How Jeff Garlin Was Written out of 'The Goldbergs' in Season 10 Premiere

The Goldbergs Season 10 premiered on Wednesday night, and the big episode revealed how Jeff Garlin's Murray Goldberg was written out of the show. In the show's opening, Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone) delivered a solemn voiceover, saying, "That year, there was one change that made everything stop." The camera then panned over to Murray's chair, sitting empty, and the rest of the family continued to live their busy lives around it in a sped-up sequence.

"Just a few months ago, out of nowhere, we lost my dad," Adam said. The room went dark and a spotlight shined down on Murray's chair. "We will always love you, Dad. Always. And we will find a way to continue on together. Because, after all, we're the Goldbergs." The episode found the family grappling with the loss, and letting go of many of Murray's things, but the chair was kept as a reminder and a rocker for the nursery where Erica Goldberg's baby will live. "It turns out the people we say goodbye to never really leave us," Adam said in a concluding voiceover. "But that doesn't mean we don't miss them."

Previously, The Goldbergs showrunner Alex Barnow revealed plans to write out Murray by way of killing off the character, telling EW, "This is going to be a family that has not reconciled the fact that their father's gone but has sort of moved on and has dealt with a lot of that, We're starting with optimism about [Erica's] baby coming and looking forward to the future. It's an opportunity for this interesting emotional basis for the way people are behaving."

Garlin played Murray for the first nine seasons of The Goldbergs but left halfway through Season 9. Garlin had quite the unceremonious exit from the series in 2021, which led to the creative team having to write and film around his absence. The longtime comedian had been accused of inappropriate on-set behavior, leading to an HR investigation. 

In December, it was announced that producers and Garlin reached an agreement for him to exit the series. While Garlin is officially gone from The Goldbergs, fans can rest assured that not all the show's familiar faces are leaving. According to The Hollywood Reporter, star and executive producer Wendi McLendon-Covey recently signed a new deal with Sony Pictures Television which will see her return to the show with the rest of its producers. Per sources, the agreement includes an option for the show to be renewed for its 11th season.

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