Kristen Bell and Adam Brody reunite and re-canoodle for a second season of unlikely — yet eminently relatable — romance
It’s that time of year. Leaves are crisp and colourful, wardrobes are stuffed with chunky knits, and hearty meals-for-two are set at the dining table. And what better way to spend your cozy nights-in with a special someone than to press play on a defining rom-com of our times. Nobody Wants This is back for its second date, dropping 10 swoon-worthy new episodes on Thursday.
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody return as the unlikely couple in love: relationship podcaster Joanne Williams and sexy rabbi Noah Roklov. The first season saw them stumble through getting to know each other, weighing their very different backgrounds against their undeniable chemistry, hitting every speedbump imaginable on that winding road to commitment.
Joanne, an agnostic lifestyle podcaster, unexpectedly fell for Noah, a faithful rabbi whose dedication to the synagogue and its congregants led to a crisis of the heart and the soul. With the culture clash between Noah’s Jewish family and community, and Joanne’s social circle of unbelievers being the main hurdle in the lovebirds’ fragile relationship, another pitfall popped up via their respective careers.
The podcast that Joanne co-hosts with her sister, Morgan (Justine Lupe), which centres around the two oversharing about their love lives, became a controversial subject at the meeting-his-parents stage for the way the siblings candidly discuss the harsh realities of dating.
Together with her embarrassing lack of knowledge about Jewish culture, Joanne failed to make a positive impression with Noah’s family. A few knee-jerk overcorrections didn’t land her much closer to the Roklovs’ good side, either.
At the same time, Morgan had grown frustrated with Joanne over her lack of commitment to their show and single-minded focus on Noah just as the podcast started to gain traction. A sort of balance was struck in the first season’s finale when the sisters buried the hatchet and Joanne admitted she was not ready to convert to Judaism. Alas, that choice could prove problematic for Noah’s own career goal of becoming his synagogue’s head rabbi . . . a promotion which may not be approved if he’s dating someone outside the faith.
A trailer for the upcoming chapter sees Joanne’s rivalry with Noah’s mother, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh), deepen, the pair staring daggers at each other from opposite ends of the stands at Noah’s Matzah Ballers basketball game. While Joanne keeps one eye on Bina, more relationship challenges start forming in every other direction. Now that Joanne and Noah have established themselves as an official couple, it is time for everyone in their lives to start asking them what’s next.
Marriage, babies and faith compromises are all on the table as Joanne and Noah merge their respective lives over dinner parties and family events. Never one to mince words, Morgan warns Joanne that “the relationship isn’t solid until you’re out of the honeymoon phase.” Indeed, it’s all fun and games until you’re wondering what your partner is really thinking at a friend’s baby shower. On that note, guesting this season is Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester. Brody’s real-life spouse. She portrays Abby, a childhood nemesis of Joanne’s who has made a name for herself as a mommy influencer. Meanwhile, Arian Moayed reunites with his old Succession co-star Lupe, playing Morgan’s therapist/lover, Dr. Andy.
Seth Rogen, who recently took home four Emmys for his work on the debut season of Apple comedy The Studio, also drops by.
Finally, a few Girls alums have signed on for season two. Alex Karpovsky, who played curmudgeon Ray in all six seasons of the HBO hit, guest stars as a rival rabbi. Plus, Girls showrunners Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan have taken the day-to-day showrunning reins from creator Erin Foster.
Nobody Wants This is, of course, based on Foster’s own interfaith relationship, and the executive producer shared with Deadline in June some insights as to what the writers’ room was ruminating on when crafting this new season. “I learned so much season one, seeing what people grabbed onto. I watched all the TikToks, I saw [the trending phrase] ‘Healthy Love.’ OK, that’s something people really are yearning for — a show about healthy love and meeting someone later in life. That’s something people really grabbed onto. So those were the themes that I made sure we paid attention to, and gave energy to.”
Furthermore, Foster summed up:“I would say that season one was: ‘Will they, won’t they?’ And season two was: ‘How will they?’”
The season two premiere of Nobody Wants This begins streaming Thursday, October 23 on Netflix