\n<\/p>\n
F<\/span>or a while, it seemed as if the romcom as an art form died and had been replaced by Marvel sequels and issue-led dramedies. Rachel and Ross were a distant memory (and not just because it was 20 years ago). Luckily, the genre \u2013 and our collective broken hearts \u2013 has been given CPR by a flurry of new releases. Few have been more affecting than Nobody Wants This (Netflix, from Thursday 23 October), the stomach-flipping story of rabbi Noah and relationship podcaster Joanne.<\/p>\n When the first series appeared on Netflix last year, the success was somewhat unexpected. With the streaming giant focused on content viewers could watch after a lobotomy, few expected a mega hit that would create a genuine emotional connection. Then we met Noah (millennial nostalgia-fix Adam Brody) and Joanne (Kristen Bell) and the combination of acting, lovable characterisation and tight writing saw critical acclaim, Emmy nominations and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 old-fashioned\u00a0longing. The internet had a new boyfriend. Fleabag\u2019s Hot\u00a0Priest was old news. Hot Rabbi was here to save us. And he was a really good listener who could also\u00a0cook pasta.<\/p>\n Inspired by creator Erin Foster\u2019s experience of converting to Judaism for her husband, Nobody Wants This boils faith, family and modern dating into 26\u00a0tightly packed minutes. On top of ex-girlfriends and formidable mothers-in-law, our two lovers have a central obstacle to overcome: if he wants to be head rabbi, Noah needs to marry a\u00a0Jewish woman.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n When we last saw the couple, they were at a crossroads: Noah had been offered his dream job and Joanne had done the selfless act of leaving him so he could take it. The final scene of the two reuniting and kissing in the street perfectly set up a second season and with it pressing questions. Will Joanne convert? Will Noah quit his vocation? Will Noah\u2019s mum murder Joanne when she finds out?<\/p>\n It says something about the snail pace of modern television that it feels a real treat to be getting a second series only 13 months after the first. All 10 episodes were available for preview but we were sworn to secrecy about the finer points. This included a PDF that had bullet points listing seven specific plot points that could not be disclosed, as well as a veto on naming the characters certain guest actors are playing. (Fans will already know that Gossip Girl alumna and Brody\u2019s real-life wife Leighton Meester has joined the cast, as has Seth Rogen.) I couldn\u2019t help but wonder if there are state secrets hidden behind Brody\u2019s beard. Still, in an age of spoilers being posted online as soon as a series has dropped, you can only applaud Netflix\u2019s commitment to the art of surprise.<\/p>\n Without giving too much away, I can say this new series will find the couple facing reality. It\u2019s not that the honeymoon is over \u2013 the chemistry between Brody and Bell\u00a0is as engaging as ever \u2013 but now\u00a0the romantic reunion is done, they must get on with the day-to-day challenges of a relationship with differing cultures, religions and friends.<\/p>\n One of the strengths of this show from the beginning was the brilliant supporting cast, most notably Joanne\u2019s sister Morgan (Justine Lupe in a career-best role), Noah\u2019s brother Sasha (Veep\u2019s Timothy Simons) and sister-in-law Esther (Jackie Tohn). So it\u2019s a pleasure to see each of them get more screen time. Fresh from finding out her husband had been platonically texting \u201cwhore number two\u201d, Esther gets a chance to show some vulnerability and expand on the slightly 2D depiction of battle-axe wife we saw in season one.<\/p>\n As the two families start to blend, the upshot is that different members of the cast get to interact with one another. I would happily watch a spin-off that consists entirely of Noah talking to Joanne\u2019s newly out and self-obsessed father. The writers even manage to give Morgan and Noah\u2019s mother a scene together. By the time half the family are squashed in a shed in episode three, you find yourself wishing it was 2008 and we got 24 episodes a year.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s hoping Netflix delivers season three in record time \u2013 and starts commissioning other smart, heartstopping romantic comedies. Everybody wants more of this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For a while, it seemed as if the romcom as an art form died and had been replaced by Marvel sequels and issue-led dramedies. Rachel and Ross were a distant memory (and not just because it was 20 years ago). Luckily, the genre \u2013 and our collective broken hearts \u2013 has been given CPR by<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[3412,12636,17272,17273,12967,241,1779,4339],"class_list":{"0":"post-29196","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-adam","9":"tag-bell","10":"tag-brodys","11":"tag-heartstopping","12":"tag-kristen","13":"tag-show","14":"tag-television","15":"tag-treat"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}