I was obsessed with Nobody Wants This – season 2 let me down

I am a romantic comedy fanatic, and I loved the first season of Nobody Wants This.

To me, the first series was as if the concept of Fleabag season 2 was given an American makeover with a softer tone, a load of hot, glossy actors, and powerhouses Adam Brody and Kristen Bell to lead.

The series was so endearing that I actually watched it again in full a few weeks after I’d binged it. I recommended it to all of my friends and praised Netflix for giving rom-com fans the content they have been craving.

I have seen every Noughties rom-com, I know all of the tropes… but season one felt fresh and fun, especially as it was based on a real story.

When it came to season two, I was buzzing for more of the same funny, original storytelling…but the series has taken a dip.

It saddens me to say, but the second outing feels like the writers were riding on the high of the success of the first season and became lazy.

After a moving season two finale, with a romantic climax that saw Noah (Brody) choose Joanne (Bell) over his dream to become Head Rabbi of his temple, the series delves into the couple’s new normal as they work on being a unit. But the storytelling feels clunky.

In the first season, each episode had a purpose and marked a relationship milestone – be it going on a first date, meeting the parents or getting the ick. The second season feels more lost thematically, with the plot meandering along, rather than each episode really contributing to the overarching story.

I had also hoped that a second season would mean further character development, with new arcs and nuance added to those who felt more two-dimensional in the first season. This wasn’t the case.

The storylines for Noah’s sister-in-law Esther (Jackie Tohn) and Joanne’s sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) felt confused and randomly selected, with the sole purpose of adding drama to the series.

At some points, Morgan’s main storyline felt like it was bordering on the farcical, losing the tone of the show that felt more grounded in reality than absurdity.

You won’t be disappointed by the addition of Leighton Meester to the cast, Brody’s wife in real life.

Beloved by many as Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, the actress has stepped into a hilarious role in Nobody Wants This as Abby, Joanne’s middle school nemesis. But Seth Rogen’s guest-starring role as Rabbi Neil felt underutilised, and not the knee-slapping performance I had hoped for.

I also expected this season to re-evaluate the portrayal of Jewish women. The first season received criticism for making some of the characters caricatures of Jewish stereotypes.

Zoe Moore wrote for the Jewish Women’s Archive: ‘The Jewish women we meet throughout Nobody Wants This are portrayed as male-obsessed and manipulative villains. The Jewish men, however, are almost portrayed as something women should fight for, as a prize to seek out. They’re funny and witty and charming.’

She continued: ‘The assumption one could make, after watching this show, is that Jewish women hate non-Jews. Jewish women are anti-feminist. Jewish women are male-obsessed. Jewish women are manipulative and cold. Jewish women are incapable of being good mothers.’

In my opinion, while the portrayal doesn’t get worse in season two, it doesn’t get better.

Noah’s mother, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh), is as meddling as ever, Esther is portrayed as ultra-controlling for comedic effect that doesn’t pay off, and the few other Jewish women are too underdeveloped for real commentary.

While I was disappointed, the series is still an easy watch, underpinned by fantastic chemistry between Brody and Bell. The couple is completely believable with a spattering of romantic moments – although none quite live up to that first kiss in season one.

In some episodes, they slip into the ‘Rabbi is a goody-two-shoes and Joanne is a naughty girl’ trope, which felt more nuanced in the first season, but a little obvious and cack-handed in this new offering.

Despite some of the less believable plot points, the acting is still completely solid, and while I didn’t particularly enjoy Esther’s storyline this season, I loved seeing more of Glow star Tohn on my screen. I really hope her character becomes more fully formed in a potential season three.

The laughs weren’t as hearty Nobody Wants This season two, but I did find myself smiling to myself occasionally, if not quite mustering up an actual snicker.

To me, this season was filler. Hopefully, the series is commissioned for a third season so the writers can find their feet again and go back to the structure, tone, and nuance in their characters that made the first batch of episodes so good.

Nobody Wants This is available to stream from Thursday, October 23, 2025 on Netflix.

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