Factual error: The model UN uses the new South African flag, but this flag only came into use in 1994.
Mama Drama - S2-E2
Factual error: Murray and Barry go to a Philadelphia Flyers home game. In the episode the Flyers are wearing orange jerseys. In reality the home team wore their white jerseys in the 1980's. When they watch the replay of Ron Hextall's goal on TV, you see the Flyers wearing white. (00:05:00 - 00:06:00)
Factual error: Adam is outside playing tennis at school. The episode takes place "February 1980 something" and the students are all in shorts and the trees and grass are all lush and green. This wouldn't be the case in February in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
Factual error: There is an episode where Reagan is running for president in 1984, and later in this episode they are watching "America's funniest home videos" which started in 1989.
Factual error: Adam doesn't want to tell Emmy how he broke his arm, so he says he rode a hoverboard. He says he watched the whole BTTF trilogy, but only part 1 was released in 1985. Part 2 was released in 1989, and Part 3 in 1990.
The Facts of Bleeping Life - S2-E3
Factual error: The main theme of the episode was the "Royal Wedding" (Lady Spencer and Prince Charles) which happened in 1981. Erica and Lainey are singing Eternal Flame by the Bangles which wasn't release until 1988.
Factual error: Adam narrates that it is "April 5th, 1980-something" and is going to see the new Michael Keaton "Batman" movie with his Grandpa, but "Batman" was released in June 1989, not in April.
A Chorus Lie - S3-E2
Factual error: A key plot point of this episode is the revelation of the Milli Vanilli lip-syncing scandal and that they didn't sing on their album, which happened in the fall of 1990, outside the 1980s setting of the series.
Suggested correction: The first public sign that the group was lip-syncing came on 21 July 1989, during a live performance on MTV at the Lake Compounce theme park in Bristol, Connecticut. As they performed, a hard drive issue caused the recording of the song "Girl You Know It's True" to jam and skip, repeatedly playing the partial line "Girl, you know it's..." through the speakers. "I knew right then and there, it was the beginning of the end for Milli Vanilli," recalled Pilatus of the incident.
The mistake didn't point it out, although the episode did, but the issue wasn't the fact that they lip-sync'd but the fact that they didn't actually do any singing. The minor incident you mentioned wasn't news that "shook the country." The news that it wasn't Milli Vanilli singing on their own album didn't come out until 1990.
My point exactly; while Milli Vanilli were revealed to be lip-syncing during a single live performance in the summer of 1989, it wasn't confirmed that they didn't sing at all on their debut album until November 1990.
Just Say No - S2-E20
Factual error: In a previous episode, Adam's uncle gives him a power glove and they talk about "The Wizard" which came out in 1989. A few episodes later, they talk about Reagan getting reelected, which happened in 1984.
Suggested correction: The series is constantly going back and forth through the 80s (Adult Adam always refers to the year in question as 1980 - something in his narration) - episodes are set in earlier times than previous ones.
The Circle Of Driving Again - S5-E8
Factual error: The show is set sometime in the 1980's, but as Adam drives the family around the neighborhood in his grandfather's car, there are SUV models from the mid-2000's to current passing by them.
A Wall Street Thanksgiving - S5-E7
Factual error: Adam is excited the new Atari video game of "E.T.: The Extraterrestrial" was just released. In the same episode, Uncle Marvin is telling Barry he just saw the movie "Wall Street." Problem is, the "E.T." Video game was released in December, 1982, while "Wall Street" was released in December, 1987.
Double Dare - S3-E13
Factual error: When watching a game, Barry mentions what the Eagles need to tie he mentions a two-point conversion. The NFL didn't adopt this until 1994, so it wouldn't have been an option in the 1980s.
The Day After the Day After - S4-E22
Factual error: This episode takes place around Mother's Day, which is in May, but everybody just saw the TV movie "The Day After", which aired November 20, 1983, six months after Mother's Day.
The Most Handsome Boy on the Planet - S2-E9
Factual error: At the very beginning of the show, they are standing in line to watch the movie ET in "1980 something." The kid starts asking if Yoda was just a puppet and if ALF was just a puppet. ET came out in 1982. ALF did not come out until 1986. Later in the show, they mention Kokomo by The Beach Boys which did not come out until 1988. ET was out of cinemas by then.
Mini Murray - S1-E3
Factual error: Adam and Pops go to the movies and watch Poltergeist which came out in 1982. The following morning Adam is at the table eating breakfast with Erica, and he is wearing a Top Gun T-shirt. Top Gun didn't come out until 1986. (00:06:42)
I Caddyshacked the Pool - S3-E4
Factual error: We Are the World was new on TV (came out in 1985) but later Adam is seen playing a Gameboy, which was released in 1989.
Factual error: In the video shop, when Adam and Murray wants to borrow Temple of the Doom there's a cardboard banner with C-3PO and R2-D2 behind Adam. But it's version of these droids from TV series The Clone Wars, which started in 2008 and built on the prequels which started in 1999.
Factual error: As Murray and Adam first walk into the VHS rental, a pan shot displays a cardboard cutout of C-3PO and R2-D2. The cutout features artwork from the TV series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" which first aired in 2008, where as "The Goldbergs" take place in the 1980's. (00:04:30)
Factual error: Older Adam says "33 years before Adele's Hello, there was Lionel Richie." Lionel Richie's Hello was released in 1984, Adele's version was 2015.
Factual error: In the parking lot at Live Aid, the logo of the PAC 12 conference is visible on a sign in the background; an athletic conference that's made up of schools in the western U.S. and did not exist during that time period. (00:04:54)
