ABC’s The Goldbergs is a love letter to the 1980s and is chock-full of pop culture references to the decade that brought us Prince, The Breakfast Club, and leg warmers. While it’s nearly impossible to mention every single 1980s reference on The Goldbergs, we’re going to run down some of each episode’s geekier and more obscure pop culture moments.
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Please note that this column tries to cover only the “unique” references that appear in each episode, while passing on the posters, toys and other background pieces that appear in every episode and are irrelevant to the plot.
Live Aid
Tonight’s episode centers around Live Aid, the famous concert held in Philadelphia and London to raise funds for famine relief in Africa. With over 16 hours of performances and dozens of bands, Live Aid was one of the biggest concerts of all time and was seen by over 1.9 billion people during live broadcasts to 150 million people.ย
Some ofย the more notable performances included Phil Collins performing in both London and Philadelphia (he flew on a Concorde jet to get from one venue to the other) and reunions of Led Zepplin, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and Black Sabbath. All the performers also came together at the end of the performances to perform “We Are the World”, whichย The Goldbergsย previously paid homage to last season.ย
The Church Lady
Adam gives a (deliberately awful) impression of Dana Carvey’s Church Lady fromย Saturday Night Live. The Church Lady was one of Carvey’s better known characters, a haughty and pious talk show host who would call out hosts and guests for their indiscretions. When making a particular poignant point, the Church Lady would often break out into her “Superior Dance” accompanied by organ music.ย
Although Carvey left the cast ofย Saturday Night Liveย years ago, he occasionally will reprise the role in cameo appearances. Last season, the Church Lady appeared onย Saturday Night Liveย to interview Donald Trump and Ted Cruz (or impersonators playing the two) about their heated rivalry for the Republican nomination
George Glass
Erica attempts to “George Glass” her friends, a reference to the famous “Not So Ugly Duckling” episode ofย The Brady Bunch. Jan makes up having a boyfriend after her classmates refer to her as a boy. She gives up the charade after her mom discovers that her classmates only called her that because Jan dressed like a tomboy. In classic 1970’s sitcom fashion, everyone thought Jan was pretty once she conformed to societal pressure.
A Very Brady Sequelย pays homage to the storyline by having Jan make up George Glass to make herself feel better about her recent orthodontic work. By the end of the movie, she actually meets a boy named George Glass and immediately falls for him.
Jordan Wahlberg
Erica’s fake boyfriend is named after Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg from the boy band New Kids on the Block. Donnie went on to enjoy a successful acting career (although not as successful as his younger brother Mark Wahlberg) and has appeared inย Saw,ย Blue Bloods, andย Band of Brothers.ย
That’s Kevin from The Office
Brian Baumgartner, known to many as Kevin from NBC’s version ofย The Office, makes a guest appearance as a random driver who argues with Murray over a parking space. Sadly, Brian talks normally this episode instead of using Kevin’s veryย recognizable drawl.
