Kevin Smith-Directed 'The Goldbergs' Episode to Pay Tribute to 'Perfect Strangers'

Kevin Smith's next episode of The Goldbergs will be a tribute to the '80s sitcom Perfect strangers, something that Smith was excited to take on.

The episode, entitled "Our Perfect Strangers," will air on Wednesday, February 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

"One of the greatest joys of writing The Goldbergs for the last six years is getting to work with my heroes," said Adam F. Goldberg, executive producer and creator of The Goldbergs. "Like many writers my age, Kevin Smith's indie comedies have had an immense impact on my career. I was such a huge fanboy that I even cast him as an actor in my first produced screenplay Fanboys."

Like Supergirl and The Flash, the cast and crew of The Goldbergs have regularly been public cheerleaders for Smith, who previously directed the episodes "Graduation Day" and "The Dynamic Duo."

The Goldbergs has taken pop culture's recent '80s nostalgia into the realm of the meta, building episodes around guest stars by '80s icons and sending up movies and TV shows with the stars on-hand. Smith, long known as one of the biggest true pop culture geeks in Hollywood, is an obvious choice to join such an operation.

He has not directed an episode since 2017 -- not because Goldberg did not want him last year, but because the timing was...well, less than ideal.

"As an episodic director Kevin is a dream," said Goldberg. "He knows we're a well-oiled machine and arrives ready to have fun and be collaborative. His directing style has been so successful that I assigned him to direct the finale last year. It was scheduled the day after he filmed his comedy special — which is the infamous night he suffered a heart attack. Needless to say, we had to replace Kevin last year."

"It was amazing to have Kevin back for our Perfect Strangers homage," added Goldberg. "As always, he did such a fantastic job and is a joy to have on set."

The Goldbergs' executive producer Adam F. Goldberg often creates "totally surreal" highlights featuring life-long friends, heroes, idols, and other well-known celebrities from his personal life of growing up in a suburban Philadelphia neighborhood in the 1980s into his show.

Adam F. Goldberg and Doug Robinson are executive producers. The episode is produced by Adam F. Goldberg Productions, Doug Robinson Productions, and Happy Madison in association with Sony Pictures Television.

Smith just celebrated the one-year anniversary of his heart attack by beginning production on Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, the first new live-action movie set in his "View Askewniverse" since 2006's Clerks II.

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