The Goldbergs should "call it a day" after CGI Jeff Garlin fiasco

Slate

Journalist and critic Noel Murray went viral last week for tweeting about the March 2 The Goldbergs "The Wedding" episode featuring a. creepy-looking CGI Garlin's head on a stand-in's body. The CGI effect was an attempt to keep Garlin on the show after he mutually parted ways last December following a string of HR complaints alleging inappropriate on-set behavior. But the effect, which included Garlin's voice being clumsily dubbed in, hurts the show more than helps. "Why make this choice? Why not just drop Murray for good?" asks Murray. "As hard as the show’s producers and editors have worked to cut around Garlin’s absences this season, trying to wedge him in has been far more distracting than it would’ve been to eliminate his character altogether." For Murray -- who wrote a New York Times article in 2020 titled "Why I Still Love The Goldbergs" -- the CGI Garlin hubbub is proof that the ABC comedy has become long in the tooth. The thing is, ABC doesn't appear ready to end The Goldbergs because it still delivers more than 3 million viewers in its ninth season. "And each new episode adds to the overall value of a series that has already been sold into syndication—and which will live on in streaming, where 'comfort TV' like The Goldbergs has been thriving," says Murray. As Murray points out, he tweeted about CGI Garlin nearly two weeks after the episode aired, so viewers haven't really been paying close attention to the show. "Beyond the Garlin issue, the show is just looking a little haggard," says Murray. "When The Goldbergs debuted, (Sean) Giambrone was playing a junior high schooler. In this season, the 22-year-old actor is still only playing a high school senior. The character’s siblings Erica and Barry (played by (Hayley) Orrantia and Troy Gentile, both 28) are stuck in college. The original gimmick of rooting stories in various 1980s fads and trends is still part of the show, but the plots have become more disconnected from (creator Adam F.) Goldberg’s personal experiences, and more generic." ALSO: The Goldbergs has been hanging by a thread this season even excluding the cast changes.