David Farnor | On 06, Oct 2024

“I’m all in on this thing,” admits Noah (Adam Brody), partway through the rom-com Nobody Wants This. The fact that he’s talking about his vocation as a rabbi – not about his fledgling relationship with non-Jewish podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) – gives you a clue that the series has more on its mind than mere chemistry.

We first meet Noah as he’s recovering from a break-up with his dream woman – at least, as far as his mother and family are concerned. While he tries to make a clean start, they remain in touch with her and not-very-gently pressure him to go back and settle down with her. Enter Joanne, a podcaster whose show – with her sister, Morgan (Justine Lupe), talks candidly about relationships and sex. When they cross paths at a party, neither of them knows what the other does, but they share a mutual attraction – one that accelerates quickly and organically.

It’s so rare to find a natural couple in a romantic comedy – the kind who have a chemistry that’s instantly believable but are as comfortable making each other laugh as they are making each other swoon. When Noah and Joanne trade flirtatious banter, we genuinely feel like it’s because they want to make the other smile, not because they’re reading witty lines from a script. (“Don’t be funny,” sighs Joanne, as she attempts not to fall for him. “It’s not helping.”)

The script, nonetheless, is extremely smart, with creator Erin Foster inspired by her own relationship with her husband – whom she married after converting to Judaism. There are some wonderfully relatable moments, from an awkward encounter with a boss in an inappropriate shop to a car ride that’s punctured by a private text message being read out loud over the speaker.

But what’s beautiful about the writing is that the show delves into both a career and a culture clash with thoughtful nuance. The script and the characters treat Noah’s religious vocation with real respect – he kids about playing up the “Torah bad boy vibe”, but is earnest and sincere that he is “all in” on faith, and the show explores how he lives out those values and what that means for his relationships. The show is equally respectful towards Joanne’s work, which is rooted in communication, honesty and trust in relationships’ most intimate moments – and is fuelled by a wonderfully real relationship with her sister.

Justine Lupe, who was so heart wrenchingly good as Willa in Succession, is loyal and ambitious in equal measure as Morgan – the ideal foil to her oversharing sibling. Timothy Simons is similarly scene-stealing as Sasha, Noah’s married brother who is at once painfully antisocial and embarrassingly well-meaning as a father.

But the reason to tune in is the stunning lead couple, who are as endearing individually as they are together. Kristen Bell is adorable as Joanne, someone who is frustratingly open and candid in all areas of her life, and Adam Brody is flawless as Noah, someone who is capable of giving the ick and then – impossibly – reversing it minutes later. He’s bearded, he’s calm, he’s kind and he’s committed – it’s the best role Brody’s had in his entire career, as if he’s been in training for it ever since The OC’s deceptively toxic Seth Cohen became a heartthrob for a generation who didn’t know any better.

With 26-minute runtimes that keep cliffhangers rolling at a precise pace, the result is a gorgeous bit of telly, a romantic comedy that might occasionally get a bit too spicy for some viewers but roots everything in a sweet and sincere tale of love, humour and faith, as two flawed people try to work out the people they want to be. Can they hold on to themselves while accepting and embracing someone else’s identity? Therein lies the secret to all successful relationships – and Nobody Wants This is one you’ll be rooting for with all your heart.

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