The Goldbergs

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

I know it's "loosely" based on Adam F. Goldberg's childhood in the 1980s, but the latest episode, The Dynamic Duo, features a plot about the release of Tim Burton's Batman, which was released in June 1989. Surely next season should move on into the 90s?

He didn't even have a sister, either.

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

I do like the show, but I don't like the blending of 10 years into a 3/4 year period. This happens with other 80s nostalgia stuff, too. 1981 was different than 1989, etc.

Adam F. Goldberg was 3 years old in January 1980, and 13 years old in December 1989. The timeline of his childhood represented in the show is well screwed.

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

It's going to be pretty silly if at the end of season 6 in two years time, if they're still pretending all this happened in the 80s, when Erica and Barry are in college and Adam is finishing highschool. Like Adam goes to see Batman Returns...but it's still 1980something, forever.

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Adam F. Goldberg did not go to college in the 80s. I still think with the format of the show, it'd be weird to have Adam in college and still pretend that happened in the 80s. If he has home videos to show of his college life, then they're from the mid-90s.

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Adam F. Goldberg finished highschool in the early 90s. In the show, that should be at the of Season 7, if it lasts that long.

There are a number of anachronisms in this episode. Although the opening voice-over gives the date as November 22, 1980-something, Erica later clarifies that it is actually 1983; she says that Pops is 80-years-old and that he was born in 1903.

Barry joins the junior ROTC because of his obsession with the move Top Gun, but that movie wasn't released until 1986.

In an effort to apologize to Adam, Pops buys him a video game that he calls an "Atari-Nintendo" game. The Nintendo Entertainment System wasn't released in North America until 1985.

To try to make Pops look younger, Adam has him wear Zubaz pants. Zubaz pants weren't invented until 1988.

Factual error: This episode takes place around Mother's Day, which is in May, but everybody just saw the TV movie "The Day After", which aired November 20, 1983, six months after Mother's Day.

Factual error: At the very beginning of the show, they are standing in line to watch the movie ET in "1980 something." The kid starts asking if Yoda was just a puppet and if ALF was just a puppet. ET came out in 1982. ALF did not come out until 1986. Later in the show, they mention Kokomo by The Beach Boys which did not come out until 1988. ET was out of cinemas by then.

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

It's made this way, because it's the much, much easier (and lazy) way. A factual sitcom set in the 80s would actually take some effort.