Summary

• The characters in ABC's The Goldbergs closely resemble their real-life counterparts, but there are some noticeable aesthetic differences, such as hair color and glasses.
• Hayley Orrantia's portrayal of Erica Goldberg, despite being a gender swap from the real family member, remains true to the real-life Eric Goldberg in terms of personality and mannerisms.
• Wendi McLendon-Covey's depiction of Beverly Goldberg is both physically accurate and captures the essence of the real Beverly Goldberg, according to Adam F. Goldberg.

ABC's The Goldbergs is a loose biographical retelling of Adam F. Goldberg's early years growing up in the 1980s — here's what each character looks like compared to the real Goldberg family. From the first season of The Goldbergs, series creator, Adam F. Goldberg (who the main character is based on) cued audiences in on some of the more carefree moments of adolescence. The show even provides footage at the end of each episode, along with the occasional interview, of the true story that inspired the plot. Viewers get to see the real Goldberg family and gain insight into how the show matches the truth.

Since the real Adam Goldberg included plenty of home footage in The Goldbergs over the years, audiences can easily connect the dots between how the characters and the real Goldbergs act and react. That being said, the clips are from a 1980s camcorder in a family home, which means that they're grainy and difficult to track. Comparing how each character looks with the real Goldberg family can be difficult, even for long-time viewers of the show. Here's a glimpse behind The Goldbergs' true story and what each character looked like in real life during that period of Adam F. Goldberg's early years.

The Goldbergs is available to stream on Hulu.

Sean Giambrone As Adam Goldberg

The Real Adam F. Goldberg Wasn't Blonde And Wore His Glasses Less

Sean Giambrone of the Solar Opposites cast plays Adam F. Goldberg in The Goldbergs. The youngest of the family, Adam has a deep interest in films and topical movies of the time such as The Goonies, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones. As shown above, Sean Giambrone does differ from the real Adam F. Goldberg at the same age. For instance, Giambrone is a blonde whereas Adam is a brunette.

As well, the show's Adam wears glasses nearly all the time, whereas the real-life one is shown often both with or without large coke-bottle lenses. That being said, the two boys are relatively the same size and stature. Based on the video footage of the real Goldberg family, Giambrone does a great job of copying the real Adam F. Goldberg's personality and mannerisms in The Goldbergs, despite the noticeable aesthetic differences.

Troy Gentile as Barry Goldberg

Barry In The Goldbergs Looks Remarkably Like The Real Thing

Troy Gentile got a comeback from his child-star days to play Barry Goldberg in The Goldbergs. Among the many pop-culture tributes The Goldbergs makes, one of the biggest ones for Barry is starting a Beastie Boys-type band and calling himself "Big Tasty." Notably, Troy bears one of the closest resemblances to his characters real Goldber family member.

While the real-life Barry Goldberg has straighter hair and a fairer complexion, their facial structures are very similar. His costuming is particularly accurate and Troy brings his own comedic flair to the character. There's a fair amount of footage of the true Barry to know that Troy Gentile portrays the boisterous sibling very well.

Hayley Orrantia as Erica (Eric) Goldberg

Erica's Gender Was Swapped For The Show

The biggest change that The Goldbergs made to the portrayal of their real-life family was changing the eldest brother, Eric Goldberg, into Hayley Orrantia's Erica Goldberg. There are many physical differences between the television character and Erica Goldberg's real-life counterpart, Eric Goldberg, though many of her storylines are taken from Eric's life.

Hayley Orrantia got to act alongside music superstar Rick Springfield in his The Goldbergs cameo while trying to further Erica's musical ambitions by working at a new karaoke bar. While the real Eric Goldberg had no musical ambitions (he became a doctor like most of the family), stories like breaking into a pool, stealing a knish, and getting arrested for it came from Eric's real life. Erica Goldberg beats up on her brothers similarly to the real eldest child. Ultimately, Hayley Orrantia's performance remains true to Eric.

According to the real Adam F. Goldberg, his brother Eric — Erica Goldberg's real-life inspiration — sometimes "does feel left out, just because it’s fun to be included in the show." (via Jewish Exponent). However, Adam deemed changing Eric to Erica necessary in order to not limit The Goldbergs to just stories about his brothers. Throughout the seasons, Erica's perspective as a young woman has been crucial to telling the story of The Goldbergs' alternate reality, which wouldn't have been possible if the show was simply a straightforward biographical series.

Wendi McLendon-Covey as Beverly Goldberg

The Beverly Actress On The Goldbergs Has A Lot In Common With The Genuine Article

Wendi McLendon-Covey is one of the more familiar faces featured on the show, playing Adam F. Goldberg's mother, Beverly Goldberg. Not only does the Bridesmaids star look very similar to the actual Beverly Goldberg, but based on stories from Adam F. Goldberg, her portrayal of his mom is eerily accurate. Of course, McLendon-Covey brings her own unique brand of over-the-top comedic stylings to the role, which may exaggerate the real Beverly Goldberg.

In an interview with People, Wendi McLendon-Covery revealed she was terrified of meeting the real Beverly Goldberg for the first time. McLendon-Covery got along well with Adam Goldberg's mother though, describing her as "intimidating but happy", but that she wouldn't want to be a store clerk when the apparently-equally-hilarious real Beverly Goldberg needed to return something. The Beverly Goldberg actress also revealed she had a lot in common with her real-life counterpart, proving just how right for the part she is.

Jeff Garlin as Murray Goldberg

The Controversial Actor Played An Accurate Grouchy Father