History Characters / TheGoldbergs

* ExtravertedNerd: He's a stupid, uncoordinated loser with terrible social skills, and yet carries himself as though he were both TheAce and the BigManOnCampus of his school. This confidence has ironically made it so that, by the later seasons, his delusions aren't all that far from the truth.

* ShesGotLegs: Erica's wardrobe favors flattering skirts and shorts.

* RockIsAuthenticPopIsShallow: Is a big fan of Music/{{Rush}}, and disdains everything else as "mass produced crap".

* GrumpyBear: By default, his attitude and tone of voice give off this vibe.

** Pop-Pop later became a member of the main cast in Season 10 to coincide with the death of Murray, serving as the new GrumpyBear and StraightMan.

* {{Nerd}}: He has an immense passion and knowledge in math, wears glasses, [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer doesn't have a very good reputation]], and is bullied on an occasional basis.

* InformedAttribute: Despite his name and often mentioning that he likes being naked, he is almost always fully clothed.
** {{Lampshaded}} in a season 7 episode, where he mentions he finally goes to a nude colony, but gets uncomfortable because people there are "too nude".

Lainey's single dad.

* IRejectYourReality: Oftentimes Barry will choose to believe obvious lies and reject the truth if it fuels his ego. The best example of this is when his Uncle Marvin admits that instead of actually teaching him Karate by having him do chores (like in ''Karate Kid'') Barry convinces himself that his confession is just a test and that he is still a blackbelt [[spoiler: since the only other alternative would be that he isn't and would, according to Barry, send him spirling down a deep dark path he would never fully recover from.]]

* {{Homage}}: Or even a ShoutOut. The resemblance in looks and mannerisms to a live action [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Fred Flintstone]] cannot be accidental.

* WellDoneSonGuy: His relationship with his father, Big Murray. He subverts this with his own kids: While he berates them regularly, and rarely outright says he loves them, he does take effort to be a good dad to his kid and fix any screw ups he makes with them.

->'''Played by:''' Creator/KelliBerglund (season 7), Carrie Wampler (season 8)

* OfficialCouple: With Barry for part of seasons 7 and 8 before she's PutOnABus.

* HollywoodNerd: A massive one. Especially come the 8th season when he's considered good looking enough to be accepted among the popular kids even though it turns out he's still as unathletic as ever.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's usually neglecting the personal space her kids need, ridiculing the authority figures in their classes, and often is pushy to her friends. Also, she sometimes ignores someone's advice and pleas when it comes to her selfish demeanor plus she can bmothering and wholly blind to reality. However, that's mostly out of love and she will make things right if she goes too far.

* NiceGuy: Most of the time. Well, out of the five main family members, he's not as cantankerous as [[{{Jerkass}} Murray]]; aloof as [[DeadpanSnarker Erica]]; tempermental as [[LargeHam Barry]]; or high and mighty as [[ItsAllAboutMe Beverly]].

* {{Jerkass}}: Tends to be this time to time, especially to his brother.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Sure, he's a short-tempered, stupid bastard who occasionally harasses his little brother Adam, but at the end of the day he actually cares about him and his family in general.

* BigBrotherBully: Well, Big Sister. Not as much of a {{jerkass}} as Barry, but Erica occasionally berates Adam for his nerdy/geeky demeanor.

* {{Jerkass}}: She's usually neglecting the personal space her kids need, ridiculing the authority figures in their classes, and tends to be pushy to her friends. Not to mention, she sometimes ignores someone's advice and pleas when it comes to her selfish demeanor.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She can be selfish, smothering and wholly blind to reality, but it's mostly out of love and she will make things right if she goes too far.

* IRejectYourReality: Oftentimes Barry will choose to believe obvious lies and reject the truth if it fuels his ego. The best example of this is when his Uncle Marvin admits that instead of actually teaching him Karate by having him do chores (like in Karate Kid) Barry convinces himself that his confession is just a test and that he is still a blackbelt [[spoiler: since the only other alternative would be that he isnt and would, according to Barry, send him spirling down a deep dark path he would never fully recover from.]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/NatalieAlynLind (seasons 1—3; 7—)

* GirlNextDoor: Literally (they live in the same neighbourhood) and metaphorically (she's a NiceGirl).

** TheBusCameBack: She came back during season 7 after her grandma died and her family had nothing else that tied them to Seattle.

* AscendedExtra: In-universe. He started out as a classmate Adam only vaguely knew, and was only invited over because Adam needed an Asian kid to be Data for his Goonies adventure. Later, Dave Kim is a regular visitor to the Goldberg house.

* DemotedToExtra: While not a main character, he recurred very frequently until season 8, where he only appears in three episodes at the tail end of the year.

* AscendedExtra: He was just one of Barry's friends, made more distinct by having a crush on Erica. He has since become one of the leads on the show.

* WhoWearsShortShorts: It takes convincing to make him switch to longer shorts in "Schooled."

* NotSoAboveItAll: At times she can be just as boneheaded as Barry.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In early episodes, she was a spoiled brat with rich parents and her Dad was a crooked lawyer. As she became a more developed character, this was retconned considerably. It is now established that she has had a somewhat difficult life, her mom abandoned her family when she was young, and her Dad is a tile salesman on about the same socioeconomic level as the Goldbergs.

* PutOnABus: She leaves the series midway through season six to participate in the {{Spinoff}} ''Schooled'', set at the same high school, but in the 1990s.
** Once the series was cancelled, Lainey made [[TheBusCameBack a couple of return appearances]] in the episodes "The Fake-Up" and "Poker Night."

[[folder:"Valley" Erica]]

[[folder:"Ren"]]

* ParentalNeglect: Her parents are so the exact opposite of Beverly they forget to come to the dinner where they were supposed to meet Erica. She eventually ends up having dinner with Erica, Beverly (who Erica was trying that she not meet Ren for the episode) and Barry. Ren actually states Erica is lucky to have Beverly.
* OfficialCouple: With Barry for part of season 7 and 8 before she's PutOnABus

* WhatAnIdiot:[[invoked]] Why do the people of Jenkintown - including the Goldberg family - keep falling for this man when he's done con after con after con with them?