We read all the scripts, now we’re watching all the pilots. SSN brings you our insight on the hot new pilots of the upcoming TV season as we watch the screeners and report back to you.
The Goldbergs
ABC Comedy Premieres Fall 2013 Executive Producers: Adam F. Goldberg, Adam Sandler, Doug Robinson, Seth Gordon, Jack Giarraputo, Billy Wee Director: Seth Gordon (TV: Breaking In, Bored To Death, The Office, Film: Horrible Bosses) Writer: Adam F. Goldberg (TV: Breaking In, Community) Cast: Jeff Garlin, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Hayley Orrantia, Darien Provost, George Segal, Troy Gentile
Logline: Set in the 1980s, this single-camera comedy tells the story of a typically dysfunctional family, documented by the youngest child in a series of home movies.
SSN Insight: Family comedies never go out of style and in the wake of Modern Family, The Goldbergs is a family sitcom through and through, with the twist of being set in the ’80s. The comedy bar is set high with a cast led by Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids) as the parents. The Goldbergs are loud, boisterous, and they drive each other crazy. In other words, they’re just like your own family and therein lies the show’s charm. Garlin and McLendon-Covey are very strong as two parents coming to terms with their kids’ increasing independence from them. George Segal adds a nice older Hollywood touch as the family’s offbeat, funny and loving grandfather. Exec producer and show creator Adam F. Goldberg used his own family as the basis for the show and home movie clips at the end of the pilot show us the real-life people he’s talking about. The combined elements make for a show that’s by turns funny, sweet and cringingly familiar. The biggest challenge: surviving the tough competition Tuesday night at 9:00pm in the fall: NCIS: LA, New Girl, The Voice, and Supernatural.