Netflix’s 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 Proves Opposites Really Do Attract

An agnostic podcaster and a Jewish Rabbi walk into a modern-day relationship, what could possibly go wrong, right?! Well, if you are like millions of viewers who tuned into the season 2 release of Nobody Wants This, then you know there’s a hamon of moments that are destined to create a series of unfortunate misinterpretation events with such a pairing.

And, on that point, Nobody Wants This does not disappoint.

Starring Adam Brody as handsome young Rabbi Noah and Kristen Bell, as his new rebel-without-a-faith girlfriend Joanne, Netflix’s hit romantic comedy continues where it seemingly left off with the drop of its sophomore season on October 23.

Nobody Wants This season 2 feels like a delightful contradiction in several choice moments, but in others, it lands dangerously close to living up to its title; particularly, in those instances where the idea of bringing together yet another clash of cultures that relies heavily on recycled narratives we’ve all seen previously played out onscreen. Think Pretty Woman, Jungle Fever, West Side Story, just to name a few.

With so much time spent on why the young couple of this latest pairing may not truly fit together, you almost forget why they actually do.

What saves the series from being too much of a been there, done that comedy rerun in this space is the welcomed addition of storylines for the supporting cast. Justine Lupe, best known for her work in Succession, returns as Morgan, Joanne’s free spirited sister and podcasting partner, who’s fallen into a somewhat questionable relationship of her own this season. No, there’s no issue dating your therapist, said no one ever. 

The always hilarious Timothy Simons also returns as Sasha Roklov, the Rabbi’s older brother, whose close and complicated friendship with Joanne’s sister becomes a proverbial sticking point in his own marriage.

Despite their own respective relationships dominating their screen time this season, Sasha and Morgan often prove to be the more interesting of all the couples matched up in the series. However, for now, we will just have to settle for them serving as unlikely besties and wingmen for their siblings. 

The well-worn “opposites attract” trope aside, Nobody Wants This does deliver a surprisingly binge-worthy blend of relatable humor and quirky charm. This season, the series dives deeper into the family relationships that have shaped both Noah and Joanne’s internal and outward look on their lives and the future. 

At the start, the pacing stalls somewhat as we fall back into the requisite miscommunication scenarios that often befall relationships trying to blend both culture, religion, and family dynamics. But, in the end, you come to understand the series’ offer of a rather unexpected, but poignant mirror into what we, ourselves have all faced at different times with the most ideal love connections.

The polar opposites visuals and vibe also extend to Joanne and Noah’s parental guidance. Peppered throughout several of the season’s episodes are humorous moments with Noah’s mother and father, played by Tovah Feldshuh and Paul Ben-Victor, and, of course, on the other end of the spectrum with Joanne’s more unconventional divorced-but-friends parents, played by Stephanie Faracy and Michael Hitchcock — the latter who’s time on canvas is meant to bring the humor, but ultimately provides more of the series’ heartwarming moments, and message.

The characters remain a motley crew of lovable misfits, each with their own brand of neuroticism as it relates to life and love. The show's witty dialogue and sharp commentary on modern life's absurdities navigating familial and personal relationships will, no doubt, bring to you to laugh your way through the uncertainty of it all, even as you wonder about your own choices in this life.

And, in what has now become the new “it” thing — where would a television season be without a guest appearance, or two. For Nobody Wants This, Brody once-again gets a chance to play opposite his real-life wife and Gossip Girl alum Leighton Meester, who appears in episode 5, as Abby, Joanne's middle school nemesis-turned-Instagram mommy influencer, when Noah is  asked to officiate her baby’s naming ceremony.

A surprise appearance that comes later in the season is Seth Rogen. Taking a break from his own award-winning series, The Studio, Rogen plays Rabbi Neil, a rather progressive rabbi who runs an ultra-modern congregation and provides an unorthodox (no pun intended) counterpart to Noah's more traditional approach to the faith.

Even as a man of the cloth, Rogen’s signature everyman charm and comedic awkwardness is infused with his true-to-life, laid-back personality. With his relatable blend of humor and authenticity, you are left feeling like you know someone just like him in your own life.

What has also been a nice touch for the series this go-round has been the history and background on Judaism that we, gentiles, receive as we watch Joanne navigate various Jewish rituals with Noah throughout the season. Most often played for laughs, with Joanne’s fish-out-water perspective, we are afforded a rather endearing look at the hows and whys of a faith rooted in community, family, and Biblical history. Picture a family gathering centered around Purim, where every awkward moment is up for comedic scrutiny, wrapped in a narrative that somehow spirals into beautiful messiness.

Visually, the series crafts an engaging, surprisingly introspective, decidedly imperfect window into the chaos that is love when it doesn’t come wrapped in the package you need it to.

Sure, "Nobody Wants This" might feel like an overly familiar film you seen before and are fully aware of the ending. But, it does so with such sincerity and heart-on-its-sleeve honesty that you find yourself reflecting on your own life while simultaneously laughing at theirs. By the end of it all, you might even find yourself admitting through that laughter-turned-tears, that, “yeah, I really do want this!"

Loosely based on creator Erin Foster’s personal life experiences, Nobody Wants This, is out now for download. Stream all 10 episodes of season 2 on Netflix. No word yet on a season 3 for the series.

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