So, "Nobody Wants This"

I'm trying to be better about having a more balanced media diet, so I tried out the Netflix rom-com "Nobody Wants This."  Kristen Bell and Adam Brody play our central couple, Joanne and Noah.  Joanne is a brash podcaster who has never managed to have more than casual flings.  Noah is a Jewish Rabbi who has recently left a long-term relationship.  They both live in L.A. and meet through mutual friends.

Immediately, their lifestyles are incompatible.  Joanne and her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) co-host the "Nobody Wants This" podcast, about their misadventures in the dating world  as single women, and talk openly about sex and intimacy.  Noah is part of a close-knit family that loves his ex, Rebecca (Emily Arlook), and Noah's brother Sasha (Timothy Simons) is married to Rebecca's best friend Esther (Jackie Tohn).  And that's not even getting into the difficulties of navigating Noah's role as a spiritual leader at Temple Hai, under Head Rabbi Cohen (Stephen Tobolowsky). 

It's been suggested that one reason why the romance genre has fallen out of fashion with many viewers is because romance is too easy for modern couples.  The big separators like class and race and means have lost a lot of their taboo, which means today's contemporary rom-coms are typically about pettier and less consequential relationship troubles.  Well, "Nobody Wants This" certainly doesn't make the romance easy.  Joanne can't step a foot into the temple without Noah's protective mother Bina (Tovah Feldshuh) raising her hackles over the possibility of her son being with a shiksa.  The podcast is on the verge of getting picked up by a bigger platform, and it's the worst time for Joanne to be getting into a serious relationship.  However, a happy ending is possible - the show's creator Erin Foster based "Nobody Wants This" on her own inter-faith relationship.  

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody are actors I like and have watched over many years and multiple projects.  The show plays to their strengths, positioning Joanne as the scrappy outsider faced with an uphill battle to win over Noah's family and friends, and Noah as the guy who's always followed a particular path in life, and struggles to put himself first.  You buy their chemistry immediately, and they have no trouble selling the sitcom hijinks happening around them, or the more heartfelt twists and turns of the relationship as it develops.  They're both inexperienced with love in their own ways, and surrounded by people with a lot of different opinions.  The supporting cast is great, but special kudos go to Jackie Tohn as the glowering Esther, who is instantly sympathetic and loveable in spite of her stubborn animosity.  

I also like that many of the characters in "Nobody Wants This" are emphatically Jewish, and the show gives us a chance to see what the modern Jewish-American experience looks like - well, in Southern California anyway.  We get the mix-ups and misunderstandings you'd expect, like Joanne accidentally bringing pork products to a family dinner, but the show also gently talks about the Jewish faith in relatable, everyday terms, and portrays Noah's family as very close-knit and loving.  The bat mitzvah of Noah's niece Miriam (Shiloh Bearman) serves as the climax of the season.           

"Nobody Wants This" delivers a breezy, fun ten-episode first season that was exactly what I was looking for.  It's very casual, but the stakes are high enough to deliver some real drama when appropriate.  It's funny and endearing, but also very well grounded with some strong writing.  It feels very personal, but also universal to anyone trying to navigate a culture clash.  The show's already been renewed for a second season by Netflix and I look forward to it.        

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