Chemistry is a critical factor in any relationship. Without genuine sparks, love connections are tough to come by. But once they’re present, they are impossible to ignore — whether they’re wildly inconvenient or not. 

“Inconvenient” would certainly be one way to describe the attraction that develops between a podcaster and a rabbi in Nobody Wants This, the series from writer-creator Erin Foster, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. Inspired by Foster’s own love story, the Los Angeles-set romantic comedy follows Joanne (Bell), who mines her bad dates and short-lived relationships for material, after she meets Noah (Brody), a newly single friend-of-a-friend, at a dinner party. Their connection is instant and definitely mutual, but their interest in one another is immediately complicated. Joanne is agnostic with some emotional baggage. Noah is a rabbi dedicated to his faith who only recently broke up with a longtime partner. Making matters worse, his family is not okay with welcoming “a shiksa” into the family. 

“When I met my husband Simon, I was a fully formed person, and I was not understanding how I would ever compromise my life and have a new person come into it because I was just very self-sufficient and very independent,” says Foster, who ultimately joined her husband’s faith and converted to Judaism. “We learned so much about each other [during the conversion] process. I learned about all the things that [were] pushing my buttons and pushing his buttons. It felt like it was interesting and ripe territory for a show.”

Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody)

Photography by Adam Rose

Bell — who has been a part of some of the most beloved television series for over two decades now, from Veronica Mars to Gossip Girl and The Good Place — wasn’t looking for her next series when Foster’s script came her way. “I read Nobody Wants This and the character and the subject matter and the tone were so appealing, so unique and novel, I had to say yes because it’s rare that you read something that you’ve truly never seen before,” she remembers. 

Joanne, an open — yet hardened — book who finds connection with others by putting them at ease with her wit and curiosity, both on and off her podcast, is a role tailor-made for Bell. Wielding snappy comebacks and self-deprecating remarks as a defense mechanism, Joanne is not afraid to confront the parts of herself she might not like and is eager to break her own obsessive and impulsive patterns. “I saw in Joanne something I sometimes see in myself and in the world around me,” Bell says. 

When the self-proclaimed “too much” Joanne finally meets a guy she actually likes in “hot rabbi” Noah, she realizes that just because a relationship is challenging does not mean it’s not worth pursuing: “I thought the dynamic was so interesting: one person who is bad at adulting and the other person who’s almost too good at adulting. They’re polar opposites in almost every way, but their desire for growth, even if subconscious, [draws] them together.”

Joanne (Kristen Bell) 

Photograph by Adam Rose

Once Bell signed on to Nobody Wants This, which she also executive-produces, the star passionately lobbied for Brody to play Noah. “To be honest, when I read this script, by the third scene, I knew it had to be Adam because there’s a lot to pull off in that role [even though] on its surface it may seem simple,” Bell says. “You have to have someone who’s endlessly charming, can show emotion, can also show strength, and can stare longingly into someone’s eyes and make you believe it.”

A generational favorite who came to typify a certain kind of sweetly nerdy romantic lead thanks to his work in the early aughts series Gilmore Girls and The O.C., Brody hadn’t seen himself as that kind of character for some time. “I just love the genre, and I hadn’t done it in [a while],” says Brody, who recently made memorable turns in acclaimed dramedies like Fleishman Is in Trouble and American Fiction. “The opportunity doesn’t present itself for me that much for whatever reason.” 

Not that Brody had set out to find a role like Noah necessarily. “In the moment, I’m [never] looking to make a move in one direction or another,” he says of how he selects his projects. “I’m just like, what’s either the most talented group of individuals I can work with next, or what’s the smartest story I can be a part of telling next? I heard through the grapevine that Kristen was kind of seeking me out [for] this. The idea of being in a romantic comedy opposite Kristen seemed like a true joy.” 

Noah (Adam Brody)

Photograph by Stefania Rosini

Brody and Bell had worked together before on the series House of Lies, but there was no guarantee that the pair would creatively connect when it came to playing Noah and Joanne. “It was an open question truly to both of us how well it would work,” says Brody. 

But neither needed to worry thanks to Foster’s compelling vision and the central couple she created for them. “The tracks were laid very nicely for you to care about these characters and want them to be together,” says Brody. 

Bell notes that their appreciation for one another as performers added to their onscreen chemistry. “When you’re acting with Adam, it’s almost as if the lines weren’t scripted,” she says. “You’re just talking to someone. He’s so natural.” Brody similarly raves: “Kristen’s a phenomenal talent. She’s so funny but also a flawless dramatic actress. She’s just a wonderful dance partner.” 

Underpinning Bell and Brody’s partnership was a knockout supporting cast, including Justine Lupe (Succession), Timothy Simons (Veep), and Jackie Tohn (GLOW). “This cast got really close quickly because everyone is lovely,” Bell says. “There’s no other way to describe it.” As Joanne’s sister Morgan, Lupe is Bell’s copilot in podcasting and a for-better-or-for-worse sounding board for every relationship challenge that comes her way. Their familial connection carries offscreen. “I fell so madly and deeply in love with Justine as a little sister,” Bell says. “I am so grateful the show brought me into her life.”

Noah (Adam Brody) and Joanne (Kristen Bell)

Photograph by Adam Rose

Brody also developed a sibling bond with Simons, whose character Sasha finds himself torn between wanting the best for his brother and meddling for the sake of his disappointed family. “I’ve been wanting to work with him for a long time,” Brody says. “He’s a genius, and [we] couldn’t have gotten along better.”

Tohn plays Sasha’s wife Esther, who is vehemently against Joanne joining the family, though offscreen, she and Bell go back decades. “Jackie was pretty much the first friend I had in Los Angeles 20 years ago,” reveals Bell. “I read this script and thought, Oh my gosh, this is a perfect part for my literal real-life best friend: playing my nemesis.” 

As the ensemble brings Foster’s singular characters to life,  their comedic connections explode onscreen and their mutual admiration is palpable. In Brody’s words: “It’s not a coincidence that it was one of the most joyful shoots I’ve had.” 

Yet while there is no shortage of joy in Nobody Wants This, the series is not afraid to embrace the messy complexities of falling in love — which makes it maybe more relatable than just a simple happily-ever-after tale. Working from Foster’s blueprint, Bell and Brody were eager to explore just how scary it is to be open and honest with someone who could break your heart, and to try to find a way forward for Joanne and Noah. “It’s not comfortable, it’s not safe, and there is carnage, [but] watching these two characters make choices to be their higher selves, to be more compassionate, more empathetic, to grow, it’s innately feel- good,” Bell says. “We’re all a bit more alike than we are different, and sometimes it takes a Romeo and Juliet-style love to break your perspective.”

Noah (Adam Brody) and Joanne (Kristen Bell)

Photograph by Danielle Levitt