Cliff Notes – I was obsessed with Nobody Wants This – season 2 let me down
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The second season of Nobody Wants This fails to maintain the fresh and engaging storytelling of the first season, feeling thematically lost and lacking character development.
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While the chemistry between Kristen Bell and Adam Brody remains strong, the plot meanders without clear purpose, and some character arcs appear underdeveloped or confusing.
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Despite the presence of notable guest stars like Leighton Meester, the season does not improve upon previous criticisms regarding the portrayal of Jewish women, leaving much to be desired in terms of nuance and depth.
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.
Fans of Nobody Wants This were over the moon when season 2 was confirmed (Picture: Erin Simkin/Netflix)
Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Morgan (Justine Lupe) overcame sisterly tension by the end of the first season (Picture: Erin Simkin/Netflix)
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.
Nobody Wants This Season 2: Key Details
Creator
Erin Foster
Cast
Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Justine Lupe, Jackie Tohn, and Timothy Simons.
Episodes
10 episodes, around 30 minutes each.
Release date
Released at 8am on October 23, 2025.
Morgan and Esther’s storylines felt confused and randomly added (Picture: Erin Simkin/Netflix)
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.’
At the end of season one, married couple Sasha (Timothy Simons) and Esther held an eventful batmitzvah for their daughter Miriam (Shiloh Bearman) (Picture: Erin Simkin/Netflix)
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.
Verdict
Nobody Wants This season two struggles to live up to the standard of the first season. While the acting performances are strong, the character development and overarching plot are weak, leaving the season feeling like a dull follow-up to the shining first season.
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 season focuses on their developing relationship (Picture: Erin Simkin/Netflix)
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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