‘Nobody Wants This’ renewed for a second season on Netflix — with more Jews on board
The series, about an interfaith relationship between a rabbi and a non-Jewish, agnostic podcaster, has proven a massive hit
Kristen Bell as Joanne and Adam Brody as Rabbi Noah Roklov in Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This.” (Stefania Rosini/Netflix)
(JTA) — A second season of “Nobody Wants This” is coming, whether Jews want it or not.
The Netflix series, about an interfaith relationship between a rabbi (Adam Brody) and a non-Jewish, agnostic podcaster (Kristen Bell), has proven a massive hit for the streaming platform, even as its depiction of American Jewish life — which includes an overbearing Jewish mother figure (Tova Feldshuh) who derisively refers to Bell’s character as a “shiksa,” and a shrill Jewish sister-in-law (Jackie Tohn) — is stuffed with enough stereotypes to fill Canter’s Deli.
“It wasn’t really something I was thinking about too much,” series creator Erin Foster, who converted to Judaism and based the series on her own life, told JTA’s partner publication, Hey Alma, about her show’s depiction of Jewish women., Foster, who married Jewish record-label owner Simon Tikhman, has also insisted the show was a “positive Jewish story.” She said she made sure to staff the writers’ room with people who were born Jewish, and she defended some of the characterizations in the series.
A real-life rabbi — the one who converted Foster — consulted on the show’s portrayal of Judaism, and more Jews are also joining the show’s tent for its second season. In its Thursday announcement of the renewal, Netflix revealed that Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan, two Jewish alums of the HBO series “Girls,” will executive-produce the new season of the rom-com and serve as showrunners, taking over duties from Foster. A third Jewish executive producer, Konner’s colleague Nora Silver, is also joining.
“It’s a dream to be working on ‘Nobody Wants This,’” Konner said in a statement. Kaplan, likewise, called it “such a unique and beautiful show.” Foster, who is returning as an executive producer and will continue to write on the show, said, “Justice for healthy relationships being the most romantic!”
A date for the second season’s release has not yet been made public.
