Time inconsistencies

[misterblowhole]

First of, let me say that I absolutely love the Goldbergs, and the reason I'm nitpicking like this is because I love it so much.
But I've notice a lot of inconsistencies in timing. Here's a couple examples (incidentally, both have to do with Public Enemy)
- in the episode "The Darryl Dawkins Dance", Adam talks about how the Transformers movie just came out, which actually happened in 1986. Meanwhile, a Public Enemy poster can be seen on Barry's wall. Public Enemy didn't release their first album until 1987.
- in the episode "I Drank the Mold!", Murray and Barry discuss a Public Enemy album that contains the song "Fight the Power". The first Public Enemy album to contain "Fight the Power" was "Fear of a Black Planet" which was released in April 1990. The Goldbergs are supposed to set exclusively in the 80s.

Again, just nit-picking. Do you think the show makers are aware of these inconsistencies, and just ignore them for the sake of plot? They seem to go to painstaking detail to recreate the 80s, right down to even the smallest items in the background. So with that in mind, I find it odd that they would overlook larger things.

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by comedyfreak

You're reading too much into it

All the episodes are hilarious.

https://youtu.be/VgB5_2Hcg0s

[DJM77]

Stuff like that drives me nuts!

[robyrob]

i think the whole point of the series is that it is not told as if it were actually set in the mid-eighties, but it is told from the jumbled, disjointed memory of someone that grew up in the mid-eighties, and some things are supposed to be fuzzy, mixed-up and out of sequence. It adds to the charm of the series and isn't supposed to be set in a rigid timeline.

[king of comedy]

No your'e right. The producers should know and make things right.

[misterblowhole]

Originally Posted by robyrob

i think the whole point of the series is that it is not told as if it were actually set in the mid-eighties, but it is told from the jumbled, disjointed memory of someone that grew up in the mid-eighties, and some things are supposed to be fuzzy, mixed-up and out of sequence. It adds to the charm of the series and isn't supposed to be set in a rigid timeline.

That's a very good point, and a perspective I had also considered. Although eventually the characters will have to age, and you'd think then then timeline will need to be shifted forward.

[misterblowhole]

Originally Posted by king of comedy

No your'e right. The producers should know and make things right.

I think what gets me about it is how carefully they take care of the most minor details to make sure they are authentic.
Check out the sets, and they are authentically decorated to suit the 80s. Even in "I Drank the Mold!", when they go into the music store, they had racks of new-looking cassettes and CDs in their original style of casing.

[Mace Dolex]

Yeah I think the producers take huge liberties with the timeline, I've noticed too when the kids are watching primetime sitcoms when its clear daylight outside.

Look at That 70's Show for example, when it began it had a Star Wars tribute in the 1st season clearly placing the show in 1977 but the show itself lasted 8 years way past the remaining years of the 70's.

[misterblowhole]

Originally Posted by Mace Dolex

Yeah I think the producers take huge liberties with the timeline, I've noticed too when the kids are watching primetime sitcoms when its clear daylight outside.

Look at That 70's Show for example, when it began it had a Star Wars tribute in the 1st season clearly placing the show in 1977 but the show itself lasted 8 years way past the remaining years of the 70's.

You're right. So if they follow That 70's Show template, the kids are going to grow up and go on to college, etc, but it will all take place in the 80s.
As someone who grew up in the 90s, I've hoped we'd get a chance to see the series move into the 90s as the characters get older
The only other similar series I can think of is the Wonder Years, which I think actually stayed accurate within its respective timeline

[king of comedy]

I loved The wonder years. That stayed accurate and was a million times better than Happy Days.

[Jamey Greek]

Yes and CDs came out in 1983, but they weren't commonplace until the 1990s.

[Jamey Greek]

Right now, I am watching the episode about the Carter-Mondale election, and where Barry goes on American Gladiators. The Carter-Mondale election was in 1984 while American Gladiators didn't premiere until 1989.

[misterblowhole]

Originally Posted by Jamey Greek

Right now, I am watching the episode about the Carter-Mondale election, and where Barry goes on American Gladiators. The Carter-Mondale election was in 1984 while American Gladiators didn't premiere until 1989.

The more I think about it, I can find time issues in just about every episode.
I'm sure the show's producers are aware of this, I guess they've just decided to ignore it?
It's easy to forgive them, given the show is otherwise top-notch

[TMC]

Originally Posted by misterblowhole

First of, let me say that I absolutely love the Goldbergs, and the reason I'm nitpicking like this is because I love it so much.
But I've notice a lot of inconsistencies in timing. Here's a couple examples (incidentally, both have to do with Public Enemy)
- in the episode "The Darryl Dawkins Dance", Adam talks about how the Transformers movie just came out, which actually happened in 1986. Meanwhile, a Public Enemy poster can be seen on Barry's wall. Public Enemy didn't release their first album until 1987.
- in the episode "I Drank the Mold!", Murray and Barry discuss a Public Enemy album that contains the song "Fight the Power". The first Public Enemy album to contain "Fight the Power" was "Fear of a Black Planet" which was released in April 1990. The Goldbergs are supposed to set exclusively in the 80s.

Again, just nit-picking. Do you think the show makers are aware of these inconsistencies, and just ignore them for the sake of plot? They seem to go to painstaking detail to recreate the 80s, right down to even the smallest items in the background. So with that in mind, I find it odd that they would overlook larger things.

At the start of every episode the adult Adam tells us the date in "1980 something". So I'm pretty sure that the producers are well aware of what's going on.

I'm guessing that the reasons why they do this is A) For comedic effect B) It allows for more storytelling abilities C) So people won't be nitpicking anyway over the potential anachronisms (since they're so blatant w/ it anyway)

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Jamey Greek

Right now, I am watching the episode about the Carter-Mondale election, and where Barry goes on American Gladiators. The Carter-Mondale election was in 1984 while American Gladiators didn't premiere until 1989.

America's Funniest Home Videos technically, didn't become a series until 1990. That's the one issue that I have in this regard. The Reagan-Mondale election taking place in 1984, meant that there by default, had a clearly firm date. I know that we shouldn't be taking this too seriously or literally, but still, it's kind of weird to trying to make otherwise two decisively separate events (five years apart in real life) go together.