I did not like the first season too much but this show has really grown on me. It has consistently good writing, great characters and always a heart felt message at the end.

I haven't written an IMDB review in years but this show forced me out of retirement. It's so bad it makes me angry and I have to do something to shower off its dirt. What we have here is the worst cast and writing of any show I can remember. (And I've seen Small Wonder.) Here's the plot of every episode: The Mother (sometimes the father) does something horrendous to one or more of the kids. Fifteen minutes of horrible acting and writing go by, and then the kids realize that the parent is a wonderful person and deserves forgiveness. THAT'S IT! 120 episodes of the same plot! Now I'll get to the horrible acting in ascending order, from least despicable to most nauseating. 1) The daughter. She's a normal person. She looks at the other family members with horror and disgust. I like that. Gives me someone to relate to. 2) George Segal. You know something's wrong with a show when George Segal's one of the most likable people on it. 3) Now here's where we start to gag. The youngest kid. Wide eyed. Mouth always open and smiling. Often called "Schmoopie". Starts every show doing something stupid and ends each one learning a lesson, all the while narrating the episode in his whiny little voice. (Sound familiar? I'll get to that later). 4) The father. Mr. Underpants. (Did anyone's father really take off his pants and sit in the living room as soon as he got home? If so, I'm very sorry.) He hates everyone. Especially his kids. He spends the majority of each episode delivering his lines with a mouth full of drool. I keep wanting to put a cup under his chin to catch the overspill. Ends each episode learning that he doesn't really hate his family. Until the next episode. 5) Okay. Here's where the jaw droppingly bad acting really is. The older son. Every screamed line is spoken with his eyes wide, his eyebrows raised, and his mouth wide open. He inexplicably thinks he's a rapper, even though the show takes place before rap became popular. What could have made this show even more foul? Yep. Rap and Hip Hop music. This "actor" has the most punchable face ever to disgrace the small screen. He would have been the worst thing ever to hit television if it weren't for... 6) THE MOTHER. Holy crap. I guess she's supposed to be a stereotype of a Jewish mother. But one from Hell (even though they don't believe in Hell. But if they did she would rise from it during every episode.) She defends her stupid kids to the death, taking on any rational person who has the nerve to point out that her offspring, who she "baked in her tummy" (Vomit. Puke. Gag. Dry Heave) aren't God's gifts to the world. You've all heard of an oedipal complex, right? Well, the opposite is called a Jocasta complex, where the mother wants to have sex with her son. That's what we have here. She loves her Schmoopie, and his underpants, and his little face, and she actually tries to keep his girlfriend away from him so she can have him all to herself. Whatever happened to Television Standards and Practices? If this wasn't a "comedy" she'd be in jail. Or on Dr. Phil being booed by the audience. And, of course, every episode starts off with her doing something horrendous to one or more members of her family and ends with everybody forgiving her because she's such a good mother. This show should only be watched in a vomitorium. So here's the kicker. It's a ripoff of the excellent Wonder Years, without the humor, acting, heart, talent, and soul, and replacing the great 60's soundtrack of that show with hip hop and rap. Mother? Check. Father? Check. Daughter? Check. Older brother? Check. Younger brother narrating the show from sometime in the future? Check. Somebody walked into ABC and said, "You know what would be a good idea? A Jewish rip-off of The Wonder Years!!!" And the executive said, "Great!!!". That executive should be shot. Well, I was hoping this review would purge me of some of my anger but it didn't. I have to go regurgitate. Excuse me.

I had read good reviews. 8.2 average on IMDb as I write this...I was very disappointed when I started watching and realized that it is a collection of the laziest family sitcom tropes, without much heart and no laughter. The idea of humor is actors shouting every time they speak.It's supposedly inspired in the childhood of the creator, so that makes it difficult for me to understand why it is so generic and lacking personality.A disappointment. I like family sitcoms, but this is very low quality. I mean, when you make a nostalgic family/childhood sitcom with the child character narrating as an adult, you are competing with The Wonder Years, and The Goldbergs can not hold a candle to that show. Don't lose time with this, just go watch The Wonder Years instead.

Despite the fact that I'm not a child of the 80's, having been born in the 90's, I have to say I freaking love this show. The main reason it has quickly become my favorite thing to watch is because of its characters. All of the main Goldberg family are likable and relatable in their own ways and this really helps the show, also in a rarity for these shows, the supporting cast are equally as interesting, I'm a massive Dave Kim fan. I also find that the stories in each episode are great because they are also relatable and have a meaning behind them, it truly captures the heart of growing up in a way that not many shows do and this is a major bonus. I find that its very rare nowadays to find a sitcom that has as much heart as this one, largely due to the fact that they decide to focus on characters like the young bachelor dating a supermodel, but what helps it is the fact that everybody can relate to having a family that annoys them. For me this is one of the best shows on the air and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about watching regardless of age. A fun filled show about a realistic everyday family that has clearly been made with a lot of love.