Netflix, 10 episodes
Created by Erin Foster
Starring Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Justine Lupe, Timothy Simons, and Jackie Tohn
I’ll admit it—I went into Kristen Bell and Adam Brody’s new Netflix romantic comedy NOBODY WANTS THIS with a healthy amount of skepticism. I mean, there’s that title—practically screaming at you to stay away. And the premise of a hot, newly single rabbi and a sex positive podcast host striking up a relationship didn’t exactly scream sophisticated romantic comedy to me. As much as I love Kristen Bell, I felt trepidation. But I’m so happy to admit that I wasn’t exactly wrong—and yet this show works anyway. Yes, that title isn’t doing anyone any favors, and the premise feels in some ways really niche (and the East LA setting feels even MORE niche), but the sheer magnetism and chemistry of Bell and Brody in these roles overcomes everything else. They’re honestly so sweet together and you can feel how right Joanne and Noah are for each other. And the fact that this is based on the real experiences of creator Erin Foster brings an authenticity to the elements that can feel more niche.
The pilot does a nice job of establishing how this is a relationship that is doomed in so many ways and is exactly the wrong relationship for both. Joanne makes a living off of talking about her many bad dates and feels free to discuss sex with little filter on the podcast she hosts with her sister, Morgan, who wants to take the podcast to the next level. Noah, on the other hand, is living a life devoted to his religious community—a community and family who would strongly prefer to see him marry a nice Jewish girl. And yet, their attraction and their snark seem to rise above all these reasons why not. I was able to view the first two episodes and felt like there were a lot of avenues for the show to explore both from the ‘forbidden romance’ of Noah and Joanne, but also from a great group of supporting characters around them including Joanne’s Morgan, Noah’s hapless older brother and intense sister-in-law, Noah’s trepidatious mom and dad, and the storylines involving Joanne’s podcast corporate sponsors and the way their desires for the podcast may end up being in direct conflict with the things Joanne may be finally in a position to have in her life. It all feels really rich, but at the end of the day it’s the chemistry of Joanne and Noah that feels the most exciting. More than anything they feel really believable, and I’m excited to see where their relationship will take them.