“Nobody Wants This,” created by writer Erin Foster, is the latest entry to the recent rom-com renaissance. With unexpected sparks between a free-spirited podcaster and a soft-hearted rabbi, “Nobody Wants This” builds an all-too-recognizable yet still unique and charming love story.
“Nobody Wants This” focuses on Joanne (Kristen Bell), who has turned her unsuccessful, crazy love life into a career as she details her failures, reflections and relationship advice on a podcast with her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe). However, after a chance encounter with Noah (Adam Brody), a charming rabbi who has recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend Rebecca (Emily Arlook) at her friend Ashley’s (Sherry Cola) party, an undeniable attraction connects Joanne and Noah as they dive headfirst into love. As the pair’s romance grows, the couple is forced to come to terms with the disapproval of those around them, particularly from Noah’s headstrong mother Bina (Tovah Feldshuh), who disapproves of the agnostic Joanne’s apathy towards religion.
The performances and electric chemistry between Bell and Brody truly set this show apart from the wave of recent romantic comedies. Bell brings a biting charm that gives Joanne a certain charming unlikability that, when balanced by Bell’s ability to bring out Joanne’s insecurity, creates a relatable character who often hides her heart beneath layers of sarcasm. As for the other half of the pair, Brody is in all ways the image of dorky sweetness as Noah, who attracts people both because of his position as a rabbi and his inherent kindness. Despite this, Brody still adds little bits of defiance to Noah: While the character often seems to follow the paths others set, the way he expresses his love for Joanne reveals a contrasting side to the character, who otherwise seems more willing to walk down paths and expectations set by those around him.
The supporting cast further uplifts the show’s charm. Morgan and Sasha (Timothy Simons), Noah’s married brother, are both well-developed characters who provide a comedic presence to the cast — Morgan delivers a plethora of sarcastic dialogue and Sasha always provides earnest, dry humor. While the pair aren’t quite given the spotlight, they each individually give quick glimpses into the loneliness they experience within their families as “the loser siblings,” as Sasha puts it. Together, the two characters share an interesting dynamic as they slowly find comfort in one another and establish a friendship that slightly blurs the line between platonic and romantic.
However, “Nobody Wants This” seems to trust the performances of its cast to the point that the writing suffers. Often, throughout the show, I felt that the charm of the central relationship was purely fueled by Bell and Brody’s individual performances and the chemistry between them, rather than by fully realized and developed characters. Much of what is known about Noah and Joanne seems to be simply stated. Not much time is spent on solidifying these explicitly stated characteristics and working to make them believable parts of the characters and the established dynamic between them.
The clearest example of this is in the show’s fourth episode, “Obliterated.” This episode’s established conflict is Joanne’s insecurity about her passionate — even a tad bit obsessive — attitude toward her romantic partners, further exacerbated by Morgan’s skepticism that Noah will stay with Joanne when he starts to gain a glimpse of this side. However, throughout the date, while Noah and Joanne banter, flirt and shyly smile enough for any viewer to giggle, such an inner conflict rarely appears at all.
Besides a brief panic that seizes Joanne when Noah almost sees her search history filled with traces of his ex-girlfriend, Joanne does not seem to have a particularly obsessive personality. Without an actual buildup of this inner conflict other than its introduction and a few subtle details sprinkled throughout, the vulnerability that Joanne shows in her confession to Noah falls flat: There is no clear moment that reveals Joanne’s insecurity about her obsessive personality. The writers simply stated such facts — and that’s not enough to really bring these aspects of the character to life.
Indeed, this show’s best story arcs occur when it allows for sufficient buildup, taking time to show both conflict and resolution. One such arc is that of the fate of Joanne and Noah’s relationship. This arc is established from the very first episode when Joanne appears at a service Noah leads, leading to Bina’s instant disapproval. The conflict between Bina’s refusal to accept Joanne and Noah’s steadfast love for her is constant throughout, growing more tense. Whether it be in small comments about Joanne’s quiet fears about Bina’s lack of acceptance or other pressures like Noah’s dream to be head rabbi, which would require Joanne to convert to Judaism or leave Noah, the conflict’s constant presence means the writers can steadily build to a well-earned conclusion.
In its current state, “Nobody Wants This” exists in a strange balance between mediocrity and novelty. Nevertheless, as any love story would dream of achieving, I do believe in the romance crafted between Joanne and Noah and the potential they have to grow in both the story and their relationship. It’s just a matter of whether this love will be able to grow beyond the basic stage or die, stunted by miscommunication and the same old failures of romance.
