Adam Brody and Kristen Bell weren’t expecting “Nobody Wants This,” their Netflix comedy series about the unlikely romance between a recently single rabbi (Brody) and a non-Jewish sex podcast host (Bell), to become a cultural juggernaut.
“We are in a tense moment of massive upheaval, and there doesn’t seem to be many romantic comedies, period,” Brody tells me when asked why he thinks the Netflix show has resonated.
“It feels like we have the field to ourselves for a moment.” Bell says. “There was a ton of really great, intense, hardcore television that ‘Breaking Bad’ inspired — rough-and-tumble watches — and something lovely in the rom-com space hadn’t been felt by the masses in a while.”
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I caught up with Brody and Bell at a recent “Nobody Wants This” FYC event at Netflix’s Tudum Theater in Hollywood.
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You really didn’t think this show would be such a big hit?
Bell: No. We just felt like we were shooting this little show on Vermont in Los Feliz.
Brody: Of course not. I’m still distrustful of it. I keep thinking I’ll put on Netflix and it won’t be there. So I’m pinching myself a little bit.
Bell: I’m just happy that people were happy watching that show. That’s like my main goal. I don’t know that my goal has ever been to do something that so profoundly affects people other than through happiness.
I binged the first season quickly and I don’t like that we have to wait so long for the next season.
Brody: Hopefully, it won’t be so bad. We’re shoot in February and hopefully they’ll have it out by September next year.
How are you going to top this all in Season 2? Do you know how it plays out?
Brody: Kristen probably knows more than I do.
Bell: We’ve added some delicious people to the mix, [new showrunners] Jenny Connor and Bruce Eric Kaplan, which is very exciting. Nothing has been completely decided yet, but the writers have been in it for about a month. The season is roughly boarded out and I’m very happy.
Adam, what do you want to see happen in Season 2?
Brody: I don’t care, as long as it’s clever and sweet and funny, you know what I mean? I want it to be good, and that can take many forms. I’m not too invested in the twists and turns as long as they’re true and smart and fun to play.
Bell: That’s one thing I really respect about the about Erin Foster, who created the show, and even the newcomers we’ve had this season come in. Their commitment seems to be, “We gave the people what they wanted.” The second season, we’re not going to have Godzilla make an entrance. It’s not going to become an alien show. No evil twins.
Who has reached out to you about the show who you were surprised to hear from?
Bell: I guess an out -of-the-blue one was Molly Shannon. I got the loveliest message from her. And pretty much every single person I’ve worked with, to be honest.
Brody: I’ve heard from most people in my phone.
Who is in your phone?
Brody: It’s not as cool as it sounds. My handyman told me he loves the show.
Bell: I don’t know if someone is tracking this or it’s just numbers in my head, but about seven people told me they started watching the show because their dads recommended it. The algorithm is bullseye-ing dads. So late 50s to late 60s men are being targeted. Toto Wolff [CEO of Mercedes in Formula One] told me the other day he loves the show and binged it with his kids. That was definitely out of the blue.
