Netflix: “Nobody Wants This” starring Adam Brady

The plot of “Nobody Wants This” (Netflix) is, as they say, old as Methuselah. Two young Angelinos, both on the rebound from failed relationships, meet cute at a dinner party. They start chatting and joking around and immediately fall in like.

So what could go wrong? Well, the guy is Noah (Adam Brody), a hot but sweet (and very observant) assistant rabbi at a posh LA synagogue. The girl is Joanne (Kristen Bell), a funny, non-Jewish cohost (along with her sister Morgan, played by Justine Lupe from “Succession”) of a podcast dealing with matters single, female and sexual. Can this romance be saved?

The biggest obstacle: with the exception of the lovebirds, nobody wants this romance to succeed. Not Noah’s mother (Tovah Feldshuh), mostly because Joanne’s a “shiksa.” Neither does Noah’s caustic sister-in-law Esther (Jackie Tohn) because she’s still loyal to Rebecca, Noah’s ex (Emily Aleppo). Nor does Morgan want her sister to be happily married because a) that undercuts the podcast which is being shopped to Spotify.

Somehow all this works, in no small part due to the excellent ensemble cast and the crackling funny writing (thank you, Erin Foster and team!) Tim Simons, who plays Noah’s loutish older brother Sasha, adds even more comic relief. He feels an affinity with Morgan, Joanne’s older sister, both of whom realize they’re not the favored sibling in the family. “It’s rough when you’re the brother of Jewish Jesus,” he tells Morgan.

The question of will they/won’t they keeps the show moving and apparently the formula has worked because “Nobody Wants This” has been extended for another season! Apparently everyone wants this. Including me.

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