Everybody Wants “Nobody Wants This”
Netflix’s hit rom-com series starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody has gotten both praise and criticism for its portrayal of Jewish cultur.
by Eliana Rosen ★ NOVEMBER 11, 2024
Design: Jackie Mirvis
Nothing is more comforting than a good romantic comedy. The predictable plotlines, feel-good tropes, and cheesy moments provide a warmth and nostalgia you can’t find elsewhere. The ‘90s and early 2000s churned out the quintessential rom-coms we watch on repeat, but generally, newer attempts at cult classics haven’t hit the same. Thankfully, Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This” has deviated from this trend and fulfills all of your rom-com cravings.
The series follows the relationship between agnostic sex and dating podcast host Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Rabbi Noah Rocklov (Adam Brody) as they navigate the very real struggles of interfaith relationships and come to terms with what their lives could look like if Joanne doesn’t convert to Judaism and if Noah continues serving as his community’s rabbi. It explores themes of religion, faith, relationships, purpose and love, mixed perfectly with light-hearted humor and witty one-liners. Throughout the ten episodes, Joanne and Noah have unbelievable banter, hot chemistry and cute moments that leave the audience kicking their feet. The show is so beloved it was confirmed for Season 2 only two weeks after its release.
Along with all the makings of a classic rom-com, “Nobody Wants This” is one of the first mainstream series to showcase Judaism in a positive light and star a religious Jew as the love interest. Jewish traditions and customs are a core tenant of the show, with holiday celebrations, religious sermons and shabbat dinners serving as key plot points. The last episode of the show even takes place at Noah’s niece’s bat mitzvah. As Rabbi Rocklov teaches Joanne about his love for his Jewish identity and his passion for rabinic studies, viewers learn alongside her. Audiences are excited that a show about Judaism is getting so much love from mainstream audiences and that everyone’s newest crush is a cute, nerdy NJB (Nice Jewish Boy). At a time when antisemitism and negative Jewish perception in the media are at an all time high, it can be refreshing to see positive representation of Judaism and its traditions on such a large scale.
Still, some see “Nobody Wants This” as stereotyping or trivializing the Jewish experience and Jewish people. The Hebrew pronunciation is pretty Americanized and Noah’s mom is an extreme caricature of the stereotypical Jewish mother. She is unkind to Joanne and extremely overprotective over her son in her actions and speech, telling Joanne she will never be with him. (And as for stereotypes, it sort of feels like they eat bagels and lox for pretty much every meal.)
Much of the criticism of the show has come from its portrayal of Jewish women. The Jewish female characters in the show (notably Noah’s ex-girlfriend, Rebecca, and his sister-in-law, Esther) can come off as controlling and mean-spirited. Some say the portrayal can be harmful, leaving audiences thinking of Jewish women as spiteful or nasty, wanting to get a reprieve from them as Noah gets with Joanne. If this is someone’s only perception of the Jewish community, it can be problematic and cause prejudices toward Jewish women. The show’s creator Erin Foster responded to the criticism in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, saying that she wanted to “shed a positive light on Jewish culture” and did her best to challenge audiences’ notions of what Jews and rabbis look like. She also explained that the show is loosely based on her own love story, as she converted to Judaism for her husband.
As fans wait for season 2, we are left wondering what the future looks like for Noah and Joanne. Will their love be enough to overcome opposite lifestyles, meddling families and messy dynamics? Only time will tell.