I have to admit, bar some of the classics I consumed in my twenties, I’m not really a romantic comedy watcher, especially some of the newer titles we see on the likes of Netflix. I wouldn’t pay to see one in the cinema and, generally, I like my romance heavy on the drama and looking to devastate me emotionally - I will never recover from Normal People.
In saying that, I consumed Nobody Wants This in one guilt-ridden sitting. I needed something as background noise for a day of cleaning chores and, having put myself on a temporary ban from true-crime podcasts, I chucked on the light-hearted looking series not expecting the need to pay attention.
With yellow rubber gloves on and an old cleaning rag in my hand, I hovered in front of the TV, having become distracted from cleaning the windows.
It was Adam Brody on screen.
Adam Brody of The O.C fame.
Adam Brody who stole mine and every other teenager’s heart in the 00’s as the delightfully nerdy and enthusiastically Jewish Seth fucking Cohen.
Having aged like a fine wine, Adam Brody is back on television screens in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This, alongside the charming Kristen Bell and I, for one, am thrilled about it.
I Want This
Created by Erin Foster, Nobody Wants This is ridiculously easy to consume and looks at modern relationships with the right balance of wit and sincerity that ensures you’re going to get that warm and fuzzy feeling without wanting to be sick in your lap.
Joanne (Bell) and her sister, Morgan (Justine Lupe), host a sex-positive, tell-all podcast and delight in spilling the dating tea with their audience. As their career begins to reach new heights, the permanently single and agnostic Joanne meets the recently single hot rabbi, Noah (Brody).
Bell and Brody just have the most charming chemistry and this makes it super easy to endure the ‘will they/wont they’ narrative that has become the blueprint for romantic comedies.
What sets Nobody Wants This apart from other romcom’s is how easy it is not to hate Noah. You would think that, given we’re meant to root for him and Joanne, that his likability would be essential but, alas, so many of our romcom heartthrobs are riddled with big fat red flags that we all decide to ignore.
Gone are the days of the bad boy leading man. You’re too prideful, Mr. Darcy. You’re a fuckboi, Daniel Clever. You’re a 104 year old Vampire, Edward Cullen.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a flawed and messy character, and yes, we can certainly say that it’s not really that deep, but, actually, as someone who seems to have made it her life’s mission to seek the love of emotionally unavailable men (big eye-roll at myself), do you know how refreshing it is to watch a romantic comedy where the male lead is unapologetically, enthusiastically into his romantic counterpart?
As simple as it sounds, what makes Noah so attractive throughout the series is his certainty about his feelings for Joanna. The man knows what he wants. The easy storyline for Noah would have been some kind of love-triangle involving both Joanne and his ex-girlfriend but Foster knew better and instead wrote Noah as the emotionally available man we’ve been pining for.
Adam Brody as the hot rabbi is the kind of leading man we deserve in modern romantic comedies. Hallelujah! Praise be. Blessed be the fucking fruit.
What Do You Mean He Tells Her How He Feels?
While Nobody Wants This includes the necessary conflict needed to make Joanne and Noah’s relationship journey one that isn’t so straightforward, it focuses on real life problems, such as Noah’s faith and family dynamics, instead of whether he’s ready to give-up shagging other women or pressuring Joanne to tone down her sexual confidence.
Noah is so into Joanne, exactly as she is, and he makes sure to show her that. Do you know how simple and how hot that it? Noah reacts appropriately to Joanne’s interest in him. He doesn’t aggressively pursue her when she’s unsure. He doesn’t freak out and do a runner when his feelings are actually reciprocated. He acts like a normal, functioning adult man.
Maybe you’re reading this and you’re thinking ‘is the bar that low?’ and I am here to tell you that it is. Of course it shouldn’t feel like it’s something new and fun to see this kind of behaviour within a weightless, light-hearted television show but it is.
I think this can absolutely apply to female characters, queer characters etc. also because
It’s fun and sexy, let’s enjoy it and hope it inspires other writers to make their male romcom leads reflect the type of romantic partners we actually deserve.
Look, I am always going to pine for the Connells of the film and television world, a romantic drama filled with conflict and heartache are some of my favourite stories, but when it comes to the romcom genre, I’m over the bad boy trope.
I’m here for more lighthearted stories that are still rooted in healthy romance and I am most definitely here for more Adam Brody, always.