Nobody Wants This (2024/25-Seasons 1 and 2) * * *

 

Starring:  Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Timothy Simons, Justine Lupe, Jackie Tohn, Tovah Feldshuh, Paul Ben-Victor, Stephen Tobolowsky, Arian Moayed, Seth Rogen

Nobody Wants This started slowly and then grew on me.  What started as a typical mismatched couple romcom became richer and more intriguing as the episodes went on.  The supporting players gained more depth and focus.  The conflicts, mostly caused by Noah's (Brody) potential ascension to senior rabbi at his temple and the need for Joanne (Bell) to convert to Judaism, take on weight.  I was reminded of the Sex and the City episodes in which Charlotte fully converted to Judaism in order to marry Harry.  Charlotte was certain of her choice, while Joanne is wishy-washy on the subject because she is not fully informed on what being a rabbi's wife will entail.

Joanne and her sister Morgan (Lupe) host a sex and relationship podcast which apparently makes them both pretty good money.  Noah and Joanne meet at a party and they are attracted to one another, even though Joanne is a self-proclaimed agnostic and Noah is a rabbi.  Joanne at first thinks Noah can't have sex, but he assures her he's not a priest so rabbis can have relationships.  In the first season, Noah's meddlesome family does its best (except for Noah's brother Sasha) to keep Noah and Joanne apart since the thought of a rabbi having a non-Jewish girlfriend is unacceptable in their eyes.  Especially since Noah recently broke off a long-time relationship with a Jewish woman they all assumed would become Mrs. Noah.  

In season two, however, Noah's family becomes more accepting but there is still the lingering question of whether Joanne will convert.  Noah leaves his temple after being passed over for the senior rabbi position due to the uncertainty surrounding Joanne, and he finds what he thinks will be a godsend in a progressive temple run by Rabbi Neil (Rogen), but he finds he doesn't like the job even though it will allow him to be with Joanne without her converting to Judaism.  The final episode of the season contains three potential breakups and intriguing story arcs from there. 

Bell and Brody are a likable couple but Nobody Wants This also succeeds with its supporting cast who were thankfully allowed more to do as the series moves on instead of simply existing to either support or ruin Joanne and Noah.