The Goldbergs (season 9)

The season nine premiere revolves around the iconic '80s family paying tribute to Pops. Together they venture down memory lane by visiting Pops' favorite stomping grounds. Adam Goldberg, forever with camera in hand, captures the outing - theming it to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." Hijinks and hilarity ensue, and we are reminded that there is no bond greater than family.

Adam and Brea eagerly open their acceptance packets from NYU. Brea learns she has been accepted, but Adam is shocked to see Beverly's name on his acceptance letter. Beverly admits she applied so she could accompany her schmoo at college, but Adam has unfortunately been put on a wait list. Bev and Adam go to Glascott for advice, and Glascott strongly encourages Adam to visit the NYU acceptance department to make his case without Beverly. After Adam twice fails to convince the dean of admissions to reconsider his application, Beverly can't help but jump in. Elsewhere, Erica learns that Lou Schwartz's animosity toward her stems from him believing that she once put his prized porcelain horse figurines in a compromising position as a joke, resulting in one being chipped. In reality, it was Lou's daughter Joanne who pulled the prank, then blamed it on Erica.

Erica is completely stressed as Beverly takes total control of the wedding planning, leaving Geoff to mediate between mother and daughter. Meanwhile, Glascott is circulating a petition to get the local water park shut down because he got injured there, leading Barry and Adam to try and save the park from closure.

Principal Ball recruits Adam to videotape the seniors' final football game between William Penn and arch-rival Germantown, but Adam's disinterest in sports leads him to become distracted and miss filming William Penn's winning touchdown. This earns him the ire of all the seniors, so he tries to make up for it by creating a touching high school memory video. Meanwhile, Bev learns from realtor Jane Bales that the house next door is up for sale, though it's owned by the cranky Mr. Wofsy (Dan Lauria) whom Murray has crossed in the past. When Bev and Murray see many features in Wofsy's house that they don't have, Bev thinks buying it will convince her children to stay home. However, when Jane points out flaws in the Goldberg's house while giving a tour to a potential buyer, Murray decides there are too many memories in the home to leave.

Having rented the house next door to Jon Glascott, Beverly gets tired of his extreme neighborliness and round-the-clock visits. Meanwhile, Murray gets a new grill and wants to initiate it with a neighborhood barbecue. Bev encourages Glascott to go on a canoeing trip with Mr. Woodburn on the same day as the barbecue, but Jon returns from the trip early to see the barbecue in progress. Elsewhere, Barry catches poison ivy on his bottom and needs constant care from Erica and Geoff, which the couple uses as a way to prepare for having a child someday.

Upset over having his first Halloween without Pops, Adam backs out of going to the school Halloween dance with Brea Bee and Matthew Schernecke. Seeing Adam depressed, Pop-Pop gets him involved in going door-to-door looking for a white pumpkin he says was stolen off his porch. This turns out to be a lie, fabricated by Pop-Pop to give Adam a Halloween adventure like he and Pops used to share. Elsewhere, Barry finds out that Joanne is unaware of his Big Tasty persona, due to him focusing more on career goals and his pre-med studies. He sets out to prove he hasn't lost his old self, even visiting Elvira at a signing event to present a new rap. While the rap flops, Barry realizes he has gained something better: a loving and supportive girlfriend.

After seeing the mothers of William Penn athletes getting a rose and a kiss in a year-end ceremony, Beverly is determined to have an award night for non-athletes so she can have her moment in the spotlight with Adam. However, an embarrassed Adam is just as determined to dissuade her. Meanwhile, Erica struggles to find a friend willing to help with her wedding planning, given that her former companions (Lainey, Valley Erica and Carla) are either out of town or too busy. She settles on Joanne Schwartz, but Joanne's help quickly becomes unwelcome.

When Beverly learns that Linda Schwartz will host Thanksgiving this year, she becomes concerned that her role as family hostess – and more importantly as Erica's mom – is threatened. Determined to regain her status, Bev holds a pre-Thanksgiving "nosh" (with all the traditional Thanksgiving food fare) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Pop-Pop surprises the family by showing up with a new "lady friend," and his attempts to impress her have him revising his past role in the family.

Erica and Geoff finally get married, but after a winter storm, they postpone plans but they decide to have it in the house instead.