5 Shows to Watch If You Like ‘The Goldbergs’
Fans of the kooky Goldberg family know good family comedy when they find it. As the ABC sitcom, The Goldbergs, heads into season 7, you might want to dive into something similar (now). Below are a few comparable shows that are just as good.
‘Schooled’
I won’t go into detail about older shows either in syndication or off the air, but there are many. If you feel like doing a deep dive into nostalgia, check out: The Middle, Freaks and Geeks, Life in Pieces, Speechless, and Arrested Development to name a few.
If you can’t catch The Goldbergs, Schooled is the next best thing. The spin-off, also created by Adam F. Goldberg, follows Goldberg alum, Lainey Lewis (AJ Michalka) in the ’90s. She’s no longer a student at William Penn Academy, but a teacher and her days of dating Barry Goldberg are (mostly) behind her.
If you aren’t immediately invested in Schooled, give it a chance. Goldberg still utilizes the real-life people he’s fictionalized throughout the series. You might even catch cameos from The Goldbergs pop up now and then.
‘Black-ish’
Black-ish is a family-friendly take on cultural identity (and it’s brilliant). Patriarch, Dre (Anthony Anderson), and wife Rainbow (Tracy Ellis-Ross) have opposing views on how to raise their four children who enjoy the privileges Dre and Rainbow’s hard work has afforded them.
No matter what differences the Johnson’s endure, they find a way to make it through. The full house also includes Dre’s divorced parents (played by Laurence Fishburne and Jenifer Lewis) to round things out.
‘American Housewife’
In American Housewife, strong-willed Katie narrates her life as wife and mother to three kids after they’ve moved to the elitest town of Westport, Connecticut. They don’t exactly fit in, but that’s what makes this show so great.
Where other shows may have the lead conform, Katie’s continued rebellion against “becoming one of them,” is refreshing. At the same time, she often finds reluctant compassion for those housewives she judged a little too quickly. Oh, the irony.
‘Fresh Off the Boat’
In Fresh Off the Boat, viewers live the American dream from an immigrant’s perspective. The show is based on Chef Eddie Huang’s memoir. Much like shows such as Black-ish (and Mixed-ish), Fresh Off the Boat offers a diverse point-of-view from those who live the experiences.
If you like stories about transplants in new places, defying stereotypical archetypes, and families learning to merge old roots with new ways of being, this is the show for you.
‘Modern Family’
Modern Family is preparing for its final season, but it’s never too late to start from the beginning. At its epicenter, this show draws on a variety of characters with different lifestyles.
Through all of life’s triumphs and tribulations, Modern Family is a “modern” take on what family means. If you’re a major Goldbergs fan, you fall head over heels for the Dunphys.
