Why did The Goldbergs end on ABC?

This week saw the end of an era as, after 10 seasons and 217 episodes, The Goldbergs aired its series finale on ABC. That marks a terrific run, yet fans may be wondering why a show that seemingly still had a lot left to offer is ending like this.

As it turns out, there are a myriad of reasons that brought about The Goldbergs’ end and here are a few key ones.

Why did the Goldbergs end on ABC?

Created by Adam G. Goldberg, the series is a fun look at a family in the 1980s (the year constantly shifts on the series) and is notable for replicating several of the classic movies and TV shows of the era. The show had been a huge hit for ABC and maintained lots of viewers.

However, the first blow came with Adam F. Goldberg leaving the series in 2019. His absence meant that the series struggled to maintain the same creative vision, with fans agreeing the last few seasons lacked the spark of previous years.

Not helping was the loss of Jeff Garlin, who was accused of abusive behavior on set. The actor was let go with the series awkwardly using his stand-in and some bad CGI to make it appear that his Murray character was still around before finally writing the character off with a death off-screen.

A bigger blow was the death of George Segal, who played grandfather “Pops” in 2021. The character was likewise killed off, robbing the show of two great cast members.

Falling ratings were a major concern

Between the loss of its creator and two major characters, ratings for the last few seasons of the show had faltered. Season 10 saw ratings down almost 20 percent from the previous season. At the end of the day, it comes down to ratings for networks and even a long-runner like The Goldbergs isn’t immune to that.

With networks tightening their economic belts and the effects of the current Writer’s Guild Strike ongoing, ABC felt the high costs of the cast salaries and replicating the 1980s feel weren’t worth keeping The Goldbergs going longer.

ABC having better comedy options

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a major factor was that The Goldbergs survived as ABC didn’t have much else in live-action comedies. That changed in 2022 when Abbott Elementary became an Emmy-winning hit. That meant ABC didn’t have as much use for The Goldbergs, especially given its age. There’s also how Disney is trying to lower costs on broadcasting and “pivot to more optimistic originals” that replicate the Abbot Elementary feel.

As it happens, the cast and showrunners appear to be okay with the ending as 10 seasons is a pretty great run for modern network television. Thus,The Goldbergs’ end was all a matter of time and economics yet still a fun ride for the last decade.

The Goldbergs seasons 1-10 are streaming on Hulu.