Following recent inappropriate conduct allegations, Murray Goldberg, played by Jeff Garlin, has been killed off just ahead of the tenth season of the show.
The Goldbergs first hit our screen nearly a decade ago back in 2013, with Garlin, 60, rising as a fan favourite.
The claims of inappropriate 'verbal and physical conduct' on set were followed by his sudden departure from the series back in December 2021 after arriving at a mutual agreement with Sony Pictures Television.
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Responding to the allegations at the time, Garlin told Vanity Fair: "There was no... Nothing physical by any stretch of the imagination. And the verbal part was a joke that was completely missed—because I like this guy. I like his wife. I’ve worked with them for years."
While admitting that HR had investigated him for three years in a row because of his behaviour on-set, Garlin added: "My silliness making an unsafe workspace—I don’t understand how that is. And I’m on a comedy show."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Goldbergs' showrunners revealed how they would begin the upcoming tenth season without the father of the family.
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Co-showrunner Alex Barnow said: "Well, [Garlin is] not going to be on the season, obviously. [Murray] will have passed, and we are sort of starting from a place of multiple months removed from his death."
He continued: "The family has already grieved, unlike Pops [George Segal] and the premiere of season nine where they're dealing with it sort of very freshly. 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.
"So, we're starting with optimism about a baby coming and looking forward to the future. It's an opportunity for this interesting emotional basis for the way people are behaving.
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"But Jeff won't be in the series this year, and so far the stories have been largely about looking forward rather than looking back.
"I've had a conversation with Jeff and he's aware that he's not being replaced. 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."
Garlin's character was at the forefront of many episodes of the show, and his departure has led to mixed reactions from fellow fans.
Many were shocked upon hearing the news with one Facebook user commenting: "I will never watch this show again."
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"Should be off the air," a second chimed in.
Others took the news as an opportunity to voice their views on the supposed decreased popularity of the show with one person writing: "This show needs to come to an end."
They continued: "It won't be the same and ratings will plummet even more. Plus, the show has been strung out a little too long as it is."
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Season ten of The Goldbergs is set to air in the US on ABC on 21 September.
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Topics: Film and TV, Sony, Celebrity
Rhiannon Ingle