Adam Brody and Kristen Bell at the photo call for Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This” held at The Aster … [+]
By definition, to “kvell” (as in “kvelling”) is to speak enthusiastically out of pride or admiration. And this Yiddish word immediately popped in my head at the start of the Netflix romantic comedy Nobody Wants This, the tale of an agnostic sex podcaster named Joanne (Kristin Bell, Veronica Mars, The Good Life) and a single rabbi named Noah (Adam Brody, The O.C.) who fall in love despite their wildly different lives and meddling families.
Nobody Wants This dropped on Netflix last September, but in a sea of “A”-list programming options in 2024 (including the streaming service’s can’t miss A Man on the Inside with Ted Danson) I have not had the opportunity to sample this must see rom-com until now. And what a way it is to kickoff 2025!
The scoop: Inspired by the life of creator Erin Foster (The O.C., Barely Famous), Noah is a rabbi who ends his relationship with his Jewish girlfriend, Rebecca (Emily Arlook). Joanne, the “shiksa” (translation: gentile woman), runs a relationship podcast with her sister Morgan (Justine Lupa). And sparks fly when the two are introduced at a dinner party hosted by Ashley (Sherry Cola), Noah’s neighbor and Joanne’s agent.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 10: (L-R) Erin Foster, Adam Brody, Kristen Bell, Timothy Simons, … [+]
Despite the odds – and the strong disapproval from almost everyone around them – Noah and Joanne decide to give love a shot.
Will this pair – the rabbi and the “shiksa” – beat the odds? Will Noah’s interfering family and Joanne’s “kvetching” (translation: constantly complaining) sister Morgan accept the duo as a couple? Will there be a “gutten afgang?” Translation: happy ending.
By concept, Nobody Wants This isn’t necessarily revolutionary. We’ve seen the opposites attract type scenario countless times before. By execution, however, Brody’s Noah and Bell’s Joanne are immediately relatable; a modern day couple potentially stifled by an old-fashioned predicament. And their likability amid an array of comically stereotypical characters (including veteran Tovah Feldshah as the stern matriarch Bina Roklov and Paul Ben-Victor as her husband Ilan, who will always defer to his wife), makes us want to root for their relationship before.
Interesting factoid: A age 76, Tovah Feldshah is 18 years older than Paul Ben-Victor (who is only 14 years the senior of his TV son Adam Brody!).
Overall, Nobody Wants This in season one is completely bingeable. You won’t want to look away until you complete the first batch of 10-episodes. But, like any good kugel (soft on the inside, crispy on the outside), you might want to slowly relish this charming rom-com.
Personally, I look forward to the ongoing mishegoss (translation: craziness, indulgence, lunacy) of Noah and Joanne, and their family and friends in season two. They are absolutely meant to be.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 10: (L-R) Erin Foster, Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Justine Lupe, … [+]
