•
WB native supervises scripts and
pitches jokes for The Goldbergs.

I

Suzanne Chessler

Contributing Writer

A

aron Kaczander never
wanted or tried to be the
class clown, but he has
moved to California pursuing a career
in comedy.
Kaczander, script
coordinator for the
new sitcom The
Goldbergs, also per-
forms improv com-
edy and writes pilot
scripts for series he
hopes to sell.
"I'm grateful to be
Aaron
working
on such a
Kaczander
funny show as The
Goldbergs, which is
based on the life of its creator, Adam
E Goldberg, as he was growing up in
suburban Philadelphia; says Kaczander
in a phone conversation from the West
Coast.
"This show is honest in its portrayal
of a family in the 1980s. It's got every-
thing that could make people nostalgic
for the period, and viewers will say
what's happening in the series hap-
pened in their families, too.
"Even though there's a lot of comedy
around people yelling at each other and
arguing, it's about people who love each
other. They just show it in different
ways:'
The Goldbergs, which premieres at 9
p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, on ABC, show-
cases a family of five. Mom (Wendi
McClendon-Covey) remains over-
protective and in charge as dad (Jeff
Garlin) tries to control his temper.
While Erica (Hayley Orrantia),
17, stays strong-willed, Barry (Troy
Gentile), 16, comes across as emotional.
Adam (Sam Giambrone), 11, goes
around with a camera, wanting to be
a director. Grandfather Albert "Pops"
Solomon (George Segal) is depicted as
the wild man of the clan.
"I really like the characters:' says
Kaczander, who proofreads scripts and
pitches jokes in the writers' room. "My
immediate goal is to be a staff writer on
the show, and it's a great opportunity to
be around funny people who have the
goal of making hilarious programs:'
To explain some of the humor — the

difference between what people say and
what they mean — there are subtitles
in the first episode. The first season
does not have direct Jewish content.
Kaczander, who was active with
the forensics program at Birmingham
Groves High School and a song leader
at Temple Beth El, concentrated on
screen arts and culture as well as
English at the University of Michigan.
"I knew that I always loved writing
and did a screenwriting minor; he
recalls. "I had been passionate about all
this before college, but my classes really
hit home.
"I had Jim Burnstein (The Mighty
Ducks and Renaissance Man) as a
teacher, and he was fantastic. I gradu-
ated in 2006 and figured I liked movies
and being out West so I got a job orga-
nizing volunteers for a season at the
Sundance Film Festival. I went on to
the Tribeca Film Festival in New York
and decided I didn't want to work at
festivals anymore."
After moving to Los Angeles,
Kaczander was hired as an agent's
assistant and made contacts that led
to his becoming a production assis-
tant for the ABC Family show Greek.
Associations with writers introduced
him to Goldberg, who hired him for the
Fox series Breaking In.
"Adam has been a great mentor,"
says Kaczander, who grew up in West
Bloomfield and returns to see family
about three times a year. He is the son
of Bruce Kaczander, a podiatrist, and
Karen Kaczander, a pharmacist.
Since completing improv classes at
the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
in Los Angeles, he has joined a team
affiliated with the organization, which
has helped him book appearances at
smaller theaters around Los Angeles.
Describing his humor as observational,
Kaczander says it was advanced by
experiences at Camp Tanuga.
"I love working with funny people
and have learned that TV is a fantas-
tic industry but is not easy:' says the
humorist, who is single. "I want to keep
writing and maybe, one day, have a
show about my own family members,
who are not crazy:'

❑

The Goldbergs debuts at 9 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 24, on ABC.

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