The Goldbergs is doing something big for its Christmas episode, hoping to get its audience excited ahead of the holidays with the promise of another dose of 80s nostalgia. The ABC comedy intends to do this by paying homage to Die Hard, a film whose distinction as a Christmas movie is more polarizing than Die Hard itself.
The presumably action-packed episode, titled "Yipee Kay-Yay, Melon Farmer," will feature Adam and his uncle Marvin attempting to write and film the perfect rip-off of Die Hard. Uncle Marvin claims to be big in the TV biz, which convinces Adam to help him, and says he will use his Hollywood cred to guarantee their copycat project makes it to theaters. I'm not so convinced.
Adam and Uncle Marvin's version of Die Hard will likely reference several classic moments from the classic Bruce Willis flick. We can only hope for a cameo from the film's Reginald VelJohnson, who was also memorably an ABC sitcom star on Family Matters. The episode is set to air on ABC on Wednesday, December 12, at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The episode's title, as some may have guessed, is a reference to the infamous line used by John McClane in the television edit of the film. Executive producer Adam F. Goldberg added that audiences will see that iconic line recreated in the episode, and explained how the moment was inspired by one of his actual childhood experiences.
If you grew up in the 80s, you know how big a deal it was when your favorite movie finally aired on TV. Unfortunately, that usually meant a lot of stuff being edited out or cleaned up for kids. I remember how excited I was to show my family the greatest Christmas movie ever, Die Hard. I shushed everyone into silence in anticipation for John McClane's iconic line. But they had dubbed it to make him say, 'Yippee Ki Yay, Melon Farmer! I was like, 'what is happening? That doesn't make any sense! What's a melon farmer?' I'll never forget my disappointment and confusion...
Goldberg also said that he believes Die Hard to be the "best Christmas movie of all time," so don't be surprised if someone declares that semi-hot take. The episode's underlying theme is meant to show various ways that families can celebrate the holidays, as well as to honor the Bruce Willis-led action film's 30th anniversary. It will certainly be interesting to see how these "rip-off" concepts will honor the film, and what surprise cameos may happen.
The Die Hard tribute is just the latest 80s reference from The Goldbergs, which has made headlines in the past with some other iconic genre movie homages. More recently, the show convinced the original Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund to reprise his role as the horror icon. The Goldbergs also got a lot of fan love for its tribute to Spaceballs, which featured Rick Moranis making a rare TV return as the voice of Dark Helmet.
The Goldbergs airs on yippee-kai-ABC Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. For more on upcoming television and a jump on what's premiering in the weeks ahead, be sure to visit and bookmark our fall and midseason premiere guides.
