The Goldbergs said goodbye to one of its most pivotal characters on Wednesday’s season premiere.
Jeff Garlin departed the show last season, but the series opted to keep Murray alive with some crafty editing … until now.
It was recently reported that Garlin’s character would be killed off, and while the season premiere confirmed as much, we didn’t get much in the way of specifics.
“Just a few months ago, out of nowhere, we lost my dad,” Adam said at the top of the episode.
“We will always love you, Dad. Always. And we’ll find a way to continue on together. Because, after all, we’re the Goldbergs.”
Saying goodbye to such a big character is no easy task, but the series did the best it could with such little time.
“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,” showrunner Alex Barnow revealed to EW last month.
“We’re starting with optimism about [Erica’s] baby coming and looking forward to the future.”
“It’s an opportunity for this interesting emotional basis for the way people are behaving.”
At the time, Alex didn’t know whether Garlin knew how it would play out.
“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,” Barnow shared.
“We haven’t had a subsequent conversation since the beginning of writing that he would have any specific clarity on that.”
Garlin departed the ABC comedy due to complaints about his on-set behavior, he revealed.
“It’s always the same thing,” the actor said to Vanity Fair.
“It’s about me and my silliness on set. They don’t think it’s appropriate.”
“I do. That’s where we’re at. I’ve not been fired because of it. We just think differently.”
What are your thoughts on how the big exit was handled?
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.