42 Febraury 14 • 2019
jn
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
tv
arts&life
S
ome Michigan men with grown
children could very well be
reminded of the kind of friendship
group they shared in their younger
years as they watch an upcoming epi-
sode of The Goldbergs.
Bruce Kaczander will definitely be
one of them.
His grown son, Aaron Kaczander, a
writer and co-producer for the ABC sit-
com, has taken elements from his dad’
s
stories of fun experiences with lasting
buddies and added them to the mix as
writers were working on a related fic-
tional episode.
Tentatively titled “The Highlander
Club,” the episode airs at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 20.
“My dad’
s group of guys called
themselves The Jokers,” explains Aaron
Kaczander, who has worked on the
series since its pilot episode and has
been employed by its creator, Adam
Goldberg, for nine years. “I heard about
The Jokers here and there. Adam’
s dad
had a similar group that he heard about.
“The idea behind the episode is that
one son, Barry, has this really close-knit
group of friends who have been char-
acters on the show for five years, and
they’
re really funny together.
“Barry is going to be graduating, and
the prospect makes him wonder if he’
s
going to lose his best friends because
they’
re all going to different colleges.
Barry discovers that his dad had an old
group of friends, much like my dad
did, and he thinks if he gets them back
together for great times, then there’
s
much more of a chance they’
ll stay
together.”
The series, set in Pennsylvania, is
narrated by a grown son remembering
his family during the 1980s. The family
is recalled through videotapes the son
made as a youngster.
“I’
m a very nostalgic person,” says
Kaczander, 35, who grew up in West
Bloomfield, graduated from Groves
High School, attended Temple Beth El
and spent summers at Camp Tanuga in
Kalkaska. “I was born in the 1980s, but
I wouldn’
t necessarily consider it my
decade.
“I love the idea of one person talking
about his childhood and watching him-
self grow up through videotapes. I just
love that we can have fun and do lots of
jokes in episodes that also end with a
lot of heart. I think that’
s really import-
ant. I love coming to work and joking
around.”
Achieving this work goal followed
a longtime interest in television and
comedy. At the University of Michigan,
Kaczander had a double major in
English and film and a minor in screen-
writing.
After accepting temporary jobs for
film festivals in Utah and New York,
Kaczander decided to seek opportuni-
ties in California.
FINDING OPPORTUNITIES
“When I moved to Los Angeles in
2007, it was the beginning of the writ-
ers’
strike to make sure they could be
properly compensated for streaming
services like Netflix and Hulu that are
so huge today,” Kaczander recalls.
“It was pretty ironic because I moved
right down the street from where all
these writers were picketing. I used that
as an opportunity to meet them.
“I picked up a picket sign and started
talking. Through that, I got my first
internship for Scott Free Productions
started by Ridley Scott. I met a few
more people, and a friend pointed me
toward a job at a literary agency, where
I got a real crash course in how agents
work and how the business side of TV
works — all the time knowing I still
wanted to be a writer.”
While taking improv and sketch
classes with the Upright Citizens
Brigade comedy troupe, Kaczander
moved on to become a production
assistant for Sean Smith, who created a
show called Greek for the ABC Family
Network. Next came working his way
up for Adam Goldberg.
“We don’
t go out of our way for
specifically Jewish storylines on The
Goldbergs, but viewers might find a
Jewish tone in the show,” Kaczander
says. “The grandfather character,
played by George Segal, uses Yiddish
words.”
Kaczander also brought his own
experiences into a Chanukah episode
with a suggested scene related to his
Michigan years. It has to do with a
game of pennies, Chanukah gelt, played
at holiday gatherings attended by
Kaczander family friends.
“The episode was about Beverly
Goldberg desperately trying to keep
her son celebrating Chanukah even
though he is going to marry someone
who is not Jewish,” Kaczander explains.
“She does everything she can to make
him continue to celebrate the holiday,
and he assures her he will do that while
starting his own traditions.”
Besides impacting Kaczander’
s pro-
fessional life, The Goldbergs has had a
strong impact on his personal life.
“I have Adam Goldberg to thank not
only for this part of my career, but also
for meeting my wife, too,” says the writ-
er/co-producer who visits family and
friends in Michigan about three times a
year and has built a collection of Piston
T-shirts. “I met Maggie Lyons while
working on the pilot for the series, and
we were married last October.” ■
The Goldbergs writer Aaron Kaczander uses
his dad’
s experiences for Feb. 20 episode.
Close
toHome
AARON KACZANDER/ABC
Aaron Kaczander in
the kitchen on set for
The Goldbergs, for
which he is a writer
and co-producer
Details
The Goldbergs airs at 8 p.m.
Wednesdays on ABC.