Initially, “Nobody Wants This” appeared like a fairly apt title for Netflix’s new romantic comedy present about an sudden relationship between a intercourse podcaster and a Jewish rabbi. Let’s simply say that earlier than its streaming premiere final week (on Sept. 26), I very a lot didn't need this.
Its core premise appeared gawkish, and the preliminary trailer prompt an over-glossy sequence that might have me cringing extra typically than laughing. But I’ve realized by now to not choose a ebook by its cowl (or a Netflix sequence by its trailer), so with a weekend devoid of plans due to a nasty case of the widespread chilly, I clicked play on “Nobody Wants This” with expectations that I'd bounce off comparatively rapidly. Instead, I discovered one of my favourite reveals of 2024.
Not since “Baby Reindeer” has a Netflix present hooked me this quick, and I’m delighted to see “Nobody Wants This” is making vital waves on the streaming service straight out of the gate. It’s already the No. 1 present on Netflix after solely a few days, and that’s a spot it deserves. Here’s why this easy-watching present is one of the 12 months’s largest surprises…
Turns out I actually did need this Netflix present
Within moments of beginning the primary episode of “Nobody Wants This” I used to be immediately reminded of one other Netflix present, “Love”. This rom-com sequence starring Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs ran for 3 seasons between 2016 and 2018 and centered on the off-beat romance between two mismatched characters within the sunny setting of Los Angeles, California.
The above is similar tough define of “Nobody Wants This”, and so whereas this new Netflix present can hardly be labeled authentic, being tonally and thematically just like a present I thought of amongst Netflix’s best-ever efforts isn’t a unhealthy factor. A budding romance between two very completely different characters is a confirmed formulation for rom-com success, and “Nobody Wants This” is the most recent instance of it getting used to nice impact.
Naturally in a present of this kind, the chemistry between the leads is essential, and Kristen Bell and Adam Brody positive have a lot of it. While Bell’s Joanne, a quick-witted podcaster, and Brody’s Noah, a charming and good-natured rabbi, fall into pretty commonplace character archetypes, and their odd-couple connection isn’t all that distinctive, since you so rapidly come to care about them each, it’s straightforward to get invested of their relationship.
There’s a actual easy-watching attraction to “Nobody Wants This”. Its comedic tone falls on the proper aspect of playful banter with out falling into the entice of being overly snarky, and its forged of characters are principally likable, even those framed as roadblocks for Joanne and Noah’s relationship have comprehensible motivations, and aren’t handled as cartoonish villains.
I additionally love that its episodes max out at half-hour, with some operating merely 21 minutes. In our present period of streaming TV, the artwork of a 30-minute episode appears to be dying in favor of prolonged chapters that may even hit feature-length (taking a look at you “Stranger Things”), however there’s one thing enjoyably digestible about episodes you possibly can watch in lower than half an hour. Plus, it makes “Nobody Wants This” immensely binge-able as you possibly can watch a handful of episodes in lower than two hours.
This Netflix present is already turning heads
“Nobody Wants This” has solely been on Netflix for a quick whereas, nevertheless it’s already making a fairly sizeable splash on the favored streaming service. Over the weekend, it managed to dethrone true-crime drama “Monsters” from the No. 1 spot, and I’ve seen a lot of optimistic social media reactions too — an imperfect measurement for achievement, however a good signal, nonetheless.
It’s not simply me that’s been swept up on this unconventional relationship both. Over on overview mixture signal Rotten Tomatoes, “Nobody Wants This” has managed to drag a powerful 93% rating from simply shy of 30 opinions. Plus, its viewers rating is off to a equally robust begin at 91%. These could fluctuate as extra write-ups flood in, however the early takes are extremely optimistic.
Tim Glanfield of the Times of London notes that “it’s the old-fashioned chemistry between Bell and Brody that will keep the audience coming back” whereas Mike Hale of the New York Times praised the present’s “smooth rom-com fluency”. Robert Lloyd from the Los Angeles Times known as it “bouncy and pleasant, with likable — or eventually likable — characters”. These are all sentiments I very a lot agree with.
It’s not simply the leads getting reward from critics both (even when the Bell and Brody partnership is the present’s bedrock). “Bell and Brody are accompanied by a supporting cast of veteran scene stealers, and creator Erin Foster has additionally given their tale a specificity that sets it apart from your average meet-cute about mismatched lovers,” mentioned Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter.
Of course, not all people has fallen underneath the spell of this slick Netflix present. Nandini Balial of RogerEbert.com went towards the grain and declared the present “A romantic comedy series short on both romance and comedy.”
You have to stream ‘Nobody Wants This’ on Netflix
If you’re searching for your subsequent Netflix binge-watch, I've excellent news, your search is over. “Nobody Wants This” is, sarcastically, precisely what you need proper now. Its breezy episode runtimes make it tremendous handy to tear by means of a couple of installments even when quick on time, and its easy-going comedy tone makes it a nice Netflix present to observe whenever you’re within the temper for one thing gentle (or occur to be underneath the climate. Trust me, it’s a nice illness present).
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody are immediately likable as people and the pair have greater than sufficient on-screen chemistry that you simply’ll care about their relationship too. Even whereas just about all their family and friends are begging them to bin off their budding romance, you’ll be rooting for them to seek out a solution to make it work. And that’s the true check of a nice romantic comedy.
All 10 episodes of “Nobody Wants This” at the moment are streaming on Netflix, and for those who’ve already binged the entire season, make sure to take a look at this improbable new Netflix authentic film that isn’t getting the eye it deserves. And for a full overview of what’s new on the favored service, we now have a information to the whole lot new to Netflix this week together with films and reveals.
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