‘The Goldbergs’: Will ABC Series Recast George Segal’s Pops in Season 9?

In March, actor George Segal died at the age of 87. Having earned an Oscar nomination for the 1966 film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, the actor became beloved in more recent years as Albert “Pops” Solomon on ABC’s The Goldbergs. As the series prepares to say its final goodbye to Segal Wednesday night, will the network look to recast his characters in Season 9?

While ABC has yet to make any indication of what it plans to do in regards to the future of The Goldbergs, series star Wendi McLendon-Covey put to bed any speculation that Pops may live on via another actor. Portraying Segal’s onscreen daughter Beverly Goldberg, McLendon-Covery confirmed on Twitter Tuesday the sitcom “would NEVER replace George in the role of Pops.” Instead, should The Goldbergs be picked up for Season 9, something that has not yet happened, the actress said it would “address it then,” likely in the way of a more proper send-off for Segal’s character.

Segal has been a staple of The Goldbergs since its inception, having played Pops since 2013 and having continued filming just prior to his death, which, according to his wife, was the result of complications from bypass surgery. The fun-loving character was the owner at a furniture shop, which he passed down to his son-in-law, Murray Goldberg. In his retirement, he had been living in the Goldberg household with Beverly, Maury, and his grandchildren – Barry, Erica, and Adam. In more recent seasons, however, he had been living in his own apartment at the Shady Willows retirement community. Along with his character having a strong bond to his family, Segal had a close bond with those he worked with, and following his passing, the cast and crew released an emotional statement paying tribute to him.

“On behalf of everyone at The Goldbergs we are devastated at the loss of our dear friend, George,” the statement read. “He was kind, sweet, beyond talented and funny. George was the true epitome of class and he touched all of our lives so deeply. It was an honor and a privilege to have him as a colleague and friend all of these years. It is no surprise to any of us that knew him so well that he is a true national treasure. He will be missed by all. POPS, we will miss your banjo playing and your infectious laugh. Rest in peace.”

Segal will appear in his final episode of the ABC sitcom Wednesday night. The episode, titled “Couple Off,” kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Stay tuned to PopCulture for the latest updates.