Bracing authenticity makes this a show romcom fans will want

From the moment they meet, it’s clear that Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody) are made for each other. Despite their differences.

She’s an agnostic podcaster who hosts a series about sex and the trials of modern relationships with her sister, Morgan (Justine Lupe). Breezily describing themselves as “slutty singles”, each has a history of disappointing hook-ups.

He’s a rabbi at a liberal Los Angeles synagogue who’s just ended a long-standing relationship with a nice Jewish girl regarded by his family and friends as a perfect match. By his own admission, he can “play up the Torah bad-boy vibe” when required: he’ll smoke dope and swear, he flirts and he’s quick with a snappy comeback line. Known among the teens at his temple as the “hot rabbi”, he’s a man of God, but not quite the forbidden fruit of Fleabag’s “hot priest”.

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody hit a major roadblock in Nobody Wants This.Credit: Adam Rose/Netflix

The major roadblock for this potential couple, the kind of obstacle necessary for any romantic comedy once the initial, irresistible flame has been ignited, is that Joanne’s not Jewish. Or, to use the slang common in his community, she’s a shiksa.

Yet, as their meet-cute establishes, Joanne and Noah really get each other. They banter on the same wavelength and spark from the get-go. He’s charmed by her vivacity and forthright nature, but also senses her vulnerability. “You scare me,” he admits. “You’re an unfiltered, complicated, vulnerable, beautiful woman.” And, departing from her usual tendency to make bad choices with men, she’s attracted by his intelligence, sensitivity and kindness.

According to series creator, writer and executive producer Erin Foster, Noah needed to be “charming and soulful and deep, but also have a really sharp sense of humour, a sense of sarcasm, and the ability to give Joanne shit. He had to be likable and lovable, but also hot and also the kind of guy that your mom would love.” She says that Brody, who as Seth Cohen, the teenage son of a mixed marriage on The O.C. (2003-2006, Stan, 9Now) gave the world the concept of “Chrismukkah”, was perfect.

Nobody Wants This propels viewers into classic romcom territory, a rarefied and often-elusive space, especially on TV. Crafting a winner in this beloved yet notoriously difficult-to-negotiate genre is tricky. Writers, producers, directors and actors need to nail a range of critical elements and successfully combining them isn’t easy or common, though it can happen (see below). It requires an almost-magical mix of tone, timing, setting, humour, casting and chemistry. And one of the frequent disappointments for devotees of the genre is how many turn out to be clunky wannabes.

A Handful of Romcoms That Shine

Colin From Accounts (Binge): It begins with a nipple flash and an injured dog. Consistent with that tone, there’s not much that’s conventional or predictable about this gem from real-life partners Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer. Excelling in a genre that hasn’t been a local specialty, they make Gordon and Ashley wonderfully flawed and wholly believable, their rocky romance punctured by attraction, uncertainty, shared black humour and tenderness.

Geek Girl (Netflix)

An under-appreciated charmer, this English-Canadian co-production follows the fairytale rise of winsome outsider Harriet Manners (Emily Carey) along the glittering runways of the fashion world, which is portrayed as a glossy Mecca of eccentricity. It also provides a sweet and smart supermodel (Liam Woodrum) as her totally worthy Prince Charming.

The Lovers (Binge)

Janet (Roisin Gallagher) is a short-tempered shop worker contemplating suicide; Seamus (Johnny Flynn) is a smoothly charming TV journalist with hosting ambitions. When he literally crashes into her life in this Belfast-based comedy, they appear to be a wildly odd couple destined for a brief encounter. Yet somehow, they click and an engaging, if unusual, affair develops. 

Trying (Apple TV+)

There’s no meet-cute here as Jason (Rafe Spall) and Nikki (Esther Smith) are already an established couple wanting children. Yet over four sparkling seasons, as they navigate their desire for a family and then the challenges of becoming one, there’s chemistry, love and a beautifully calibrated depiction of a delightful, believable couple.

Mad About You (original series not available to stream)

As with Jason and Nikki, the initial courtship of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt) is behind them. They’re married and have an adorable dog called Murray. Funny how often cute dogs turn up in romcoms. The original series (1992-1998) offers a witty, perceptive and very funny account of a devoted couple riding life’s bumps together.

