By Riley Dauber
Editor-in-Chief
Released on Netflix on Sept. 26, the romantic comedy series “Nobody Wants This” is a sweet, binge-worthy treat perfect for any hopeless romantic.
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody star as Joanne and Noah, who meet at a party hosted by a mutual friend. A miscommunication between Joanne and her friend leads the former to misidentify Noah as a divorcee when he is actually a rabbi.
This comical situation is the catalyst of the series as the two struggle with their relationship — shifting from friends to lovers — and religious differences. Noah is loyal to his faith and family, while Joanne hosts a sex podcast and identifies as agnostic.
Despite their differences, the two are a couple that viewers cannot help but fall in love with thanks to Bell and Brody’s chemistry.
“The reason I thought it could only be [Brody] is because, as an actor, I’m acutely aware of what other actors do well and do not do well. [Brody] can stare longingly into someone’s eyes for an extended period of time — and so can I,” Bell said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar.
The scenes between Bell and Brody are also full of witty banter and jokes. As the characters grow and learn more about each other, their relationship evolves to fit each other’s needs.“I’m currently [watching] ‘Nobody Wants This’ and I’m in awe of the quality of conversations being had. Such open, humorous, and frisky flow of thoughts. It’s beautiful,” Twitter user @busayo_joan said.
Joanne’s character growth is a specific standout; at the beginning of the series, she goes on horrible date after horrible date to inspire stories for her podcast. However, this habit leads her to become standoffish and noncommittal. Her parents’ relationship also ended when her father came out as gay later in life, and she worries her mother’s emotional side will rub off on her and affect her romantic ventures.
By embracing a healthy and communicative relationship with Noah, Joanne is able to open up to her partner.
Bell’s fantastic performance grounds these concerns and allows female viewers who struggle with being open about their feelings and accepting love from their romantic partners to relate to her.
In one scene, Noah says, “Joanne, I’m on your side. I can handle you,” reassuring both Joanne and viewers that their feelings are valid.
The show is also chock-full of funny moments, including misunderstandings and awkward character interactions. In episode four, Noah tags along as Joanne looks for a vibrator for an episode of her podcast at a sex shop. The two joke around and make fun of the products before Noah runs into a board member from his temple; Joanne subsequently ruins the moment by running in, wearing dominatrix gear and pretending to whip Noah.
While Joanne and Noah’s relationship is the crux of the show, the side plots focus on the budding friendship between the former’s sister Morgan and the latter’s brother Sasha.
While Morgan and Sasha are a funny pair, their scenes sometimes feel unnecessary and edge toward infidelity. These moments are not helped by the fact that the show has received criticism for its portrayal of Jewish women, including Sasha’s wife in the series, Esther.
According to Glamour, “[Jewish women in the series] come off as controlling, marriage-hungry women who want to plan dinner parties and alienate anyone who doesn’t share those same dreams.”
While Esther and Noah’s ex-girlfriend Rebecca are receiving the brunt of the criticism, their characters do grow throughout the series alongside Joanne and Noah. Esther starts to understand Joanne, but it is clear the two will continue to feud, creating some much-needed conflict.
The show’s creator, Erin Foster, wanted to create an uplifting, romantic show inspired by her own relationship with her Jewish husband.
“What I really wanted to do was shed a positive light on Jewish culture from my perspective — my positive experience being brought into Jewish culture, sprinkling in a little fun, [and] educational moments about things in Judaism that I love without it being heavy-handed,” Foster said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
Foster accomplished her goal with “Nobody Wants This,” which has already been renewed for a season two.
As viewers patiently wait for more content, the 10 30-minute episodes of the first season are perfect to binge-watch in one weekend. “Nobody Wants This” is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo Caption: Kristen Bell stars as Joanne, an agnostic podcast host, in Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This.”