wouldn’t expect an ‘80s peppy comedy like ABC’s The Goldbergs to go down the gristly avenue of killing off a main cast member, but that’s exactly what the co-showrunners have planned for Jeff Garlin’s patriarch Murray Goldberg ahead of season ten.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, co-showrunners Alex Barnow and Chris Bishop reveal the show’s plans following Garlin’s departure due to complaints about his on-set behavior and a subsequent HR investigation. First things first, they have to kill off Mr. Goldberg, hopefully mob-style.
“This is going to be a family that has not reconciled the fact that their father’s gone but has sort of moved on and has dealt with a lot of that,” Barnow says.
Secondly, they have to jump ahead several months in time to alleviate the family’s grieving. Step three of the plan consists of welcoming a new baby to The Goldberg family as newlyweds Erica (Hayley Orrantia) and Geoff (Sam Lerner) have their firstborn.
“It honestly feels like a huge reboot for us. So we have tons of momentum rolling into this new season,” Bishop says.
“We’re going to have a baby on the show, which will bring both the sense of joy to the show and shift dynamics and shift relationships,” Barnow adds. “And putting Beverly [Wendi McLendon-Covey] in a position as a grandma is something that’s obviously a fun and natural fit. So it’s been a joy to break new stories of new dynamics amongst our characters.”
Now, is Garlin aware of Murray’s fate? Not quite.
“I’ve had a conversation with Jeff and he’s aware that he’s not being replaced,” Barnow says. “The truth is, I don’t know if he knows what his fate is, but I’m assuming he knows, would be the answer to that question. We haven’t had a subsequent conversation since the beginning of writing that he would have any specific clarity on that.”
Jeff Garlin’s gonna be fine by the way—he’s still got Larry David on his side. It’s been confirmed the actor will be returning for season 12 of Curb Your Enthusiasm as a series regular, and has a role amongst the uber-cast of Damien Chazelle’s Babylon.