Happily, this 10-part series understands the challenges and gets the necessary elements right. Having convincingly introduced the potential couple, it tracks a path strewn with obstacles towards a possible happily-ever-after ending. Romcom hurdles come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes a competing love interest creates an uncomfortable and threatening romantic triangle. Sometimes the lovers face logistical challenges: living in different cities or countries. Sometimes the problem is a culture clash, or class differences. Sometimes one of the participants gets cold feet about commitment. There can be damaging gossip, misunderstandings and miscommunications.

Here, Joanne’s sometimes-resentful sister creates some ructions, while Noah has family members insistently advocating for his ex, Rebecca (Emily Arlook). They include Rebecca’s BFF, Esther (Jackie Tohn), who’s also Noah’s brashly opinionated sister-in-law, and his gimlet-eyed, Russian-immigrant mother, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh). A formidable matriarch who’s unapologetically manipulative, she dismissively hisses that her son’s latest fling will be fleeting because “shiksas are just for practice”.

The major stumbling block here is religion. It’s not simply that Noah is Jewish and a rabbi, but he has ambitions for the top job at his temple and a non-Jewish partner would be a non-negotiable no-no. In addition to their coupling being unacceptable to the congregation, their children wouldn’t be Jewish. It’s a significant hurdle and one that the series tackles thoughtfully as it raises the “C” word (conversion).

Kristen Bell, Adam Brody and a cute dog in Nobody Wants This.Credit: HOPPER STONE/NETFLIX

In the interim, though, there are uncomfortable situations to overcome and faux pas to navigate, such as Joanne’s when she includes prosciutto on the charcuterie board that she brings to a dinner with Noah’s parents. After that, in a sign that this is a genuinely accomplished comedy, the gaffe becomes the springboard for a string of very funny exchanges. Nobody Wants This is shaped by capable hands, including those of executive producer Steven Levitan (Modern Family, Just Shoot Me!) and set-up director Greg Mottola (Arrested Development, The Comeback).

As the series creates a couple that viewers can genuinely care about, it also addresses timeless and universal problems about love and romance: the complications of connection and intimacy; the need to combat the “ick” factor; the difficulty of finding a soul mate. It also addresses issues specific to modern courtship: the disappointments of online dating; the question of how long it should take to respond to a text message; the concern about whether its tone has been correctly interpreted.

As in the best romcoms, the focus isn’t exclusively confined to the couple but grows to encompass a lively community around them. Noah has his goofy brother, Sasha (Timothy Simons), while their father (Paul Ben-Victor), provides wise counsel for Noah, but also wisely stays silent a lot of the time. Joanne’s dad (Michael Hitchcock), who’s recently separated from her mum (Stephanie Faracy) and come out as gay, is less helpful. The range of female characters and the development of their relationships is particularly impressive. They’re a spirited and engaging bunch, from sceptical yet supportive Morgan to abrasive Esther and her justifiably frustrated teenage daughter (Shiloh Bearman).

As with Foster’s earlier work – including a podcast with her sister, Sara, and their mockumentary TV series, Barely Famous (Apple TV+) – the series has strong autobiographical elements. “This show is based on the only good decision I ever made,” she’s said, “falling for a nice Jewish boy”. Originally, she intended to play Joanne, but after converting to Judaism and marrying Simon Tikhman in 2019, she wanted to focus on motherhood and found her ideal leading lady in Bell, who played the feisty, eponymous girl-sleuth in Veronica Mars (2004-2006, 2019, Prime).

The daughter of Grammy-winning music producer and composer David Foster, Erin Foster intimately knows and understands the affluent LA scene portrayed here and also has first-hand experience of the community that she’s depicting. The shaping of the characters and their dialogue radiates the robust and at-times bracing authenticity of lived experience.

In an early conversation between Noah and Joanne, for example, Joanne confesses her troubling preoccupation with his ex and he jokingly confirms that she has reason to be worried. Rebecca, he remarks, looks better without make-up than with it, is very good at maths and has abundant brown hair. It’s the kind of conversation that only a woman who understands other women’s lurking fears could write.

Beyond the banter, though, it’s the characters’ honesty that cuts through, the raw moments when Noah and Joanne reveal their fears, confusion and mistakes to each other. These anchor the series and give it a heft that make it more substantial than simply a succession of funny moments.

The title might be Nobody Wants This, but this is the romcom that lovers of the genre definitely do want.

Nobody Wants This is on Netflix from September 26.

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