Actors Kristen Bell and Adam Brody couple up for hit romcom Nobody Wants This

NEW YORK – What happens when a rabbi and the host of a sex-and-dating podcast fall in love?

That is the premise of the hit romantic comedy Nobody Wants This, which debuted at No. 2 on Netflix’s global English-language television chart soon after its Sept 26 premiere, and has earned a 94 per cent critics’ score on review site Rotten Tomatoes.

And because its stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody appeared in two beloved teenage dramas in the 2000s – Veronica Mars (2004 to 2007) and The O.C. (2003 to 2007), respectively – the show is also sparking a wave of nostalgia among millennials, or those born between the early 1980s and 1996.

Set in Los Angeles, the 10-episode series follows Joanne (Bell), an outspoken podcaster with a history of picking the wrong guy and then telling all on her podcast.

But then she is swept off her feet by the newly single Noah (Brody), a Jewish religious leader, and embarks on an unlikely relationship.

The mismatched couple must navigate around their very different lifestyles and cultural backgrounds – not to mention the disapproval of Noah’s family and congregation, who want him to marry a Jewish woman.

At a screening held recently in New York, Bell – the 44-year-old American star of hit comedy films such as Bad Moms (2016) and the voice of Princess Anna in the Frozen animated films (2013 to present) – says making the show “was definitely a labour of love”.

“It was very fun to film, and it’s going to be fun to watch,” adds Brody, 44, for whom this project, his first high-profile lead role in decades, is seen as a comeback.

The American actor then turns to the audience and asks: “How many of you are in love? Show of hands?”

When more than a dozen hands go up, Bell – who is married to American actor and podcaster Dax Shepard, 49, and has two daughters aged 11 and nine – says: “This is a show for you guys.”

“And how many people want to be in love?” adds Brody, who has a nine-year-old daughter and two-year-old son with 38-year-old American actress Leighton Meester, who starred in another hit teen drama, Gossip Girl (2007 to 2012).

“I’ll raise my hand to both,” says the actor, who also appeared in the superhero sequel Shazam! Fury Of The Gods (2023).

Nobody Wants This is loosely based on the real-life love story of its American creator and showrunner, Erin Foster, 42, and her decision to convert to Judaism before marrying her now-husband, American entertainment executive Simon Tikhman, 40.

But the show’s depiction of Jewish culture has also sparked controversy in the United States, where some members of the community have criticised its use of stereotypes and portrayal of Jewish women as controlling and desperate to marry.

Responding to the backlash in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Foster defends Nobody Wants This and says there is a need for “positive Jewish stories right now”, given the surge in anti-Semitism from the ongoing war in the Middle East.

“What I really wanted to do was shed a positive light on Jewish culture from my… positive experience of being brought into it, and sprinkling in a little fun and educational moments about things in Judaism that I love, without it being heavy-handed.”

But even critics of this aspect of the show praise the chemistry between Brody and Bell, who still have loyal fans from The O.C. and Veronica Mars, the cult shows in which they both played teen outcasts.

And Bell suggests another reason for the on-screen spark she shares with Brody, who briefly played her love interest in the comedy series House Of Lies (2012 to 2016).

In a joint interview with her co-star on a recent episode of Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert, Bell says Brody, whom she suggested for the part, is an actor “who can look dopily and lovingly into someone’s eyes for an extended period of time – and I am also one of those actors”.

“You need to just pause the storyline and let these characters look at each other, but make sure they’re keeping the ‘will they or won’t they’ chemistry,” she explains.

“So I was, like, ‘I know Adam can do it and I can do it – just put us together, please.’”